Modelling of socio-ecological connectivity. The rural-urban network in the surroundings of Madrid (Central Spain)

As most of Europe’s metropolitan landscapes grow, a change is occurring in their surrounding rural environment. The consequences thereof mainly involve losses of traditional land uses and changes in the socioecomic structures of the local population. The lack of coupling ‘urban society-countryside’ can be considered to constitute a driving force of this process. The present paper focuses upon the rural-urban network around the metropolis of Madrid (Central Spain). We developed a quantitative model to explain the socio-ecological rural-urban linkages, taking into account the influence of the metropolis in the network of neighbouring municipalities. The results show a rural landscape gradient ranging from silvo-pastoral to agricultural land uses and maintaining different interactions with the local socioeconomy. Urban-rural polarisation of the territory and accessibility to the metropolis are the main factors influencing the landscape dynamics. Territorial cohesion among municipalities and connectivity with the metropolis are factors determining the socio-ecological structure. The agricultural area presents good social cohesion, but a weak connection with the City. The silvo-pastoral landscape, on the contrary, maintains prominent links with the metropolis, but a non-significant interconnection between the small towns. The model tested constitutes a useful tool for analysing socio-ecological connectivity and for quantifying, designing and promoting territorial cohesion policies.     

Prostitution Stigma and Its Effect on the Working Conditions,Personal Lives,and Health of Sex Workers

Researchers have shown that stigma is a fundamental determinant of behavior, well-being, and health for many marginalized groups, but sex workers are notably absent from their analyses. This article aims to fill the empirical research gap on sex workers by reviewing the mounting evidence of stigmatization attached to sex workers’ occupation, often referred to as “prostitution” or “whore” stigma. We give special attention to its negative effect on the working conditions, personal lives, and health of sex workers. The article first draws attention to the problem of terminology related to the subject area and makes the case for consideration of prostitution stigmatization as a fundamental cause of social inequality. We then examined the sources of prostitution stigma at macro, meso, and micro levels. The third section focuses on tactics sex workers employ to manage, reframe, or resist occupational stigma. We conclude with a call for more comparative studies of stigma related to sex work to contribute to the general stigma literature, as well as social policy and law reform.     

Depression screening,education, and treatment at the workplace: A pilot study utilizing the CDC Health Scorecard

Depression is a significant health issue for many Americans, ranking among the top worksite issues resulting in referrals to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) with prevalence rates in the working population of more than 6%. This study was part of a larger statewide assessment conducted using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Worksite Health Scorecard. The purpose of this study is to examine the number of Kentucky workplaces currently offering screening, education, and treatment related to depression. The study also aims to compare the number of Kentucky workplaces offering these elements by size and industry type. The one-time, cross-sectional assessment surveyed a random sample of 1,200 worksites to examine worksite offerings of screening, education, counseling, management training, and health insurance coverage related to depression. Results showed that the majority of worksites do not provide employee depression screening, education and counseling, management training on identifying warning signs of depression, or comprehensive treatment and follow-up for employees with depression. Smaller worksites (<250 employees) were even less likely than larger companies to provide screening, education, counseling, training, and insurance coverage for depression. Increasing the provision of these wellness components at the worksite has potential to improve the quality of life for employees and reduce the financial burden to employers.     

From the molecules the history of life

Nucleic acids, the molecules responsible for the storage and transmission of genetic information, can disclose the beguiling history of the evolution of life on the Earth. In this paper, the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolutionary processes are illustrated together with the methods for the recollection of their history. The impact of molecular data on the evolutionary studies is stressed together with the importance of suitable mathematical models for the treatment of sequence data.

Possible future scenarios are conceived for the evolutionary process in relation to environmental phenomena, on account of the new technologies and the development of genetic engineering.     

Revisions in official data and forecasting

This paper deals with the topic of revisions in macroeconomic Italian data with the aim of investigating whether consecutive vintages published by the National Statistical Institute contain useful information for economic analysis and forecasting. The rationality of the revisions process is tested considering the complete history of data and an application to show the usefulness of revisions for improving the precision of forecasts is proposed. The results on Italian GDP show that embedding the revision process in a dynamic factor model helps to reduce the forecast error in the short term.     

Religion and Spirituality as Defined by Older Adults

ABSTRACT

This exploratory qualitative study examined the intrinsic definitions of spirituality and religion across three different religious or ethnic groups of older adults – Jewish, African American Protestants and Caucasian Protestants. The study explores how older adults from these various backgrounds self-identify with the terms religion and spirituality. Because both African-Americans and Jewish older adults are underrepresented in the research on spirituality and religion, their inclusion lends insights to this topic and helps to anchor the findings in a cross-cultural context. Focus groups were employed to understand how these groups characterize their relationship to spirituality and religion. Social work professionals can utilize these findings to work more effectively with the diverse and complex issues of older adults.     

Low‐Income Students and College Attendance: An Exploration of Income Expectations*

Objectives. Some have hypothesized that unrealistic expectations regarding their futures may explain the weak link between expectations and realizations among low‐income (particularly minority) youth. Unfortunately, there is little evidence characterizing students' expectations around the time that they make college decisions that would allow one to study this hypothesis. Methods. In this exploratory article, I analyze data on income expectations from a small sample of low‐income minority high school seniors in Baltimore City, MD; and use data from Dominitz and Manski's sample of higher‐income white students in Madison, WI, and the NELS88 for comparisons. Results. I find little evidence that the income expectations of lower‐income minority students are so different from those of higher‐income students. Rather, the expected returns to postsecondary education appear similar between the two samples of high school seniors. Analysis of a nationally representative sample of high school seniors suggests that lower‐income students do not place less weight on expected economic returns to college when making their plans than do more advantaged students, although low‐income students are less able to translate their college plans into actual college attendance. Conclusions. These results suggest that differing income expectations do not explain the weaker relationship between expectations and educational attainment among low‐income students.