Discourses of blame: deconstructing (hetero)sexuality, peer sexual violence and residential children's homes

Little research exists on sexuality and residential care, even less that position gender inequality as a central analytical component. This paper, based on a wider research project that focused on children’s and young people’s experiences of peer violence within residential care, seeks to help redress this disparity. The main aim of this paper is to explore how (hetero)sexuality, discourses of blame and male peer sexual violence are constructed and interrelated in residential child care. Young people’s and staff’s conceptualizations, evaluations and experiences are compared and contrasted to illuminate the range of discourses surrounding sexuality and sexual violence operating within residential settings. Findings relating to female culpability for male violence, normative male violence, female duplicity and challenges to traditional gender roles will be presented, and contextualized, in relation to previous studies. In addition, some broader implications of the research findings for residential practice are explored.     

A capture-recapture survival analysis model for radio-tagged animals

In recent years, survival analysis of radio-tagged animals has developed using methods based on the Kaplan-Meier method used in medical and engineering applications (Pollock et al. , 1989a,b). An important assumption of this approach is that all tagged animals with a functioning radio can be relocated at each sampling time with probability 1. This assumption may not always be reasonable in practice. In this paper, we show how a general capture-recapture model can be derived which allows for some probability (less than one) for animals to be relocated. This model is not simply a Jolly-Seber model because it is possible to relocate both dead and live animals, unlike when traditional tagging is used. The model can also be viewed as a generalization of the Kaplan-Meier procedure, thus linking the Jolly-Seber and Kaplan-Meier approaches to survival estimation. We present maximum likelihood estimators and discuss testing between submodels. We also discuss model assumptions and their validity in practice. An example is presented based on canvasback data collected by G. M. Haramis of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, USA.     

Gambling Screens: Does Shortening the Time Frame Affect their Psychometric Properties?

Gambling screening tools such as the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and a DSM-IV Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS) developed by the National Opinion Research Council have psychometrically validated lifetime and past-year versions. As research questions often dictate shorter time intervals, researchers have adapted the time frames of these instruments to their specific purposes without examining whether changing the time frame affects the psychometric properties. In this study, 3-month versions of SOGS and NODS were administered to a sample of 80 pathological gamblers (59 men, 21 women, mean age 44) seeking treatment at a state-funded facility. The 3-months versions had good internal consistency, good convergent validity with each other, with gambling behaviors assessed via the timeline followback method, and with measures of impulsivity. The 3-month versions also showed good discriminant validity with demographic variables and a measure of verbal IQ. Together the data indicate that shortening the time frame to 3 months does not seem to have adverse effects on the psychometric properties of SOGS and NODS. Thus these adapted versions could profitably be used for shorter time intervals, including as pre/post-treatment and follow-up measures in treatment outcome studies.     

Using the coproduction principle: no more throwaway kids

Youth development does not take place only in institutions or even primarily in institutions. It takes place in the core economy-the economy of family, neighborhood, and community. Major challenges include rebuilding the kind of village it takes to raise a child and enabling a child to be part of that rebuilding. Another challenge is to make sure that any external incentives that are provided to youth are linked to activities that build self-esteem and convey a definition of value that is different from that established by money and market price. This chapter provides an introduction to time banking and to coproduction, approaches to youth development that enable youth to participate as major players, as opposed to recipients, in the reshaping of their lives and communities.     

Leaning into Browser Extensions

abstract

An array of browser extensions has been developed to help researchers locate full-text content, whether that full text is available in an institutional repository, on a publishers site, or in an open access journal. Examples of such browser extensions include Unpaywall, Kopernio, EZproxy tools, and Lean Library. This Balance Point column focuses on the growth of browser extensions, the need they are filling, and their adoption by libraries. Particular attention is paid to the Lean Library browser extension and the services offered by Lean Library. Drawing on the literature and interviews with librarians in the field, the advantages and disadvantages of browser extensions are addressed, as well as security concerns.