Assessing the Performance of a Classification‐Based Vulnerability Analysis Model

In this article, a classification model based on the majority rule sorting (MR‐Sort) method is employed to evaluate the vulnerability of safety‐critical systems with respect to malevolent intentional acts. The model is built on the basis of a (limited‐size) set of data representing (a priori known) vulnerability classification examples. The empirical construction of the classification model introduces a source of uncertainty into the vulnerability analysis process: a quantitative assessment of the performance of the classification model (in terms of accuracy and confidence in the assignments) is thus in order. Three different app oaches are here considered to this aim: (i) a model–retrieval‐based approach, (ii) the bootstrap method, and (iii) the leave‐one‐out cross‐validation technique. The analyses are presented with reference to an exemplificative case study involving the vulnerability assessment of nuclear power plants.     

The unequal impact of Covid-19 on the lives and rights of the children of modern slavery survivors,children in exploitation and children at risk of entering exploitation

This article discusses the unequal impact of Covid-19 on the lives of the children of survivors of modern slavery, child victims of exploitation and children at risk of exploitation in the UK. It draws on research that has analysed the risks and impacts of Covid-19 on victims and survivors of modern slavery. It explores how pandemic responses may have hindered these children's rights to education, food, safety, development and participation and representation in legal processes. It suggests that the pandemic should be used as an impetus to address inequalities that existed pre-Covid-19 and those that have been exacerbated by it.     

Can a treatment be licenced on the basis of post‐treatment predictive biomarkers?

In recent years, there has been a great deal of literature published concerning the identification of predictive biomarkers and indeed, an increasing number of therapies have been licenced on this basis. However, this progress has been made almost exclusively on the basis of biomarkers measured prior to exposure to treatment. There are quite different challenges when the responding population can only be identified on the basis of outcomes observed following exposure to treatment, especially if it represents only a small proportion of patients. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether or when a treatment could be licenced on the basis of post‐treatment predictive biomarkers (PTPB), the focus is on oncology but the concepts should apply to all therapeutic areas. We review the potential pitfalls in hypothesising the presence of a PTPB. We also present challenges in trial design required to confirm and licence on the basis of a PTPB: what's the control population?, could there be a detriment to non‐responders by exposure to the new treatment?, can responders be identified rapidly?, could prior exposure to the new treatment adversely affect performance of the control in responders? Nevertheless, if the patients to be treated could be rapidly identified after prior exposure to treatment, and without harm to non‐responders, in appropriately designed and analysed trials, may be more targeted therapies could be made available to patients. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Older People's “Voices”—On Paper: Obstacles to Influence in Welfare States—A Case Study of Sweden

The official rhetoric of welfare states unconditionally pays tribute to older people's right to express dissatisfaction. In practice, users of older services in welfare states may be deprived of their “exit” options and face considerable constraints when it comes to raising their “voices.” For example, when older people in nursing homes would like to lodge a complaint, they may well be referred to the very staff members they depend on in their everyday lives. This article analyzes a national case study in which these contradictory tendencies are especially explicit: formal influence channels for older people in Sweden. Using data from structured interviews with 100 representatives of Swedish municipalities and drawing on Hirschman's (1970) Hirschman, A. 1970. Exit, voice, and loyalty: Responses to decline in firms, organisations, and states, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.  [Google Scholar] theory on exit and voice, the article analyzes obstacles to older service users' influence in Sweden and develops explanations for these obstacles in terms of social contexts.     

The self-interview: a new method in social science research

This article presents the new method of self-interviewing as an empirical tool specifically for use in memory studies research. The article traces some of the empirical limitations specific to the field of memory studies and reviews the existing tools used in this area. It particularly focuses on some of the limitations of qualitative interviewing, the memory work method and diary methods in generating data on the processes of vernacular remembering at the same time as making visible the meaning that remembering has for participants in their everyday lives. We propose the self-interview as a method which addresses some of these limitations. In elaborating the value of the self-interview, we draw extensively on fieldwork that we have conducted using this method. Although the self-interview does not divest memory studies of the need for a range of other methods, the self-interview is an important addition to its currently rather sparse methodological tool kit.     

Trauma-informed care training in a child welfare system: Moving it to the front line

The use of trauma-informed practices in the child welfare system is critically important to prevent system-induced trauma and encourage timely assessment, triage and referral for care when indicated. Ultimately, such measures have the potential over time to decrease the risk for mental health problems in children exposed to a trauma. This study evaluates an initiative in Arkansas to train child welfare front-line staff members in trauma-informed care practices. We evaluated the impact of the training on knowledge and use of trauma-informed care practices among three types of child welfare staff (Caseworkers, Program Assistants and Other front-line staff). Results suggest that this training process was highly successful in improving knowledge of trauma-informed care practices, especially among staff with the least formal education and training. We also found a significant increase in staff use of trauma-informed care practices at the three-month follow-up with little difference observed across staff groups. Barriers that may prevent staff from full implementation of training concepts are described and strategies to address barriers are proposed.     

Not in the Same Mental Drawer: Internalized Sexual Stigma,Dissociation, and the Role of Religion in a Sample of Italian Gay Men

ABSTRACT

Several studies have highlighted the relationship between internalized sexual stigma (ISS) and dissociation. The aim of the present study was to empirically investigate this relationship through a quantitative study. The Measure of Internalized Sexual Stigma for Lesbians and Gay Men (MISS-LG) and the Dissociation Scale (DIS) of the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) were administered to 120 Caucasian participants who self-identified as gay men. Findings suggested that dissociative symptomatology, as measured by DIS—an estimation of the use of dissociation as a defense mechanism—was positively associated with MISS general index and all dimensions of MISS, especially the sexuality dimension (ISS-S). Moreover, the effect of the ISS-S on DIS was amplified in Catholic participants, suggesting a moderating role of religiosity. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Belohnungen und Bestrafungen im Netz: Verhaltenskontrolle in Chat-Foren

It is often lamented that the anonymity and physical distance of the Internet prevent effective punishment for antisocial behavior such as insulting, racist or sexist comments. It is thus claimed that anomie regins on the Internet. However, if we look at individual Internet forums and the virtual groups which frequent them, it becomes evident that behavioral rules are often explicated and a row of rewards and punishments are used for behavioral control. With the help of systematic behavioral observations, analysis of documents and field experiments in 24 selected chat forums in the IRC and WWW this study examines how people use technical and social sanctions to control each other’s behavior in computer-mediated communication. Boundaries and possibilities of behavioral control on the Internet are of interest both for those who use chat forums as well as for those who offer chat forums. Accordingly, practical consequences of the results of the study are discussed with special consideration given to the danger of abuse of power.