Examining the Association between Racialized Economic Threat and White Suicide in the United States, 2000–2016

Suicide is steadily rising. Many blamed worsening economic conditions for this trend. Sociological theory established clear pathways between joblessness and suicide focused on status threat, shame, and consequent disruption of social relationships. However, recent empirical research provides little support for a link between unemployment and suicide. I attempt to reconcile this contradiction by focusing on white suicide and white employment-to-population ratio. Whiteness is not just a default category but a pervasive ideology that amplifies the effects of status loss. The white employment-to-population ratio represents a form of racialized economic threat and accounts for discouraged workers who have exited the labor force. I use longitudinal hybrid models with U.S. state-level data, 2000 to 2016, and find that decreasing employment is associated with increasing suicide among the white population and white men. I discuss this study’s contributions to the literature on suicide and joblessness and the emerging scholarship on whiteness and health.

Capitalizing Mail-Order Brides: American Hegemony and a Return to Pre-Feminism

Contrary to popular belief, mail-order marriage is not left behind in history. With technological advancement, globalism, and capitalism, mail-order relationships in the modern world have become a capitalist venture through the form of a global marriage market with Internet websites (Starr & Adams, 2016, pp. 968-969). Currently, the common practice operates internationally in between different nations and ethnicities (Merriman, 2012, p. 87). However, the mail-order bride market is distinct from the regular intercultural dating business: a clear power structure exists between the grooms (capitalist along with mail-order marriage companies) and the brides (commodities). This paper examines how this dating market serves Western men (I will be using this term interchangeably with American men) to reinforce traditional Western masculine hegemony and ethnic dominance in a global setting (Starr & Adams, 2016, p. 972).

Lærarstudentar si oppleving av ei mentorordning i norsk grunnskulelærarutdanning

Mentorordningar, der studentar blir rettleia av ein vidarekommen student eller tilsett, har fått mykje merksemd i høgare utdanning dei siste åra. I norske styringsdokument for sektoren ligg det ei forventning til at slik mentorverksemd skal bli utvikla i større skala og bidra til kvalitetsarbeidet til universitet og høgskular. Samstundes viser oversiktsstudiar at omgrepet blir forstått svært ulikt og famnar om ei rekke forskjellige former for samarbeidslæring og at det finst lite forskingsbasert kunnskap om korleis slike mentorordningar bidrar til å heve kvaliteten ved norske høgare utdannings­institusjonar. I denne artikkelen presenterer vi resultat av eit mentoropplegg gjennom­ført med førsteårsstudentar og masterstudentar ved grunnskulelærarutdanninga ved Høgskulen på Vestlandet. Studentane rapporterte at dei vart meir engasjerte, motiverte og la inn høgare arbeidsinnsats som resultat av mentorordninga. I artikkelen utforskar vi på kva måte sjølve mentorordninga kan ha verka motiverande. Vi tek utgangspunkt i sjølvbestemmingsteori (SDT), som har som premiss at for å oppnå høgare motivasjon og engasjement må tre basale psykologiske behov vere til stades: kompetanse, autonomi og tilhøyrsle. Gjennom spørjeskjema og intervju undersøker vi korleis mentorordningar ser ut til å ha hatt effekt på studentane si oppleving av kompetansen dei har tileigna seg, på kva måte deira autonomi har blitt ivaretatt eller utfordra, og korleis ordninga har verka inn på kjensla av tilhøyrsle og integrasjon. Både førsteårsstudentane og mentorane opplevde styrka kompetanse og positive meistringserfaringar som følgje av mentor­opplegget. Handtering av autonomi syntest å vere ei utfordring for begge student­grupper, medan behovet for tilhøyrsle vart verdsett høgt, men i ulik grad innfridd.

Lærerstudenters bruk av Monte Carlo-simulering for å løse oppgaver om sannsynlighet: En analyse av 16 gruppebesvarelser

Programmering er tatt inn i den nye læreplanen for matematikk i grunnskolen i Norge. Det betyr at lærerstudenter har behov for å få erfaring med å løse matematiske problemer gjennom programmering. I matematikkfaget på lærerutdanninga for 1.–7. trinn ble det laga et undervisningsopplegg som omfatta opplæring i sannsynlighet og Monte Carlo-simulering med programmering i Excel med Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Arbeidskravet innebar bruk av Monte Carlo-simulering for å løse Chevalier de Méré-problemet og Monty Hall-problemet. I etterkant av studentenes arbeid ble det utforma en NSD-godkjent studie. Utvalget i denne studien er 16 studentgruppers besvarelser på arbeidskravet knytta til dette undervisningsopplegget innen dataprogrammering i mate­matikkfaget. Et funn fra studien er at småfeil kan skape store problemer ettersom mange studenter ikke klarer å vurdere hvor fornuftige de svarene programmet gir er. I tillegg gir manglende systematikk feilsvar. Men i de tilfellene der studentene klarer å program­mere rett, hjelpes de til å løse Chevalier de Méré-problemet. Vi finner også at studentene kan få hjelp av manuell Monte Carlo-simulering for å løse Monty Hall-problemet, gitt at denne gir tallverdier som ligger nært forventningsverdien (p = 2/3), mens i de tilfel­lene hvor tallverdiene ligger langt unna forventningsverdien kan det virke forvirrende. Det er fordeler og ulemper med både manuell og digital Monte Carlo-simulering, og det ser ut til at lærerstudenter kan ha nytte av å løse oppgaver ved hjelp av begge metoder. For å få det beste læringsutbyttet er det avgjørende at læreren velger gode og relevante oppgaver, som gjør at studentene både ser nytten av simuleringa, og også har en viss mulighet til å kontrollere svaret, slik at ikke tilfeldighet under simuleringa og program­meringsfeil bidrar til forvirring.

From Nobility and Excellence to Generosity and Rights: Sophia's Defenses of Women (1739–40)

This article examines two early modern feminist works, Woman Not Inferior to Man (1739) and Woman's Superior Excellence Over Man (1740), written by “Sophia, A Person of Quality.” Scholars once dismissed these texts as plagiarisms or semi-translations of François Poulain de la Barre's De l’égalité des deux sexes (1673). More recently, however, Guyonne Leduc has drawn attention to the original aspects of these treatises by highlighting Sophia's significant variations on Poulain's vocabulary (Leduc 2010; 2012; 2015). In this article, I take Leduc's analysis a step further by demonstrating that Sophia's variations amount to unique and distinctive arguments for the restoration of women's rights, based on both the natural equality and the moral superiority of women compared to men. I argue that Sophia goes beyond Poulain's Cartesian insights to mount a critique of male tyranny characterized as a lack of generosity toward women. My contention is that Sophia's texts represent a culmination in a line of reasoning that extends from the querelle des femmes of the Renaissance to Poulain's Cartesian feminism of the seventeenth century, through to arguments for women's rights in the eighteenth century. Her works thus warrant greater recognition as significant turning points in the history of feminist thought.

A rare entity of malignant insulinoma diagnosed after 30 years of clinical manifestation of hypoglycemia: A case report and literature review

Malignant insulinomas, a rare life threatening pathology, exists in literature as an entity that constitutes 10% of all insulinomas and often present as multi-centric macro nodules with multiple lymph nodes or liver metastases before diagnosis. We report a rather rare case of a 68 year old male with a 30 years history of uninvestigated severe hypoglycemic attacks that improved on glucose intake. Blood tests showed a decreased value of glycemia (45 mg/dL) associated with increased insulin level (54 μU/ml) and an increased glycemia/ insulinemia ratio of 0.83 supporting the diagnosis of insulinoma. Abdominal CT showed a 4 cm mass localized in the head of the pancreas with atrophic body and tail, no signs of distant metastatic disease. A concomitant diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism raised, based on elevation of calcium associated and high level of PTH. The coexistence of the two endocrinopathies suggested the presence of type 1 multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN I). Based on the workup suggesting a benign insulinoma with no signs of metastatic disease, co-existing with debilitating symptoms of hypoglycemia, pancreatectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Histo-pathological examination returned surprisingly positive for malignant neuro-endocrine tumor with positive lymph nodes. In that domain, we summarized the literature discussion of neuroendocrine tumors, elaborating on malignant insulinoma diagnosis and management. Furthermore, what our article is trying to lay upon existing literature is a case of a long standing existent MEN 1 malignant insulinoma manifesting as a remarkably slow progressive disease of 30 years’ timeline versus a less likely chance of a transformation from benign insulinoma to malignant Keywords: neuroendocrine neoplasm; pancreatectomy; MENI; malignant insulinoma; chronic hypoglycemia.

Cultivating shenti in everyday life: Self, relationality and embodied masculinity in China

Reading through the concept of shenti (body–self), this article examines the everyday processes by which Chinese young men make sense of and articulate ideal embodied masculinity as situated in different relationships. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with urban young men, I argue that the Chinese masculine self is essentially constitutive of and constructed through shenti during the men’s ordinary daily experiences. I highlight the relational formation of shenti as lying at the core of constructing ideal Chinese manhood, teasing out the different layers of body–self and relationality underpinning an individual man’s bodily practices and social interactions. Engaging with traditional cultural values of the ideal body–self and a feminist interactionist approach to gendered embodiment, shenti provides an important analytical lens that will enable us to expand ethnocentric discourses of the sociology of the gendered body by revealing the embodied and experiential aspects of culture in everyday practices. In doing so, this article contributes to enriching the existing debates around cultural variations in the male body and embodied masculinity by offering a Chinese perspective.

Life outside of the home: Interrogating men's understanding of their roles in Cambodia

<p>This study aims to investigate some men's understanding of their roles, especially in their life outside of the home. It also investigates the life experiences of some men who have alternative views from the majority of men in Cambodia's patriarchal society. This study's research design used mixed methods. A questionnaire with 60 men generated quantitative data. In addition, six focus groups and six case studies were used to generate qualitative data. Both rural and urban areas were selected for this study, including Phnom Penh city and the province of Siem Reap, which is the poorest province in Cambodia. The findings focus on men's perspectives of being a good man/husband, and their domestic roles. My analysis draws attention to the characteristics of participants and their ideas concerning decision making in families. Importantly, these findings show that certain activities outside of the home, particularly the use of alcohol, is commonplace for many men. I describe the life experiences of men with alternative views from the dominant Cambodian views men hold regarding their ideas of being a man. I point out men's concerns for their children's behaviour and their opinions concerning the next generation. The two groups of men in the study, “dominant view men” and “alternative view men” have a shared understanding of their roles and of what it means to be a good man despite their differences. The problem is that men who hold the dominant views do not seem to perform well in their daily lives, while alternative view men tend to apply their understanding of their roles to their everyday life and have greater success. A noticeable finding of the study is that of alcohol abuse. It is a very common activity to drink to excess and this can lead to many problems in families. Most of the respondents drank heavily and regularly. However, the men who held alternative views regarding their roles as men spent less time drinking alcohol than the dominant view men. Many problems which were present among dominant view men were caused by drinking, including arguments and domestic violence. The life experiences of alternative view men seem to show that family stereotypes and background are important in moulding men's behaviour. Furthermore, beliefs, commitment to marriage and religion have positive effects on men's behaviour. A significant point in this study is that life skills can have a great impact on men's behavioural change. The findings showed that decision making in the families was affected by the views men held. Although there is still some imbalance of gender roles in decision making, this finding presents a positive result of women being encouraged to make decisions in their families. This shows the effects of a gender mainstreaming education program changing social and cultural values. These findings can contribute to strategies in existing men's projects in Cambodia which aim to bring about behavioural changes in men. In turn, these will better support gender equality. It is hoped that the results will be introduced and inform NGO projects in Cambodia and contribute to men‟s understanding of their roles. Men need to understand that they have a role to play in women's empowerment, livelihood projects and educational programs. This thesis is an important canvassing of society in a time of immense change and hopes to add to the improvement of gender equality in Cambodia.</p>

Life outside of the home: Interrogating men's understanding of their roles in Cambodia

<p>This study aims to investigate some men's understanding of their roles, especially in their life outside of the home. It also investigates the life experiences of some men who have alternative views from the majority of men in Cambodia's patriarchal society. This study's research design used mixed methods. A questionnaire with 60 men generated quantitative data. In addition, six focus groups and six case studies were used to generate qualitative data. Both rural and urban areas were selected for this study, including Phnom Penh city and the province of Siem Reap, which is the poorest province in Cambodia. The findings focus on men's perspectives of being a good man/husband, and their domestic roles. My analysis draws attention to the characteristics of participants and their ideas concerning decision making in families. Importantly, these findings show that certain activities outside of the home, particularly the use of alcohol, is commonplace for many men. I describe the life experiences of men with alternative views from the dominant Cambodian views men hold regarding their ideas of being a man. I point out men's concerns for their children's behaviour and their opinions concerning the next generation. The two groups of men in the study, “dominant view men” and “alternative view men” have a shared understanding of their roles and of what it means to be a good man despite their differences. The problem is that men who hold the dominant views do not seem to perform well in their daily lives, while alternative view men tend to apply their understanding of their roles to their everyday life and have greater success. A noticeable finding of the study is that of alcohol abuse. It is a very common activity to drink to excess and this can lead to many problems in families. Most of the respondents drank heavily and regularly. However, the men who held alternative views regarding their roles as men spent less time drinking alcohol than the dominant view men. Many problems which were present among dominant view men were caused by drinking, including arguments and domestic violence. The life experiences of alternative view men seem to show that family stereotypes and background are important in moulding men's behaviour. Furthermore, beliefs, commitment to marriage and religion have positive effects on men's behaviour. A significant point in this study is that life skills can have a great impact on men's behavioural change. The findings showed that decision making in the families was affected by the views men held. Although there is still some imbalance of gender roles in decision making, this finding presents a positive result of women being encouraged to make decisions in their families. This shows the effects of a gender mainstreaming education program changing social and cultural values. These findings can contribute to strategies in existing men's projects in Cambodia which aim to bring about behavioural changes in men. In turn, these will better support gender equality. It is hoped that the results will be introduced and inform NGO projects in Cambodia and contribute to men‟s understanding of their roles. Men need to understand that they have a role to play in women's empowerment, livelihood projects and educational programs. This thesis is an important canvassing of society in a time of immense change and hopes to add to the improvement of gender equality in Cambodia.</p>

Biopolitics, citizenship, and inequalities in HIV assemblages

Di Feliciantonio and Brown offer an important overview of key research areas for the geographies of PrEP, TasP, and undetectabitily, and they consider what matters for the lives of gay and bisexual men. I offer two areas of further consideration. Firstly, I suggest that rather than setting the biopolitical critiques of PrEP and TasP as at odds with grassroots activism, sexual pleasure, and subjectivities, that these particular forms of biosexual activism are indeed central to subject formation and sexual practices and are constitutive of the other within HIV assemblages. Secondly, I highlight the need to consider inequalities more directly both within the context of national borders in relation to jurisdictional health policy, implementation, and access, and within gay communities themselves in relation to intersectional and embodied identities.