Finding and fixing systems weaknesses: probabilistic methods and applications of engineering risk analysis.

Methods of engineering risk analysis are based on a functional analysis of systems and on the probabilities (generally Bayesian) of the events and random variables that affect their performances. These methods allow identification of a system's failure modes, computation of its probability of failure or performance deterioration per time unit or operation, and of the contribution of each component to the probabilities and consequences of failures. The model has been extended to include the human decisions and actions that affect components' performances, and the management factors that affect behaviors and can thus be root causes of system failures. By computing the risk with and without proposed measures, one can then set priorities among different risk management options under resource constraints. In this article, I present briefly the engineering risk analysis method, then several illustrations of risk computations that can be used to identify a system's weaknesses and the most cost-effective way to fix them. The first example concerns the heat shield of the space shuttle orbiter and shows the relative risk contribution of the tiles in different areas of the orbiter's surface. The second application is to patient risk in anesthesia and demonstrates how the engineering risk analysis method can be used in the medical domain to rank the benefits of risk mitigation measures, in that case, mostly organizational. The third application is a model of seismic risk analysis and mitigation, with application to the San Francisco Bay area for the assessment of the costs and benefits of different seismic provisions of building codes. In all three cases, some aspects of the results were not intuitively obvious. The probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) method allowed identifying system weaknesses and the most cost-effective way to fix them.     

Making It In and Making Out: Women in Professional Occupations in Britain and France

The relationship between gender, work and organization in professional occupations can be shown to vary according to different work environments and national contexts. The career patterns of women in chartered accountancy and law in Britain and France are explored in different types of organization in order to determine whether the societal structuring of these occupations is gendered and whether women fare better in small professional practices or large bureaucratic organizations. The findings are derived from a comparative study which combined macro-level data with in-depth qualitative analysis of work and family life histories of a small number of women professionals. While women in the two countries and two occupations were found to share many of the same problems in establishing and pursuing a career, the evidence suggests that women in France may have a marginal advantage over their British counterparts, not so much because they have access to more extensive statutory employment rights but rather because they are more often employed in small practices where they are able to use their independence and their control over working conditions and work-time arrangements to structure their careers according to their own requirements and interests.     

Child,Caregiver, and Temperament Contributions to Infant Joint Attention

Little is known about variables that may contribute to individual differences in infant joint attention, or the coordination of visual attention with a social partner. Therefore, this study examined the contributions of caregiver behavior and temperament to infant joint attention development between 9 and 12 months. Data were collected from 57 infants using a caregiver–infant paradigm, an infant–tester paradigm, and a parent report of infant temperament. Nine‐month measures of caregiver scaffolding and infant initiating joint attention (IJA) with testers were significantly related to 12‐month infant IJA with testers. A temperament measure of positive emotional reactivity was related to 9‐month IJA, and a measure of negative emotional reactivity was related to 12‐month IJA. Temperament and caregiver scaffolding measures, however, were not associated with the development of infant responding to joint attention. These results further the understanding of the multiple processes that contribute to joint attention development in infancy, and support the hypothesis that initiating and responding measures tap different aspects of joint attention development.     

What's Missing from National Landline RDD Surveys?: The Impact of the Growing Cell-Only Population

The number of cell phone only households has continued to grow– 12.8 percent of all households by the end of 2006, accordingto the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). To assess theextent and nature of the potential bias in landline telephonesamples created by the absence of cell-only households, thePew Research Center conducted four independent dual frame studiesin 2006, three of which included at least 200 interviews withcell-only respondents. Despite the fact that there are significantdifferences between cell-only and landline respondents on manyimportant variables, across the four surveys with differentsubstantive content we find that including a cell-only samplewith a landline RDD sample produces general population estimatesthat are nearly identical to those from the landline samplealone. Yet, while the noncoverage problem is currently not damagingestimates for the entire population, we find evidence that itdoes create biased estimates on certain variables for youngadults, 25 percent of whom are cell-only according to the mostrecent government estimate.     

Assisted living facility administrator and direct care staff views of resident mental health concerns and staff training needs

This community needs assessment surveyed 21 administrators and 75 direct care staff at 9 larger and 12 smaller assisted living facilities (ALFs) regarding perceptions of resident mental health concerns, direct care staff capacity to work with residents with mental illness, and direct care staff training needs. Group differences in these perceptions were also examined. Both administrators and directcare staff indicated that direct care staff would benefit from mental health-related training, and direct care staff perceived themselves as being more comfortable working with residents with mental illness than administrators perceived them to be. Implications for gerontological social work are discussed.     

Transformative Intercultural Learning: A Short-Term International Study Tour

ABSTRACT

This article draws on and contributes to the body of knowledge on the development of cultural competence and study abroad experiences. The study program has been well established for several years and blends a 12-day intercultural immersion experience with preparatory classroom teaching and relevant assessment. This study builds on an earlier evaluation, adopting a robust qualitative approach. The study confirms that such experiences can significantly contribute to transformation in students’ capacity to challenge superficial cultural stereotypes and critically engage in the interplay among disadvantage, contextual factors, and sociopolitical structures. Developing critical reflection skills is an integral component in promoting transformation.     

Understanding Parental Grief as a Response to Mental Illness: Implications for Practice

ABSTRACT

Parents who are raising children with mental illness struggle with feelings of grief and loss. Kubler-Ross' (1969 Kubler-Ross , E. ( 1969 ). On death and dying . New York : Scribner . [Google Scholar]) stages of grieving (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) are examined as experienced by parents raising children with chronic mental illness. Practice implications for social workers who are working with children and their parents are discussed. Acknowledging and understanding parental grief, while providing emotional support, leads to a more effective working partnership. This collaboration of parents and social worker can result in more effective treatment for the child with mental illness. Examples from one of the co-author's personal experiences are included.     

Effects of Homelessness and Child Maltreatment on the Likelihood of Engaging in Property and Violent Crime During Adulthood

The current study employs data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 10,818; 56% female; 21% African American) to test how experiencing homelessness through emerging adulthood and child maltreatment predict adult property crime and violent crime. Unlike many published studies on homelessness, we used propensity score matching to correct for selection bias between homeless and nonhomeless individuals. Logistic regression models were run to predict violent and property crime in adulthood, controlling for child maltreatment. Participants who experienced homelessness by age 26 were 1.6 times more likely to commit violent crime in adulthood and almost 30% more likely to commit property crime. Those who were victims of child maltreatment were 15 times more likely to commit property crime, but no more likely to commit violent crime. Findings show that comparing statistically equivalent groups, homelessness through emerging adulthood significantly predicted adult criminality while child maltreatment showed more variable results. Greater prevention efforts aimed at children and adolescents at high risk of experiencing homelessness, as well as more intensive outreach services to homeless youth, may moderate exposure and reduce reliance on criminal survival behaviors.     

BSW students and interviewing: physiological,psychological, and pedagogical perspectives from Canada

The acquisition of interviewing skills is a hallmark of social work education; however, few studies have examined the experience of learning these skills from the students’ perspective. This qualitative study undertaken in Ontario, Canada, examined Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students’ perceptions of interviewing. Individual interviews were conducted with second-year BSW students (n = 17) following their completion of an interviewing course. The following six themes emerged as to how students perceived learning interviewing skills: 1) emotional responses; 2) physiological responses; 3) psychological responses; 4) coping strategies; 5) the need for constructive criticism; and 6) the role of the course instructor. The study suggests that instructors normalize the presence of negative emotions and provide more structure and instructions for giving and receiving feedback when using role-plays.