Predictors of Sexual Minority Youth’s Reported Suicide Attempts and Mental Health

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth (LGBY) report higher rates of mental health concerns compared to heterosexual youth due to minority stressors. This study examined the interpersonal and intrapersonal variables that predict psychological distress and self-reported suicide attempts in a sample of 61 LGBY in the Mid-South, which is a highly overlooked regional area for LGBY research. Youth who lost friends when coming out were 29 times more likely to report suicide attempts, and those who experienced psychological maltreatment from caregivers were 9.5 times more likely to report a suicide attempt. Internalized heterosexism, feelings of guilt or shame, and psychological maltreatment from caregivers were significant predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms. This study highlights the importance of creating affirming spaces for LGBY, particularly in areas of the country that experience greater political oppression of sexual minorities, such as the Mid-South.     

The role of population size in the determination and prediction of population forecast errors: An evaluation using conifidence intervals for subcounty areas

Producers of population forecasts acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in trying to predict the future and should warn about the likely error of their forecasts. Confidence intervals represent one way of quantifying population forecast error. Most of the work in this area relates to national forecasts; although, confidence intervals have been developed for state and county forecasts. A few studies have examined subcounty forecast error, however, they only measured point estimates of error. This paper describes a technique for making subcounty population forecasts and for generating confidence intervals around their forecast error. It also develops statistical equations for calculating point estimates and confidence intervals for areas with different population sizes. A non-linear, inverse relationship between population size and forecast accuracy was found and we demonstrate the ability to accurately predict average forecast error and confidence intervals based on this relationship.     

Animals,Agency and Resistance

In this paper we develop a relational approach to the question of animal agency. We distinguish between agency and action and, using three examples of non‐human animal behaviour, explore how human‐other animal interactions might be understood in terms of action, agency and resistance. In order to do this we draw on the distinction between primary and corporate agency found in the work of Margaret Archer, arguing that, while non‐human animals are able to act and to exercise primary agency, they are unable to exercise corporate agency. Animals are therefore agents; they act and their actions have consequences, they also resist conditions which they do not like and, in some circumstances, are able to change the conditions of their agency. We discuss the place of animals in the social world and the political implications of this way of viewing animal agency.     

Toward a Radical Model of Social Work in Rural Communities

“Rural” areas as distinct from “urban” continue to be defined by greater personal interactions and less emphasis on formal systems of support. This reality rests in contradiction to the overwhelming majority of social work scholarship and theory development which takes place in an urban context. As such the present-day act of being a “social worker” in a rural community can, in many ways, feel like a bad fit, back-applying the model of an urban generalist into an environment whose organic community ties the social work model itself was originally designed to substitute for. In recognition of this, it is necessary to develop a “combined” model of practice for social work with rural communities and peoples. The fundamental distinction to be made is that rural social work, in its most radical form, is less concerned with adapting persons to the Gesellschaft than it is with strengthening the capacity of the Gemeinschaft to provide the kind of support capacity it historically has, taking into account changes and challenges resulting from factors such as globalization, urban sprawl, and cultural change.     

Entrepreneurship among the Displaced and Dispossessed: Exploring the Limits of Emancipatory Entrepreneuring

This paper explores the links between entrepreneurship, emancipation and gender within the international development arena. Through a longitudinal analysis of a micro‐enterprise development project in which intermediary organizations contract traditional handicrafts from female home‐based producers, we focus on the impact of contracting policies on the ability of the desperately poor to improve their disadvantaged position. Our critical analysis reveals how intermediaries who impose exclusive contracting conditions, supposedly to protect the women's interests, actually constrain the emancipatory potential of the women's entrepreneurial activities. However, such contractual limitations generate collaborative networks enabling the women to challenge these constraints in an effort to assert control over their activities. Accordingly, this paper contributes to contemporary debates concerning the emancipatory potential of entrepreneurship within the context of development. We advance this analysis through a gendered evaluation of the role of intermediary organizations on entrepreneurial emancipation and related empowerment.     

Perspectives on Whistleblowing: Faculty Member Viewpoints and Suggestions for Organizational Change

Given the prevalence of unethical behavior in research, whistleblowing may serve an important policing function. Despite this potential value of whistleblowing to organizations, engaging in this type of activity often has negative ramifications for those who choose to blow the whistle. Organizations may fail to provide adequate support for these individuals. In order to help inform best practices for organizations in terms of whistleblowing support infrastructure, the present effort content analyzed interviews with university faculty members regarding ethical decision making in which whistleblowing was a topic. Relevant themes in these interviews are discussed.     

Scheduling pre-printed newspaper advertising inserts using genetic algorithms

In recent years, the use of pre-printed advertising inserts in newspapers has increased dramatically. Pre-printed inserts allow advertisers to deliver colorful, high-quality marketing material to targeted groups of consumers within the newspaper's delivery zone structure. To accommodate the increased workload associated with pre-printed inserts without negatively impacting the news deadline or delivery schedules, many newspaper companies face increasingly complex post-press scheduling decisions. This paper presents a spreadsheet model developed to represent the pre-printed insert scheduling problem in a case study of an actual medium-size newspaper company. The performance of two commercial genetic algorithm (GA) optimizers is compared on this problem. Computational testing shows the GAs develop schedules that substantially reduce the post-press production department's insert processing time.     

Consumption Rituals in the Transition to Motherhood

The acquisition of consumer goods is a significant feature of the transition to motherhood for middle-class women in contemporary US society. The acquisition and arrangement of consumer goods during the transition to motherhood often occurs in ritualized fashion through two prevalent consumption rituals, nesting and gifting. Using data from qualitative, semi-structured interviews with new, first-time mothers, this article explores the symbolic meanings mothers associate with these consumption rituals. Findings indicate that the rituals facilitated a sense of control and feelings of preparedness for the new role and status of mother, played a significant role in gendering the child, and allowed mothers to create a sense of continuity between their own interests and their children’s interests. In all three of these areas, nesting and gifting were conceived as ways of becoming more “prepared,” thereby facilitating the transition to becoming a mother. This study provides insight into how consumption helps perpetuate the gender system, both through gendering the child and reinforcing the culture of motherhood.