The efficacy of positive psychological interventions from non-western countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Recently, there has been a sharply incremental number of studies of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) from non-western countries. The aim of this study is to review and evaluate the efficacy of these PPIs. Databases, including PubMed, PsycInfo, and Scopus, were searched up to December 2017. In addition, we performed hand searches and reference checks. After removal of duplicates, 7,516 studies were screened and finally 28 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis. A random effects model was used to calculate between group effect-sizes at post-test. Results showed that PPIs from non-western countries have a moderate effect on subjective well-being (g = 0.48) and psychological well-being (g = 0.40), and a large effect on depression (g = 0.62) and anxiety (g = 0.95). The overall low study quality of the studies indicates the possibility of biases, which may explain why PPIs from non-western countries report larger effect sizes than PPIs from western countries. However, PPIs could also be more effective in non-western countries due to a better cultural fit

Children's Human Capabilities and Child Maltreatment

There are no known studies that have explored a conceptual basis for valorizing child maltreatment as a human development impediment using the Human Capability Approach. The pilot study assessed the prevalence of child maltreatment amongst 68 (N=219) school-aged children 12 – 17 years in one secondary school in Aruba using Nussbaum’s list of 10 central human capabilities. Among this sample, the prevalence of child maltreatment was at 100%. The most prevalent types of child maltreatment were emotional abuse (94.2%), physical abuse (88.4%), severe physical abuse (66.7%) and neglect (42%). Sexual abuse had the lowest prevalence rate at 18.8%. The levels of functionings achieved varied according to types of child maltreatment and their prevalence. Neglect, witnessing inter-parental violence and sexual abuse were associated with lower achievements on the combined 10 central human capabilities except for emotional abuse, physical abuse and severe physical abuse which reported highest prevalence.  These types of child maltreatment were too common and left little to no variability to calculate statistical relationships with the 10 human capabilities. These findings are disturbing and raise concerns about the normalization of abuse.  Further research is recommended to determine the contributing factors to widespread use of emotional and physical abuse and the potential for intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Future research is also recommended with a larger sample that may provide more meaningful analysis of the capability space of children affected by child maltreatment.No hay estudios conocidos que hayan explorado una base conceptual para valorizar al maltrato infantil como un impedimento para el desarrollo humano utilizando el Enfoque de Capacidad Humana. El estudio piloto evaluó la prevalencia del maltrato infantil entre 68 (N = 219) niños en edad escolar de 12 a 17 años en una escuela secundaria en Aruba utilizando la lista de Nussbaum de 10 capacidades humanas centrales. La prevalencia del maltrato infantil es del 100%. Los tipos de maltrato infantil más frecuentes fueron: el abuso emocional, con 94,2%, abuso físico 88,4%, abuso físico severo 66,7% y negligencia 42%. El abuso sexual tuvo la tasa de frecuencia más baja, en 18,8%. Los niveles de funcionamiento alcanzados variaron según los tipos de maltrato infantil y su prevalencia. La negligencia, presenciar la violencia entre padres y el abuso sexual se asociaron con logros más bajos entre las 10 capacidades humanas centrales combinadas, excepto el abuso emocional, el abuso físico y el abuso físico severo que tuvieron la prevalencia más alta. Estos tipos de maltrato infantil eran demasiado altos y dejaban poca o ninguna variabilidad para calcular las relaciones estadísticas con las 10 capacidades humanas. Estos hallazgos son inquietantes y generan inquietudes sobre la normalización del abuso. Se recomienda realizar más investigaciones para determinar los factores que contribuyen al uso generalizado del abuso físico y emocional y el potencial de transmisión intergeneracional del maltrato infantil. Se recomienda, además, realizar investigaciones futuras con una muestra más grande que pudiera proporcionar un análisis más significativo del espacio de capacidad de los niños afectados por el maltrato infantil

Interface structure of SrTiO3-LaAlO3 at elevated temperatures studied in-situ by synchroton x-rays

The atomic interface structure between SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 was studied at elevated temperatures employing in situ surface x-ray diffraction. The results at 473 K indicate that the lattice distorts significantly in two ways. First, the interatomic distances between the cations across the interface become as large as 4.03(2) Å. Second, the TiO6 octahedra at the interface contract their principal axis along the surface normal considerably and the Ti displaces off center. These distortions can be ascribed to the charge inbalance introduced by the change in atomic species across the interface and to a Jahn-Teller effect. The latter distortion suggests the presence of extra electrons at the interface, which is important for understanding the electronic properties of this system

Initial Structure and Growth Dynamics of YBa2Cu3O7-d during Pulsed Laser Deposition

The initial heteroepitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7-delta films on SrTiO3(001) substrates during pulsed laser deposition shows a growth-mode transition and a change of growth unit. The growth starts with two blocks, each two-thirds the size of the complete unit cell. The first of these blocks grows in a step-flow fashion, whereas the second grows in the layer-by-layer mode. Subsequent deposition occurs layer-by-layer of complete unit cells. These results suggest that the surface diffusion in the heteroepitaxial case is strongly influenced by the competition with formation energies, which is important for the fabrication of heteroepitaxial devices on the unit cell scale

No evidence that autistic traits predict programming learning outcomes

With the increased importance of computer programming in society, researchers have been searching for ways to predict which students are most likely to succeed, as well as those who may have difficulty when beginning to learn to program. It has been suggested that autistic traits relate to increased interest and aptitude for abstract science, and that people with higher numbers of autistic traits have a stronger tendency to ‘systemize’, which can be advantageous for studying natural and manmade systems. This could also mean that higher autistic traits are associated with greater programming abilities. In this study, we therefore investigated whether autistic traits, measured with the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), predicted course grades and performance on an independent programming test at the end of an introductory undergraduate programming course. We also examined the relationship between AQ scores and five cognitive skills that were measured at the start of the programming course (logical reasoning, pattern recognition, algebra, vocabulary learning, grammar learning). We found that the participants scored higher on autistic traits than the general population. However, overall autistic traits did not predict programming skill at the end of the course. Similarly, no individual subscale of the AQ predicted programming skills, nor were there any correlations between cognitive skills and autistic traits. Therefore, there is no evidence to support autistic traits being reliably related to programming skill acquisition