Status Variation on Family Farms: Effects of Crop,Machinery, and Off-farm Work1

Abstract Uncertainties facing farm enterprises place a premium on flexibility and adaptability in the work force. A study of 695 North Carolina farm couples is used to examine the extent to which 12 tasks on a farm are shared among family members and hired workers. Using husband alone as the norm, this pattern is contrasted with husband and son, husband and wife, husband and hired help, and husband and other statuses. Production, support, and household tasks are distinguished. Type of crop and amount of machinery used make a difference to status variation in production tasks, requiring more sharing on the part of the husband, but have less impact on support and household tasks. The latter are affected more by whether the husband or wife works off the farm. Despite status variation, farm work remains highly gendered; if the husband shares production work, it is with his son or a hired worker.     

An adjusted likelihood ratio test for separability in unbalanced multivariate repeated measures data

We propose an adjusted likelihood ratio test of two-factor separability (Kronecker product structure) for unbalanced multivariate repeated measures data. Here we address the particular case where the within subject correlation is believed to decrease exponentially in both dimensions (e.g., temporal and spatial dimensions). However, the test can be easily generalized to factor specific matrices of any structure. A simulation study is conducted to assess the inference accuracy of the proposed test. Longitudinal medical imaging data concerning schizophrenia and caudate morphology illustrate the methodology.     

Spatio-temporal modeling of particulate matter concentration through the SPDE approach

In this work, we consider a hierarchical spatio-temporal model for particulate matter (PM) concentration in the North-Italian region Piemonte. The model involves a Gaussian Field (GF), affected by a measurement error, and a state process characterized by a first order autoregressive dynamic model and spatially correlated innovations. This kind of model is well discussed and widely used in the air quality literature thanks to its flexibility in modelling the effect of relevant covariates (i.e. meteorological and geographical variables) as well as time and space dependence. However, Bayesian inference—through Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques—can be a challenge due to convergence problems and heavy computational loads. In particular, the computational issue refers to the infeasibility of linear algebra operations involving the big dense covariance matrices which occur when large spatio-temporal datasets are present. The main goal of this work is to present an effective estimating and spatial prediction strategy for the considered spatio-temporal model. This proposal consists in representing a GF with Matérn covariance function as a Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) through the Stochastic Partial Differential Equations (SPDE) approach. The main advantage of moving from a GF to a GMRF stems from the good computational properties that the latter enjoys. In fact, GMRFs are defined by sparse matrices that allow for computationally effective numerical methods. Moreover, when dealing with Bayesian inference for GMRFs, it is possible to adopt the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) algorithm as an alternative to MCMC methods giving rise to additional computational advantages. The implementation of the SPDE approach through the R-library INLA (www.r-inla.org) is illustrated with reference to the Piemonte PM data. In particular, providing the step-by-step R-code, we show how it is easy to get prediction and probability of exceedance maps in a reasonable computing time.     

Sequential Experimentation Approach for Augmenting of Resolution III Fractions

General augmentation techniques in experimental design, such as the foldover and the semifold, have been a common practice in industrial experimentation for years. Even though these techniques are extremely effective in maintaining balance and near orthogonality, they possess disadvantages, such as the inability to decouple specific terms and inefficiency. This article aims for a sequential experimentation approach capable of overcoming the drawbacks of the general methods while maintaining some of their benefits. We focus on the development of an algorithm for sequential augmentation of fractional factorial designs resolution III. Advantages, limitations, and potential benefits of the new method are provided.     

Worker role identity development of women with disabilities who experience domestic violence

This two-year longitudinal qualitative study explored worker role identity development of seven women with disabilities who experienced domestic violence. Yearly semi-structured interviews and monthly follow up calls elucidated the meaning of work in women's lives and the development of role identity during transitions from shelters to the community. Participants aged 26-47, were from two domestic violence shelters and an independent living center in the Midwestern United States. Data analyses, using constant comparative methods, a peer team and member checking, revealed that women's work roles remained in a state of identity diffusion. Identity diffusion in the worker role was delineated into three themes: role ambivalence, impact of disability, and relationship of the worker role to other roles. Study findings suggest a conflict between staff urgency to support women's return to work and economic self-sufficiency, and women's readiness to assume stronger work identities.     

Social Support and Self-Rated Health of African American Women Informal Caregivers: Urban and Rural Differences

In this study, we examined how geographic location might differently influence social support and self-rated health for rural and urban African American women caregivers. We used cross-sectional data from 253 urban and 263 rural women primary caregivers. Controlling for key demographic factors, we regressed caregivers’ self-rated health on social engagement, structural, and functional aspects of social support for urban and rural caregivers separately. The perception of family functioning was positively associated with urban and rural caregivers’ self-rated health. Urban caregivers reported having significantly more contact with their family and more informal helpers compared to rural caregivers. Furthermore, church attendance, a measure of social engagement, was significant for urban caregivers’ self-rated health, but not rural caregivers. Our findings affirmed the importance of foregrounding context and disaggregating social support, and point to the need for interventions targeting family functioning and paying attention to geographic location.     

Change and Continuity in the Governance of Nonprofit Organizations in the United Kingdom: The Impact of Organizational Size

This article reports on the results of a survey of charities in England and Wales, which examined how their boards are changing and whether various external initiatives to improve board performance are having an effect. In particular, the research explored the impact of organizational size. The findings suggest that the size of the organization does matter, as a variety of board characteristics and changes vary with size. The article concludes by examining some of the implications of these findings for theory and practice.     

Attachment, Perceived Support, and the Transition to Parenthood: Social Policy and Health Implications

For some people involved in certain relationships, the transition to parenthood is associated with precipitous declines in marital satisfaction and increases in depressive symptoms. After briefly reviewing the transition to parenthood literature, we explain why attachment theory is particularly well suited to account for how and why certain people involved in certain relationships are so vulnerable to these negative outcomes. Testing diathesis-stress models, we present evidence from our own research indicating that more anxiously attached women who enter parenthood perceiving lower levels of spousal support or greater spousal anger are especially susceptible to experiencing significant pre-to-postpartum decreases in marital satisfaction and increases in depressive symptoms across the first 6 months of the transition. We also present evidence isolating some of the psychological processes that may be partially responsible for generating and sustaining these negative outcomes. We conclude by discussing how specific prevention programs, experimental interventions, or individually based therapies could be developed to buffer vulnerable people from negative postpartum outcomes .