Electrical continuity scanner facilitates identification of wires for soldering to connectors

Electrical continuity scanner automatically scans 50 wires in 2 seconds to correlate all wires in a circuit with their respective known ends. Modifications made to the basic plan provide circuitry for scanning up to 250 wires

Risk among men who have sex with men in the United States: a comparison of an Internet sample and a conventional outreach sample.

This study compared the demographics and risk behaviors of two samples of men who have sex with men (MSM), using cross-sectional data that were collected via the Internet and through conventional bar-based outreach. The Internet sample was significantly older, more likely to identify as "bisexual," and less educated than the bar sample. After controlling for age and education, few differences were observed between the samples. However, three variables that markedly differentiated the samples were history of sexually transmitted disease infection, HIV serostatus, and sources utilized to obtain health information. No difference in Internet use was found. Based on the possible decreased social desirability promoted by the use of electronic data collection methodologies, these findings provide preliminary evidence that Internet and bar respondents are similar and that the Internet may serve as an expedient as well as reliable methodology to increase understanding of risk among MSM

Validation of the Sexual Communication Self-Efficacy Scale

This study assessed a newly developed Sexual Communication Self-Efficacy Scale designed to measure the sexual communication self-efficacy of adolescent men and women. Three-hundred and seventy-four U.K. adolescents completed this new scale, along with several other validity measures. Factor analysis revealed that the Sexual Communication Self-Efficacy Scale consisted of five underlying factors: contraception communication, positive sexual messages, negative sexual messages, sexual history, and condom negotiation. These factors demonstrated high internal consistency and presents evidence to support construct validity. This scale may have utility in assessing the effectiveness of interventions designed to enhance sexual communication and sexual health behaviors among young people

An Assessment of HIV/AIDS Risk in Higher Education Students in Yerevan, Armenia

Armenia\u27s current sociopolitical and economic instability and the alarming HIV incidence rates in neighboring countries amplify its risk for a national epidemic. The goals of this study were to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors among higher education students in Yerevan. Knowledge of HIV transmission through sexual intercourse was markedly higher than that on intravenous transmission and prevailing myths; however, HIV/AIDS knowledge was not related to risk behaviors. Tobacco and alcohol prevalence was relatively high. Students reported risky sexual behaviors, including inconsistent condom use, casual sex, and multiple partners. In addition to descriptive statistics delineating gender differences across the target behavioral domains, bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to understand factors that contributed to increased risk, including early age of initiation and the relationship between substance use and risky sexual activity. The study results provide much-needed information for the development of school- and community-based AIDS prevention programs in Armenia

Which forms of child/adolescent externalizing behaviors account for late adolescent risky sexual behavior and substance use?

Background: Health risk behaviors like substance use (alcohol, tobacco, soft/hard drugs) and risky sexual behavior become more prevalent in adolescence. Children with behavior problems are thought to be prone to engage in health risk behaviors later in life. It is, however, unclear which problems within the externalizing spectrum account for these outcomes. Methods: Three hundred and nine children were followed from age 4/5 years to 18 years (14-year follow-up). Level and course of parent-rated opposition, physical aggression, status violations and property violations were used to predict adolescent-reported substance use and risky sexual behavior at age 18 years. Results: Both level and change in physical aggression were unique predictors of all forms of adolescent health risk behavior. Levels of status violations predicted smoking and soft drug use only, while change in property violations predicted each of the health risk behaviors. The links between opposition and health risk behaviors were accounted for by co-occurring problem behaviors. Conclusions: Of externalizing problems, physical aggression is the best predictor of adolescent substance use and risky sexual behavior from childhood onwards. Possible explanations and implications of these findings, and future research directions are discussed. © 2007 The Authors

Influence of sexual sensation-seeking on factors associated with risky sexual behaviour among African-American female adolescents

The identification of antecedents to sexual risk among youth is critical to the development and dissemination of multilevel interventions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of sexual sensation-seeking on partner age, partner communication, and the sexual attitudes and behaviours of African-American female youth

“Hit me up and we can get down” U.S. youths’ risk behaviors and sexual self-disclosure in MySpace profiles

Young people’s sexual self-disclosures in social media profiles can be problematic for those who produce them and for those who consume them. This study merged a content analysis with survey data to identify the characteristics of youth who engaged in online sexual self-disclosure. MySpace profiles belonging to 560 National Study of Youth and Religion respondents in the United States (18 to 23 years old) were analyzed (56,462 content units). A third of the profiles contained at least one sexual self-disclosure; their average incidence was less than one per profile. Online sexual self-disclosure was associated with offline sexual risk behaviors (e.g., sex with casual partners), and with increased frequency of alcohol consumption. Among sexually active females, it was associated with early sexual debut. In light of problem behavior theory, these findings suggest that online sexual self-disclosure may be considered a sexual risk behavior

Predictors of linkage to care following community-based HIV counseling and testing in rural Kenya

Despite innovations in HIV counseling and testing (HCT), important gaps remain in understanding linkage to care. We followed a cohort diagnosed with HIV through a community-based HCT campaign that trained persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) as navigators. Individual, interpersonal, and institutional predictors of linkage were assessed using survival analysis of self-reported time to enrollment. Of 483 persons consenting to follow-up, 305 (63.2%) enrolled in HIV care within 3 months. Proportions linking to care were similar across sexes, barring a sub-sample of men aged 18–25 years who were highly unlikely to enroll. Men were more likely to enroll if they had disclosed to their spouse, and women if they had disclosed to family. Women who anticipated violence or relationship breakup were less likely to link to care. Enrolment rates were significantly higher among participants receiving a PLHA visit, suggesting that a navigator approach may improve linkage from community-based HCT campaigns.Vestergaard Frandse

The relationship between expected engagement and talking therapy outcome

The aim of the study was to investigate whether client-reported expected engagement with therapy predicted therapy outcome. It was hypothesized that higher expected engagement with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or person-centred experiential therapy (PCET) would predict more symptomatic improvement following therapy and higher likelihood of therapy completion. The Sheffield Expected Engagement with Therapy Scale was administered to 96 clients at pre-therapy assessment with all meeting a diagnosis of moderate or severe depression with 53 receiving CBT and 43 receiving PCET. Higher expected engagement predicted more symptomatic improvement in CBT but not PCET. Expected engagement only predicted improvement in CBT when clients rated the credibility of CBT as low or moderate. Expected engagement did not predict therapy completion in either therapy. Assessment of expected engagement could be a useful tool in prediction of symptomatic improvement in CBT

A preliminary investigation into the prevalence and prediction of problematic cell phone use

Abstract Background and aims Likening mobile phone use dependency to the classification of excessive behaviors may be necessarily equivalent in seriousness to previously established addictions such as problematic computing or excessive gambling. The aim of the study explores into the behavior of excessive use of mobile phones as a pathological behavior. Methods Two studies investigated criteria for problematic mobile phone usage by examining student (Study 1, N = 301) and nonstudent (Study 2, N = 362) responses to a set of adapted mobile phone addiction inventories. Study 1 investigated cell phone addiction inventories as constructs designed to measure problematic cell phone use. Additionally, Study 2 sought to predict age, depression, extraversion, emotional stability, impulse control, and self-esteem as independent variables that augment respondents' perceptions of problematic use. Results The results from Study 1 and Study 2 indicate that 10 to 25% of the participants tested exhibited problematic cell phone usage. Additionally, age, depression, extraversion, and low impulse control are the most suitable predictors for problematic use. Conclusions The results of the two studies indicate that problematic mobile phone use does occur and ought to be taken seriously by the psychological community. Presently, there is limited data providing conclusive evidence for a comprehensible categorization of cell phone addiction, as well as a unified explanatory model specific to problematic mobile phone use. Studies such as this one may contribute substantial findings, adding scientific significance, and offering a valuable submission for the ongoing progress of creating intervention frameworks relative to “virtual addictions”