Infants at risk: Marker variables related to the early lives of children

This archival research, based on extensive case files, describes extremely disruptive family events and child characteristics in a sample of 29 infants whose parents' rights have been terminated. The term "marker variable" is used to underscore the potential importance of those events in understanding developmental trajectories of children because many of the events are markers for family situations that disrupt the caregiving environment. Thus, these events become significant intervening variables in development research and psychopathology. Following a review of theory, an analysis of events as revealed in the case studies, and a closer look at four representative cases, implications for practice and policy are discussed.     

Social Class,Cultural Repertoires,and Popular Culture: The Case of Film

This research examines two different conceptions of the relationship between social class and familiarity with popular culture in the United States. Specifically, it focuses on differences between members of the upper-middle class and members of the lower-middle class in terms of their film viewing practices. The data for this analysis was obtained from a survey of 364 individuals randomly selected from two neighborhoods in a medium-sized city, one predominantly upper-middle class and the other predominantly lower-middle class. Members of the upper-middle class view more art films, as well as more classic films and blockbuster films, than members of the lower-middle class. These differences are largely attributable to the fact that members of the upper-middle class view more films both in theaters and on videocassettes than members of the lower-middle class. Moreover, these differences are reduced, but not entirely eliminated, by the fact that members of the lower-middle class view more films on television than members of the upper-middle class. Finally, these differences in the film-viewing practices of the members of these two social classes, as identified by their neighborhood of residence, obtain even controlling for a series of demographic and socioeconomic background variables.     

Pharmacotherapy for obesity in menopausal women

Weight gain, during and after the menopause is common. Contributing factors include ethnicity, reduced physical activity, reduced lean mass, reduced resting metabolic rate and treatment with certain drugs, e.g. steroids, insulin, glitazones. Excess body weight increases the risk of medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, certain cancers and is associated with increased mortality. This review examines pharmacological approaches to promote weight loss. Pharmacological therapy should be considered as an adjunct to diet and lifestyle changes. The licensed drugs orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant are discussed. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Thus, the effects of metformin and exenatide are examined.     

Peer-led interventions to reduce HIV risk of youth: A review

One approach in HIV prevention programming targeting youth is to use peer leaders in what is referred to as peer education programming. This paper critically reviews and synthesizes the results and lessons learned from 24 evaluated peer-led programs with an HIV/AIDS risk reduction component that target youth in the communities where they live and are delivered in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions were identified through a comprehensive search of the peer reviewed AIDS-related literature as well as publication lists of major organizations in the UN family that address HIV and AIDS. Our synthesis of study results finds that these programs have demonstrated success in effecting positive change in knowledge and condom use and have demonstrated some success in changing community attitudes and norms. Effects on other sexual behaviors and STI rates were equivocal. We include an overview of characteristics of successful programs, a review of program limitations, and recommendations for the development and implementation of successful community-based peer-led programs in low-income countries.     

Dividing women: the framing of trafficking for sexual exploitation in magazines

Each year thousands of women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. To understand how the mass media represent trafficking, a qualitative framing analysis of magazines, published from 2000 through to 2010, was conducted. Results showed magazines presented complementary frames of victimization and benevolence. Magazine articles shed light on trafficking, which operates in society’s shadows and is far removed from many people’s lives, but articles reinforce hierarchies and divisions: between women and men; among women; and among “good” prostitutes who deserve help and “bad” prostitutes who do not. Articles imply that the problem of trafficking is one of individual vulnerability, which can be remedied by charitable efforts, and ignore the larger cultural, political, economic, and educational systems of sex discrimination. Traffickers and men who buy sex were largely absent from magazine stories, and focus on the sale of sexual services, rather than the purchase, emphasized women’s role in the trafficking process while making men’s roles invisible. Because the mass media can shape public opinion and public policy, such incomplete reports may lead to ineffective policies.     

Estimators for a Poisson parameter using ranked set sampling

Using ranked set sampling, a viable BLUE estimator is obtained for estimating the mean of a Poisson distribution. Its properties, such as efficiency relative to the ranked set sample mean and to the maximum likelihood estimator, have been calculated for different sample sizes and values of the Poisson parameter. The estimator (termed the normal modified r.s.s. estimator is more efficient than both the ranked set sample mean and the MLE. It is recommended as a reasonable estimator of the Poisson mean ( λ) to be used in a ranked set sampling environment.     

Humanitarianism with a Sovereign Face: UNHCR in the Global Undertow

This article examines the global forces that are responsible for the transformation of the meaning and practice of UNHCR's humanitarianism, and asks whether a transformation that enables the organization to become more deeply involved in the internal affairs of states is welcome or worrisome. I open by reviewing the changing relationship between multilateralism, sovereignty, and humanitarianism, and link that conceptual discussion to the international refugee regime. I then argue that the combination of state pressures and the normative principle of popular sovereignty enabled a more political and pragmatic UNHCR to widen its activities under the humanitarian banner and to become more deeply involved in the circumstances in the refugee‐producing country. This expanding humanitarian umbrella, I suggest, might be a stealth agent for a policy of containment and a threat to refugee rights. This possibility is suggested by recent debates over the category of internally displaced peoples; the decided preference for repatriation; and UNHCR's involvement in reintegration activities. These developments generate the worrisome possibility that a more pragmatic UNHCR is potentially (though unwittingly) implicated in a system of containment. I conclude by reflecting on UNHCR's role in global politics and the dangers of a sovereignty‐led humanitarianism.     

Couples Managing the Risk of Financing Long-Term Care

This study examined the complexity of financial long-term care (LTC) decision outcomes among married couples. Supporting the theory of planned behavior, couples reported a range of consensus patterns with their financial LTC intentions and behaviors. Five newly articulated typologies of couples emerged from consensus patterns revealing that couples reported a range of financial LTC intentions and behaviors. More couples reported consensus with their financial LTC behaviors compared to intentions; financial LTC decision outcomes reflected a dynamic and on-going process; and couples were not always in agreement on their financial LTC decision outcomes. Findings reinforce the importance of family practitioners going beyond working with individuals to understanding couple-level planning for financing LTC.