The Influence of Attachment Styles on Sexual Communication Behavior

Attachment theory is one of the major theoretical frameworks for understanding romantic relationships. Attachment styles are formed through interactions with caregivers and shape an individual’s expectations of subsequent interpersonal relationships. In this study, we examined how attachment styles influence participants’ ability to communicate with their partners about problems in their sexual relationship. A community sample of 81 couples engaged in two video-recorded discussions, one representing an aspect of the couple’s sexual relationship where the male partner wanted change and the second representing an aspect of the sexual relationship where the female partner wanted change. Conversations were then coded, with each person being rated on three positive communication dimensions (positive affect, offering solutions, and responsiveness) and three negative communication dimensions (hostility, negative affect, and unskilled communication behaviors). As predicted, attachment avoidance was related to more negative and less positive communication for both the individual and his or her partner. Our observational data did not reveal any significant effects of attachment anxiety on sexual communication. These results can be contrasted with findings from self-report studies that do suggest an anxious attachment adversely impacts sexual communication.     

‘Scarred’ young entrepreneurs. Exploring young adults’ transition from former unemployment to self-employment

The recent increase in youth unemployment has major implications for the current and future development of European labour markets. Previous studies reveal the long lasting ‘scarring effects’ of early unemployment experience on later career prospects, including a higher probability of future unemployment or social exclusion. Self-employment is often advocated as a potential remedy for unemployment in general and youth unemployment in particular. In this study, we investigate the individual-level factors that lead young people with the ‘scar’ of previous unemployment to engage in self-employment. Based on a recent survey among young adults in eleven European countries, we show that previous unemployment has a significant moderating effect on other individual-level characteristics usually associated with a higher likelihood of being self-employed. While the overall propensity of self-employment is not affected by unemployment experience, the reasons for becoming one’s own boss differ considerably between those young adults who have and those who have not experienced unemployment in the past.     

The birth of 'MidPLUS': Australia's new national continuing professional development program for midwives

The national continuing professional development (CPD) program of the Australian College of Midwives, MidPLUS, was officially launched in September 2007. In our role as program developers we were dedicated to the belief that this national CPD program would be an important step for Australian midwives, and contribute to demonstrating a commitment to providing safe and effective care for Australian women and families. This paper outlines key issues involved in providing CPD programs for professional groups and highlights how this information was used in the decision making behind the design of MidPLUS. The key operational elements of CPD programs included program design, program administration and related professional issues. Important features and functions of the MidPLUS program are highlighted and justification is given for our overall design. This information may assist midwives who are considering using the MidPLUS program and are asking the question: CPD-what does it mean for me?     

Residents’ Reactions to Earthquake Early Warnings in Japan

This article empirically examines the effectiveness of earthquake early warning (EEW) in Japan based on experiences of residents who received warnings before earthquake shaking occurred. In Study 1, a survey (N = 299) was conducted to investigate residents’ experiences of, and reactions to, an EEW issued in Gunma and neighboring regions on June 17, 2018. The main results were as follows. (1) People's primary reactions to the EEW were mental, not physical, and thus motionless. Most residents stayed still, not for safety reasons, but because they were focusing on mentally bracing themselves. (2) Residents perceived the EEW to be effective because it enabled them to mentally prepare, rather than take physical protective actions, before strong shaking arrived. (3) In future, residents anticipate that on receipt of an EEW they would undertake mental preparation as opposed to physical protective actions. In Study 2, a survey (N = 450) was conducted on another EEW issued for an earthquake offshore of Chiba Prefecture on July 7, 2018. Results were in line with those of Study 1, suggesting that the findings described above are robust. Finally, given people's lack of impetus to undertake protective action on receipt of an EEW, this article discusses ways to enhance such actions.     

The Validity of Social Media–Based Career Information

The use of social media expands the availability and sources of career information. However, the authorship of this information has changed from traditional print media and multimedia sources created by experts to social media–based career information created by the users themselves. Although variability in career information validity has been an issue for some time, rapid growth in the use of social media creates some unique challenges. The ease with which social media–based career information can spread creates the potential for rapid widespread dissemination of disinformation and biased perceptions. Potential sources of invalidity include intentional bias (with or without profit motive), unintentional bias, restricted range of experience, out‐of‐date information, popularity bias, similarity bias, and context deficiency. The authors examine potential sources of social media–based career information invalidity and suggest implications for practice to help individuals make the best use of such information.     

Efficient simulation of tail probabilities in a queueing model with heterogeneous servers

This paper considers a multi-server queue with Markov-modulated Poisson input and server-dependent phase-type service times. We develop an efficient rare-event simulation technique to estimate the probability that the number of customers in this system reaches a high value. Relying on explicit bounds on the probability under consideration as well as the associated likelihood ratio, we succeed in proving that the proposed estimator is of bounded relative error. Simulation experiments illustrate the significant speed-up that can be achieved by the proposed algorithm.     

Resolving some contradictions in the theory of linear opinion pools

Bradley (Theory Decis 85:5–20, 2018) develops some theory of the linear opinion pool, in apparent contradiction to results of Dawid et al. (Test 4:263–314, 1995). We investigate the sources of these contradictions, and in particular identify a mathematical error in Bradley (2018) that invalidates his main result.

     

Men doing women's dirty work: Desegregation,immigrants and employer preferences in the cleaning industry in Norway

The literature on gender desegregation has documented the gendered nature of employment hierarchies and opportunities, but less work has examined how the influx of immigrants in the labour market might affect employment hierarchies and gender segregation. This study examines employers' perceptions of ‘the suitable cleaner' — a traditionally female‐dominated occupation that has received a substantial number of male immigrant workers. Departing from the notion that men in female‐dominated occupations are advantaged by a ‘glass escalator' effect, we analyse how employer preferences position different categories of workers as hireable. Building on interviews with employers in the Norwegian cleaning industry, the study demonstrates how three different but intertwined logics define employer preferences: effectivity demands, professionalization and devaluation. While the first logic favours men as workers and the second devalues ‘female' competence, opening the occupation for men, the third logic favours immigrants, combined positioning immigrant men on top of the hierarchy of suitability.     

Optimal Control and Sensitivity Analysis for Two Risk Models

Two periodic-review models arising in insurance are considered in the framework of cost approach. The first one treats the insurance company performance under assumption of capital injections and reinsurance. The second one deals with assets selling and bank loans. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the method for establishing the optimal control of such applied stochastic models and to study their stability. For this purpose, sensitivity analysis is carried out. Numerical results are also provided.