The relationship between sexual abuse and drug use: findings from Houston's Safer Choices 2 program

Self-report drug use data were collected from 282 female alternative school students surveyed through the Safer Choices 2 study in Houston, Texas. Data collection took place between October 2000 and March 2001 via audio-enabled laptop computers equipped with headphones. Logistic regression analyses indicated that sexual abuse history was significantly associated with lifetime use (OR = 1.9, p < or = 0.05). While the relationships tested in this study are exploratory, they provide evidence for an important connection between sexual abuse and substance use among female alternative school students.     

The Topp–Leone odd log-logistic family of distributions

We introduce a new class of continuous distributions named the Topp–Leone odd log-logistic family, which extends the one-parameter distribution pioneered by Topp and Leone [A family of J-shaped frequency functions. J Amer Statist Assoc. 1955;50:209–219]. We study some of its mathematical properties and describe two special cases. Further, we propose a regression model based on the new Topp–Leone odd log-logistic Weibull distribution. The usefulness and flexibility of the proposed family are illustrated by means of three real data sets.     

Modeling Interval Time Series with Space–Time Processes

We consider interval-valued time series, that is, series resulting from collecting real intervals as an ordered sequence through time. Since the lower and upper bounds of the observed intervals at each time point are in fact values of the same variable, they are naturally related. We propose modeling interval time series with space–time autoregressive models and, based on the process appropriate for the interval bounds, we derive the model for the intervals’ center and radius. A simulation study and an application with data of daily wind speed at different meteorological stations in Ireland illustrate that the proposed approach is appropriate and useful.     

The Role of Stakeholders in the Efficiency of Nonprofit Sports Clubs

This article analyzes the efficiency levels of nonprofit sports clubs through the data envelopment analysis methodology and specifically evaluates how efficient and inefficient clubs perceive the distinct contribution of stakeholders in attaining their respective levels of output efficiency. The results distinguish the varying levels of efficiency between such clubs and highlight significant differences in the roles of the local government and of associations and federations in attaining these efficiency levels. The study further suggests best practices that can be adopted by officials at inefficient clubs toward reducing or eliminating their shortfalls in efficiency.     

The entry of women in predominantly male professions: when training supports the search of alternative ways of organizing work time

Following a research carried out on the integration of women in professional areas predominantly for men, this paper intends to present and debate the project of a training course which aims the transformation of the organization of work schedules in order to improve the well-being of the workers involved. The conception of training courses with this type of objective involves the confrontation and debate between the "invested skills" of the trainers and the "constituted skills" of the trainees. But will this paradigm remain intact when applied to training courses permeated by the gender dimension? That is what one will try to realize with the effective implementation of a training course, whose reflection will allow, ultimately, to enrich our understanding on gender, work, health and training.     

Paid maternal leave is associated with better language and socioemotional outcomes during toddlerhood

The United States is the only high-income country that does not have a national policy mandating paid leave to working women who give birth. Increased rates of maternal employment post-birth call for greater understanding of the effects of family leave on infant development. This study examined the links between paid leave and toddler language, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes (24–36 months; N = 328). Results indicate that paid leave was associated with better language outcomes, regardless of socioeconomic status. Additionally, paid leave was correlated with fewer infant behavior problems for mothers with lower levels of educational attainment. Expanding access to policies that support families in need, like paid family leave, may aid in reducing socioeconomic disparities in infant development.     

Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Wildfire Exposure in Mediterranean Areas

We used simulation modeling to assess potential climate change impacts on wildfire exposure in Italy and Corsica (France). Weather data were obtained from a regional climate model for the period 1981–2070 using the IPCC A1B emissions scenario. Wildfire simulations were performed with the minimum travel time fire spread algorithm using predicted fuel moisture, wind speed, and wind direction to simulate expected changes in weather for three climatic periods (1981–2010, 2011–2040, and 2041–2070). Overall, the wildfire simulations showed very slight changes in flame length, while other outputs such as burn probability and fire size increased significantly in the second future period (2041–2070), especially in the southern portion of the study area. The projected changes fuel moisture could result in a lengthening of the fire season for the entire study area. This work represents the first application in Europe of a methodology based on high resolution (250 m) landscape wildfire modeling to assess potential impacts of climate changes on wildfire exposure at a national scale. The findings can provide information and support in wildfire management planning and fire risk mitigation activities.