A puzzlement: health-related organisations in the Nonprofit Almanac

Conclusion Data systems created with one purpose inevitably have shortcomings when used for other purposes, so it is not surprising that a database compiled from informational tax returns has serious flaws when used to compile a statistical picture of the non-profit sector. The two-digit NTEE level of aggregation that is published in theAlmanac conceals many problems that appear when the IRS-based data are broken down to the three-digit level.Identification of the problems in the NTEE and in the use of the IRS data is a necessary step toward their correction. At this point, it is clear that the IRS-based numbers in theAlmanac should be regarded, at best, as rough approximations and as a starting point for additional work. My assessment of theAlmanac suggests that, at least as far as health care is concerned, the NTEE needs revision. Correcting the problems with the IRS data will be much, much more difficult.I am grateful for assistance from Steve Noga, Chris Toppe and Virginia Hodgkinson at Independent Sector.     

"Her" Marriage after the Revolutions

Recent social changes have made husbands' emotional investments and wives' perceptions of equity in the division of housework crucial for women's marital happiness. But wives are also happiest in their marriages when they share a strong normative commitment to lifelong marriage with their husbands and when their husbands take the lead in breadwinning. Thus our research suggests that elements of the new and the old promote marital happiness among contemporary wives.     

Health care issues among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) populations in the United States: Introduction

This supplemental issue of the Journal of Homosexuality presents research that explores a variety of health care issues encountered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) population groups in the United States over the 10-year period from 1993 to 2002. Topics include access to health care, utilization of care, training of medical and mental health providers, and the appropriate preparation of clinical offices and waiting areas. Authors used a variety of community-based public health research methods, including participant and provider surveys and retrospective chart reviews of patients, to develop this body of research, providing a recent-historical perspective on the complex health care and health-related needs of sexual and gender minorities. Particularly for transgender and intersex populations, the state of research describing their health care needs is in its infancy, and much remains to be done to design effective medical and mental health programs and interventions.     

It's About Time! Examining Received Dosage and Program Duration as Predictors of Change Among Non‐Distressed and Distressed Married Couple and Relationship Education Participants

Although Couple and Relationship Education (CRE) programs were intended to be preventive in nature, an emerging reality is that relationally distressed couples are attending programs. This has raised questions about both its general usefulness and what is known regarding predictors of change in CRE for distressed couples particularly. Previous work has identified dosage and duration as important moderators of changes, and there are myriad program contexts offered, highlighting the need to examine these among distressed couples. This study utilized a sample of community CRE participants and examined received dosage and program duration as predictors of change. Comparing results for distressed and non‐distressed participants, we found several group differences. Findings suggest that it is important to consider distress level and time spent in programs when placing participants. In addition, research should continue to examine these groups separately (or comparatively) to find out what works for whom.     

Best Practice Principles for Community Indicator Systems and a Case Study Analysis: How Community Indicators Victoria is Creating Impact and Bridging Policy,Practice and Research

Numerous community indicator projects have been developed over the past 30 years and are now present in many countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America. However, creating influence and action using community indicators requires long-term effort strengthened by partnership, policy applications, training and research. This paper provides a reflective case study analysis that reviews the development of the community indicator system of Community Indicators Victoria in Australia. The analysis includes a review of best practice indicator principles guiding the development of current and future community indicator systems and describes how these factors influenced the development, establishment, and expansion of the Community Indicators Victoria system.     

Insecure Attachment Behavior and Partner Violence: Incorporating Couple Perceptions of Insecure Attachment and Relational Aggression

Intimate partner violence and insecure attachment are therapeutically relevant concepts when working with couples. The link between attachment and intimate partner violence has been examined in the literature, but an area of aggression that often goes unexamined is relational aggression, or using third parties as a means of being aggressive toward a partner. We asked how participants' attachment behaviors were related to their own and partners' relational and physical aggression. We used structural equation modeling to estimate actor–partner interdependence among these relationships in 644 heterosexual couples. Results indicated significant partner paths from attachment to relational aggression, as well as significant actor paths between relational aggression and physical aggression. Implications were discussed. Data for this study were collected from the RELATE assessment.     

Exploiting proteomics in the discovery of drugs that target mitochondrial oxidative damage

To understand how oxidative stress contributes to aging and age-related diseases and to better evaluate the therapeutic effect of antioxidant drugs, it would be highly desirable to have a comprehensive and detailed readout of the types of oxidative damage that occur to proteins at a global or proteome level. In this Perspective, I examine how proteomics, defined here as the science of examining all proteins in an organelle, cell, or tissue in the context of biological phenomena, can be used to provide molecular details of mitochondrial protein oxidative damage. Specifically, I discuss approaches that combine knowledge of the mitochondrial proteome with newer mass spectrometry-based techniques that are capable of identifying proteins and sites of oxidative modification in a high-throughput manner.