John Key the biofinancial entrepreneur

ABSTRACT

Alongside the better known repudiations of truth that have risen to prominence since the 1970s—known variously in terms of postmodernism, identity politics, democratic materialism or simply university discourse—this article seeks to estimate the significance of the reactions against truth that are characteristic of finance. Finance is a collective subject or social movement in its own right, composed of a set of actors, devices, technologies and platforms which together constitute an apparatus that reacts against truths whenever and wherever they arise. This operates most clearly in the logic of risk management, a generalised technology that accompanies the financialisation of economy, politics and culture. The process of financialisation or rather what will be called here the ‘biofinancialisation’ that seeks to code life in the terms of finance, bears austere lessons about truth and resistance and these, in conjunction with new resistances from below, provide new prospects for radical politics and progressive social change today. These lessons we will learn from, among others, the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand.     

Re B‐S: a glass half full? An exploration of the implications of the Re B‐S judgment on practice in the family courts

The family courts in England and Wales are being significantly reformed in line with the coalition government's aim to speed up the process and increase the numbers of children being adopted from care. In September 2013, the Court of Appeal handed down a judgment, Re B‐S (Children) [2013] EWCA Civ 1146, that has wide‐ranging implications for professional practice and decision making in care proceedings. The judgment challenges the policy direction and provides guidance about what is required before courts can make orders separating children from their birth families, particularly in cases of non‐consensual adoption. In this paper, we outline the changes occurring in the family justice system, some key elements of Re B‐S, and examine the challenges for implementing practice consistent with the requirements of Re B‐S. It is argued that the standards set by Re B‐S are unlikely to be fully implemented without much further attention to the complexities posed by the policy and practice context of social work with children and their families involved in care proceedings.     

The experience of gender dysphoria for pre‐pubescent children and their families: a review of the literature

In recent years, the experience of gender dysphoria has gained public prominence through an explosion of sensationalized interest in the popular media. However, childhood gender dysphoria remains poorly understood and both parents and children often find themselves having to educate professionals around them. This not only creates a sense of disconnect between family and professionals, but also means that social workers can often be unaware of the myriad of competing perspectives that seek to explain gender variance. This review of the literature seeks to provide interested social workers with an overview of gender dysphoria, current research in the field and theoretical paradigms, with a view to promoting understanding and better practice with families in this little understood field.     

A consistent parameter estimation in the three-parameter lognormal distribution

In this work, we propose a consistent method of estimation for the parameters of the three-parameter lognormal distribution. We then discuss some properties of these estimators and show by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study that the proposed estimators perform better than some other prominent estimators in terms of bias and root mean squared error. Finally, we present two real-life examples to illustrate the method of estimation proposed.     

Extrapolative simulation of neighborhood networks based on population spatial distribution: Do they predict crime?

Objectives

Previous criminological scholarship has posited that network ties among neighborhood residents may impact crime rates, but has done little to consider the specific ways in which network structure may enhance or inhibit criminal activity. A lack of data on social ties has arguably led to this state of affairs. We propose to avoid this limitation by demonstrating a novel approach of extrapolatively simulating network ties and constructing structural network measures to assess their effect on neighborhood crime rates.

Methods

We first spatially locate the households of a city into their constituent blocks. Then, we employ spatial interaction functions based on prior empirical work and simulate a network of social ties among these residents. From this simulated network, we compute network statistics that more appropriately capture the notions of cohesion and information diffusion that underlie theories of networks and crime.

Results

We show that these network statistics are robust predictors of the levels of crime in five separate cities (above standard controls) at the very micro geographic level of blocks and block groups.

Conclusions

We conclude by considering extensions of the approach that account for homophily in the formation of network ties.     

On Doing Research in a Clinical Setting

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a stand-alone personalized normative feedback (PNF) intervention targeting misperceptions of gambling among college students. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 136; 55% male) who reported gambling in the past 30 days were recruited between September 2011 and March 2012. Methods: Using a randomized clinical trial design, participants were assigned to receive either PNF or an attention control task. In addition to self-report, this study used 2 computer-based risk tasks framed as “gambling opportunities” to assess cognitive and behavioral change at 1 week post intervention. Results: After 1 week, participants receiving PNF showed a marked decrease in perception of other students’ gambling, and evinced lower risk-taking performance on 2 analog measures of gambling. Conclusions: Changes in both self-reported perceived norms and analog gambling behavior suggest that a single, stand-alone PNF intervention may modify gambling among college students. Whether it can impact gambling outside of the laboratory remains untested.     

Utilization and limitations of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment instrument: A systematic review

ABSTRACT

Objective: To analyze the literature in which researchers have utilized the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) I or the NCHA II. Participants and Methods: The authors selected peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and July 2013 utilizing a single search term: National College Health Assessment. Articles were assessed for instrument use, limitations, and data analyses. Results: The search resulted in 72 articles for inclusion. Researchers used the instrument to either conduct a primary investigation or utilize reference group data for secondary analysis. Researchers used many data analyses, statistical tests, techniques, and methods. Limitations of the instrument were consistently mentioned by researchers. Conclusions: Results indicate limitations in the NCHA. To ensure college health professionals are gaining the best information possible regarding students on their campuses, specific improvements to the NCHA are recommended.     

The Boric Acid Powder Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

Abstract

This double blind comparison of fourteen daily intravaginal gelatin capsules containing 600 mg of boric acid powder versus identical capsules containing 100,000 units of nystatin diluted to volume with cornstarch found vulvovaginal candidiasis albicans cure rates for boric acid to be 92% seven to ten days after treatment and 72% at thirty days, whereas the nystatin cure rates were 64% at seven to ten days and 53% at thirty days. Speed of alleviation of signs and sumptoms was similar with both drugs. There were no untoward side effects, and cervical cytology was not affected. In vitro studies found boric acid to be fungistatic and its effectiveness to be unrelated to pH. Blood boron analyses indicated little absorption from the vagina and a half life of less than 12 hours. A 30% follow-up of 2,030 nonstudy patients revealed wet mount and symptom cure rates of 93% within two weeks and 88% within four weeks. Patient acceptance was better than with “messy” vaginal creams, and self-made boric acid powder capsules are inexpensive, 31¢ for fourteen, compared with costly, commonly prescribed medication.