Child welfare characteristics in a sample of youth involved in commercial sex: An exploratory study

BackgroundHomeless, runaway, and youth exiting foster care are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, but little research has parsed the societal, community, and individual factors that contribute to their risk.Objectives(1) To estimate child welfare characteristics in a sample of homeless young people who engaged in commercial sex (CS); and (2) To compare young people who were sex trafficked (ST) to those who engaged in some other form of CS.Participants and settingThis study includes 98 homeless young people in Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and Washington, DC, who were interviewed for a larger study of ST and endorsed engagement in CS.MethodsWe used a non-probability, purposive, maximum variation sampling procedure. Interviews were recorded and responses were simultaneously noted on a standardized interview form. Data were analyzed through means, frequencies, and bivariate tests of association.ResultsAverage age of the full sample of 98 homeless young people was 20.9 years; 48% were female and 50% were Black/African American. Forty-six percent of the full sample was sex trafficked. The full sample and the victims of ST differed significantly in three child welfare characteristics, with the ST group more likely to have been maltreated as children, more likely to have had family involvement with the child welfare system (CWS), and more likely to report higher rates of living someplace other than with their biological parents as children.ConclusionsST victims differ from those who engaged in other forms of CS in histories of maltreatment, involvement with the CWS, and exposure to residential instability while growing up.     

Made in China: the cultural logic of OEMs and the manufacture of low‐cost technology

Abstract

This paper investigates the conditions of the manufacture of low‐cost technology in China with the examples of ‘pirated’ VCD players, ‘no‐name’ DVD players, and Shenzhen’s development as a techno‐urban city. It emphasizes the significance of the cultural logic of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and argues that the various transformations and deflections that are derived from ubiquitous OEM experiences have gone beyond the original model of an authorized OEM, experiences that are to some extent embodied in the transgression of brand name and patent hegemonies, which are mainly controlled by high technology companies. OEMs have been associated with China’s current imperative and uninhibited development of low‐cost technology capitalism. ‘Made in China’ signifies the production of any product, legal or illegal, for transnational high technology giants or domestic technology manufacturers. Learning to ‘become an OEM’ in China has partly resulted in excessive technological mimesis that may be part of an unauthorized, underground economy that is based on low‐cost technology. Based on the Shenzhen experience, part of this study will show industrial production‐oriented OEM cultures in which illegal operations and counterfeit trade are incorporated, even in city projects that are shared by municipal governments and Chinese technological companies, and undergo spatial restructuring in the development of the economy, consumerism, and urbanism.     

Location,Location, Location: The Impact of IM Widget Placement

In an attempt to meet ever-changing users’ needs, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Libraries implemented virtual reference services such as e-mail, chat, and, most recently, instant messaging, in increments and via various services and vendors. Each option consistently met with a lukewarm response and less-than-desirable reference transaction numbers. After investigating the virtual reference experiences of other academic institutions, and after the advent of a more flexible Webpage design, the UNL Libraries decided to pilot strategic placement of the QuestionPoint Instant Message Qwidget on multiple pages of the library Website. Data collected in the Fall 2008 and 2009 semesters test the hypothesis that 2009 sessions utilizing the strategically placed Qwidget resulted in significantly higher sessions than 2008. The strategic placement of the Qwidget resulted in a drastic increase in reference interactions in the 2009 academic year when compared to the 2008 academic year. The overall increase in reference transactions, along with a consistent increase throughout the academic year, indicate that instant messaging reference service is of interest to our users, as long as placement of the service is prominent.     

基于极点配置的机械手电液伺服控制系统设计

介绍了一种基于极点配置的控制系统计算机辅助设计算法,并对某示教再现型机械手的臂回转伺服控制系统进行了设计和仿真计算,取得了较满意的结果。     

初探武术进入奥运会的项目设置与裁判评分模式

采用文献资料、问卷调查、比较和专家访谈等研究方法,提出并分析了武术进入奥运会的项目设置与裁判评分模式。     

投资者情绪对定向增发折价的影响研究

利用2006年至2010年第3季度的定向增发事件作为研究样本,着重分析投资者情绪对定向增发折价的影响及其作用路径。研究发现:投资者情绪对定向增发折价影响显著,投资者情绪越乐观(悲观),定向增发折价越大(小);投资者情绪对定向增发折价的影响路径分析表明,市场错误定价是投资者情绪和定向增发折价间的中介变量;进一步研究显示,定向增发题材对市场错误定价影响显著,定向增发后股票出现低估的可能性增加。     

No regrets? Measuring the career benefits of a psychology placement year

We report an analysis of whether a psychology placement provides significant benefit to graduates’ careers. Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey data six months post‐graduation suggested that placement programme graduates across the university are significantly more likely to be (1) in work and (2) in graduate‐level jobs. For psychology, the association between graduates’ placement status and employment status at the same time was not significant overall. However, when analyses were split by degree classification obtained, it was shown that amongst those graduates with 2.1 degrees reporting themselves as working, more placement vs. non‐placement programme graduates had obtained graduate‐level jobs (63% vs. 33%). In 2.2 classified graduates there was no significant association. This pattern persisted in the data from a survey of psychology alumni (from 18 months to six and a half years post‐graduation). Psychology placement programme alumni were also more satisfied with their careers. Although placement graduates earned marginally more, this difference did not reach statistical significance. This study was therefore able to show some measurable and persistent effects of a psychology placement year, although whether the benefits can be claimed to outweigh the costs is inconclusive. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.     

发达国家残疾人高等教育研究综述

对部分发达国家残疾人高等教育的发展现状和研究进行分析,发现立法有力地促进了发达国家残疾人高等教育的发展,发达国家残疾人高等教育的专业设置更利于残疾学生的就业选择,目前他们重点解决的两个核心问题是:加强建构以残疾学生个体为中心的教育支持与服务体系及做好中等教育到高等教育的衔接过渡,并结合国情对我国残疾人高等教育立法、专业设置、支持体系建设和师资培养提出建议。     

篮球篮板球反弹规律及拼抢行为的研究

数据统计及分析结果表明篮球比赛中,投篮未中的球其反弹方向、落点、分布区域是有一定规律的,认识和掌握其规律,有助于队员及时、准确的判断,并采取前瞻性行动.通过对比赛中队员抢篮板球行为的分析,可揭示队员抢篮板球行为过程中主观内在的隐性心理活动,从而为心理方面的训练、培养以及教学提供参考和依据.     

Allied healthcare undergraduate education: international students at the clinical interface

The global movement of students in higher education is a relatively recent phenomenon, which has gained momentum in the last 30 years. Much research has been focused on the experiences of this population. Relatively little is known about international allied healthcare students who undertake clinical placements as part of their undergraduate course. This study explores students’ perceptions of their clinical experience. The chosen focus group method was prefaced by a pilot study; both were conducted within the allied healthcare school of a university in the UK. Four themes emerged from the study: communication, cultural differences, relationships with professionals and survival strategies. Communication referred to both the interaction with and between the students, their patients and fellow members of the multidisciplinary team. Cultural differences were expressed in the negotiation of differing cultures at the patient interface. A third theme was the students’ relationship with clinical professionals; within this, the relationship with the student’s clinical educator was paramount. Finally, survival strategies represented the advice students wished to impart to future international students to facilitate their clinical placement abroad.