Stressful Childhood Experiences and Clinical Outcomes in People with Serious Mental Illness: a Gender Comparison in a Clinical Psychiatric Sample

Objective: This study examines stressful childhood experiences (SCE) including childhood abuse and family context in a cohort of 183 people diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) and compares gender specific rates of SCE and clinical outcome variables. Methods: 111 men and 72 women with SMI were interviewed regarding SCE and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, dissociative symptoms, risk for self-harm, and adult re-victimization. Results: Both genders endorse high rates of SCE. Cumulative SCE (the sum of seven SCE) are linked to increased levels of all four outcome variables after adjusting for demographic factors. Conclusions: The study addresses the need to assess cumulative SCE in a population with SMI and its effects on clinical outcomes in both genders.     

‘You do manage it so well that I cannot do better’: the working life of Elizabeth Jeake of Rye (1667–1736)

This article contributes to the debate around early modern women’s work. It concerns not waged labour but rather the unpaid contributions made by women to both home and the business undertaken by their husband. It focuses on Elizabeth Jeake, the wife of Samuel Jeake, a merchant from the Sussex port of Rye. Through the letters exchanged between the family, it explores Elizabeth’s skilled work in support of her husband. This included giving instructions to contractors, gathering and disseminating business and investment information, negotiations with Samuel’s business partners and acquaintances, managing property and tenants, negotiating credit relationships and purchasing and selling commodities.     

Looking for Friends,Fans, and Followers? Social Media Use in Public and Nonprofit Human Services

This article uses interviews and Internet data to examine social media use among nonprofit organizations and county departments involved in the delivery of human services in a six‐county area in south‐central New York State. Social media use was modest, with nonprofit organizations much more likely to use it than county departments. Organizations used social media primarily to market organizational activities, remain relevant to key constituencies, and raise community awareness. Most organizations either had a narrow view of social media's potential value or lacked a long‐term vision. Barriers to use included institutional policies, concerns about the inappropriateness of social media for target audiences, and client confidentiality. Findings build on recent research regarding the extent to which nonprofit organizations and local governments use social media to engage stakeholders. Future research should investigate not only the different ways organizations use social media but also whether organizations use it strategically to advance organizational goals.     

DNA Analysis of Natural Fiber Rope*

Abstract: When rope is found at a crime scene, the type of fiber is currently identified through its microscopic characteristics. However, these characteristics may not always unambiguously distinguish some types of rope from others. If rope samples contain cells from the plants of origin, then DNA analysis may prove to be a better way to identify the type of rope obtained from a crime scene. The objective of this project was to develop techniques of DNA analysis that can be used to differentiate between ropes made from Cannabis sativa L. (hemp), Agave sisalana Perrine (sisal), Musa textilis Née (abaca, “Manila hemp”), Linum usitatissimum L. (flax), and Corchorus olitorus L. (jute). The procedures included extracting the DNA from the rope, performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the extracted DNA as a template, and analyzing the DNA products. A primer pair for PCR, chosen from within a chloroplast gene for the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, was designed to be specific for plant DNA and complementary to the genes from all five plants. The resulting PCR fragments were approximately 771 base pairs long. The PCR fragments, distinguished through base sequence analysis or restriction enzyme analysis, could be used to identify the five different rope types. The procedure provides a useful addition to visual methods of comparing rope samples.     

Predictors of Administrative and Technological Innovations in Nonprofit Organizations

This study examines the effects of human and structural/process factors on two types of innovation—administrative and technological—in a sample of nonprofit organizations. The results indicate that factors that are favorable to administrative innovations differ from those that are conducive to technological innovation. Three variables are significant predictors of administrative innovation: centralization, transformational leadership, and the executive director’s job tenure. Transformational leadership contributes significantly to the model of technological innovation. Based on the results of this study, the author provides implications for nonprofit management and future research.