Contemporary and Historical Evidence to Suggest that Women’s Preference for Age at Birth of First Child Remains Consistent Across Time

Women’s ability to reproduce is restricted by menarche and menopause. First children are, however, not typically born until some years after the onset of puberty. Other factors therefore contribute towards this delay. In this context, women’s hips do not reach full adult form until they are in their mid-20s. Therefore, physiological and morphological factors appear to determine an optimum age-range for reproduction. The following studies were conducted in order to investigate this hypothesis. Study 1 asked nulliparous women questions about ages at which particular life events related to reproduction should ideally occur. This revealed their preferred age at birth of first child to be approximately 27 years old. Study 2 replicated these findings and further showed that women with children actually had their first child at a very similar age (27.93 [±0.79]). Findings from Study 3 were also remarkably consistent (28.15 [±0.39]). Study 4 examined the 1901 UK Census record and incorporated an analysis of the influence of wealth. Middle class women were on average 24.88 (±0.22) years old at the birth of their first child. Poor women were on average 23.50 (±0.20) years old. These figures at least approximate to findings from Studies 1–3, which is noteworthy given that modern contraceptive methods were not widely available at the time. It is concluded that female strategies to delay giving birth to their first child until they are of an age that approaches or coincides with their full hip maturation are enduring across time

The role of trauma in hoarding : a project investigating the role of trauma in the expression of hoarding disease as well as features associated with hoarding

Hoarding Disorder (HD) is characterized by a difficulty discarding possessions and leads to the accumulation of clutter, causing marked distress and impairment (Mataix-Cols, et al., 2010). HD has been an increasing area of research and public interest, though little is known about how it develops or factors that influence its expression (Mataiz-Cols, Fernandes de la Cruz, Nakoa, and Pertusa, 2011; Frost, Steketee, and Tolin, 2011). High frequency of trauma among people with hoarding behavior has been reported (Saxena et al. 2011; Cromer, Schmidt, and Murphy, 2007; Hartl, Duffany, Allen, Steketee, and Frost, 2005), but none have examined it in detail. The current study included 211 HD diagnosed participants from Frost et al.\u27s (2011) study of comorbidity, 105 of whom had experienced a traumatic life event and 106 who had not. Severity of acquisition and clutter (SI-R) were elevated among those who had experienced a traumatic life event, while difficulty discarding was not. Interference in the activities of daily living due to hoarding (ADL-H) was greater in participants with a trauma history, as were Clutter Image Ratings. Saving Cognitions Inventory subscales of Emotional Attachment, Responsibility, and Control were higher for participants with versus without trauma. Age of hoarding onset was earlier for participants who had experienced trauma, and participants with trauma histories more often reported lower levels of family warmth and security as well as higher levels of uncertainty. Trauma in hoarding was associated with greater attention deficit disorder symptoms, more anxiety, greater anxiety sensitivity, and more symptoms of obsessivecompulsive disorder. However, trauma was not associated with depression, social anxiety or perfectionism. Participants with histories of trauma had more current Axis I diagnoses, but not over the course of a lifetime. MDD was more frequent in HD participants with trauma, as was GAD. Social Phobia and OCD comorbidity did not significantly differ between participants with and without traumatic life experiences

Heart Rate Intensity in Female Footballers and its effect on playing position based on external workload

Introduction: Female football is the world’s fastest developing sport, and due to the rise in magnitude, female football, of all levels, must embrace scientific applications allowing an increase in performance through training, technique and preparation. The purpose of the study was to examine the physiological external workload, of amateur female footballers, across varying heart rate intensities, as well as, interpret fatigue between each half of the Soccer-Specific Aerobic Field Test (SAFT90) protocol. Methods: A sample of n = 24 amateur female football players (mean ± SD; age: 20.7 ± 4.0 years; stretched stature = 165.6 ± 5.8cm, body mass = 58.1 ± 4.7 kg) were recruited during the 2016/2017 competitive season. Maximum heart rate (HRmax) values were determined using the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 (Yo-Yo IR Level 1) with the SAFT90 protocol used to interpret the physiological and mechanical demands displayed during football match. A one-way analysis of variance was applied to determine the differences between each position (defenders, midfielders and forwards) with the level of significance set at alpha level P < 0.05. Results: There were statistically significant differences between each position and total external workload (F (df:23) = 9.156; (P < 0.05), in addition to average heart rate (HR) across 90 - minutes (F (df:23) = 22.317; (P < 0.05). Statistical significance was also determined differences between each position and the duration of time spent within the prescribed HR intensity zones, including zone 1 (<70% HRmax), zone 2 (70-85% HRmax) and zone 4 (90-95% HRmax) across the SAFT90. The total distance all players completed across the 90 minutes was 10913.7 ± 1076.7 m, whereas the shortest external workload (10020.4 ± 1086.6 m) was completed by defenders and largest (11781.9 ± 324.7 m) by midfielders. The player’s average heart rate was 161.1 ±14.7 bpm-1 resulting in a mean intensity of representing 81% HRmax. Conclusions: Midfielders spent the largest proportion of time between zone 2 and zone 4. Based on these results, coaches are able to determine which type of physiological profile is needed for a specific positon and use this information to design specifically prescribed training programmes to maximise the fitness development

Factors that Influence Parents’ Meta-Emotion Approaches: Implications for Families

This quantitative study investigated the concept of meta-emotion by examining factors that were associated with specific types of meta-emotion approaches parents used. The main variables included parental stress, outside support, education levels. Other variables considered were number of children in the family, age of children, and children’s gender. The concept of meta-emotion as well as the inclusion of these variables were important to investigate to further understand the factors that influenced parents’ thoughts and reactions to their children’s emotions and emotional responses. It was determined that 143 participants were needed. These participants were gathered by emails sent to students and faculty at Texas Woman’s University. Participants were also gathered by dispersing flyers advertising the study in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas metroplex. Individuals who agreed to participate gave consent and then completed the anonymous online questionnaires through PsychData. Results yielded that parental stress was the only significant predictor of meta-emotion approaches

Small Town, Big Impact: Bringing Awareness to Human Trafficking

The goal of this community project was to bring awareness to human trafficking in rural communities. Researchers completed research to further educate themselves so that they would be able to educate persons in the community about the issue. The collected information of the issues surrounding human trafficking and how to bring awareness to the issue. Researchers organized two community events, a trivia night and awareness walk, and encouraged community members to participate. Through these events organizers were able to initiate conversations with members of the community and educate them about what human trafficking looks like in their community. Organizers collected funds through free will donation to gift a local victim of human trafficking

Pet dogs improve family functioning and reduce anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder

Jessica Hardiman*†, Richard Mills‡ , PAWS Project Team† and Daniel Mills* * University of Lincoln, School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, UK † Dogs for the Disables, Frances Hay Centre, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK ‡ Research Autism, Adam House, London, UK ABSTRACT There is increasing evidence to suggest that dogs are beneficial for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in therapy sessions, and anecdotal reports suggest that dogs may have wider benefits, in a family setting. This study investigated the effect of dog ownership on family functioning and child anxiety. Using a validated scale of family strengths and weaknesses (Brief Version of the Family Assessment Measure-III [General Scale]), we compared parents of children with ASD who had recently acquired a pet dog (n = 42, Intervention group) with a similar group of parents not acquiring a dog (n = 28, Control group) at matched time points. A sub-population (n =14 acquiring a dog, n = 26 controls) completed a parental-report measure of child anxiety (Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale). The primary carer completed the scales via telephone at Baseline (up to 17 weeks before acquiring a dog), Postintervention (3–10 weeks after acquisition), and Follow-up (25–40 weeks after acquisition). Over time, scores for family functioning showed significant improvements (reduced family weaknesses, increased strengths) in the dog-owning compared with the non-dog owning group. In comparison with the non-dog owning group, anxiety scores in the dog-owning group reduced by a greater percentage, most notably in the domains of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (26% greater decrease), Panic Attack and Agoraphobia (24%), Social Phobia (22%), and Separation Anxiety (22%). The results illustrate the potential of pet dogs to improve whole family functioning and child anxiety

The application of tribology in assessing texture perception of oral liquid medicines

The palatability of medicines is likely to have a significant impact on patient adherence and consequently, on the safety and efficacy of a medicinal product. Palatability encompasses properties of medicines not limited to taste including swallowability (e.g. size, shape, texture). However, there has been limited work undertaken to measure the texture of medicines and how this may affect palatability and subsequent adherence. Tribology offers an understanding of oral processes and can allow physical properties of materials to be linked to "mouthfeel". This paper describes a preliminary application of tribology to oral liquid medicines and demonstrates that this technique is useful in the development of future oral liquid medicines

What factors are associated with positive effects of dog ownership in families with children with autism spectrum disorder? The development of the Lincoln Autism Pet Dog Impact Scale

Scientific literature exploring the value of assistance dogs to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rapidly emerging. However, there is comparably less literature reporting the effects of pet (as opposed to assistance) dogs to these children. In particular, there are no known validated scales which assess how children may alter their behaviours in the presence of the dog, to evaluate the efficacy of pet dogs to these families. Additionally, given the highly individualised nature of ASD it is likely that some children and families gain more benefits from dog ownership than others, yet no research has reported the effect of individual differences. This pilot study reports the development of a 28-item scale based on the perceived impact of a pet dog on a child with autism by parents (Lincoln Autism Pet Dog Impact Scale, LAPDIS). The scale is comprised of three mathematically derived factors: Adaptability, Social Skills and Conflict Management. We assessed how individual differences (aspects) may be associated with scores on these three factors. Family Aspects and Dog Aspects were not significantly associated with ratings on the three factors, but Child Aspects (including: contact with horses, child age, disability level and language abilities) were related to impact of the dog on all factors. Training Aspects were related to scores on Social Skills (formal training with children with ASD and dogs and attendance at PAWS workshops run by Dogs for Good). These results suggest that individual differences associated with the child and the training approach may be important considerations for a positive impact from dog ownership on families with children with ASD. Differences in family features and the dog may not be so important, but may be worthy of further investigations given the early stage of development in this field

Factors associated with genital human papillomavirus infection among adult females in the United States, NHANES 2007–2010

BACKGROUND: Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are at risk of developing cancer later in their life. Current research estimates the prevalence of genital HPV infection and explores the factors that are associated with the infection. FINDINGS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010 was used in this research study. The study population included females in the United States aged 18–59 years. The weighted prevalence of HPV infection was 41.9%. An estimated 59.4% of non-Hispanic black females had HPV infection. In a multivariate analysis, number of sexual partners, race, age, education level, marital status, income, smoking, and insurance status were associated with HPV infection. HPV infection was 5.77 times more likely for women with >11 sexual partners compared to women with 0–1 partners. Non-Hispanic black females were 1.87 times more likely to have HPV infection compared to non-Hispanic white females. Participants with only a high school degree had a 58% increased prevalence compared to college-educated women. Uninsured women had a 39% increased prevalence compared to those with insurance. CONCLUSION: This study found that 41.9% of U.S. females aged 18–59 years tested positive for genital HPV infection. We determined that individuals with more sexual partners, with a lower education level, with non-Hispanic black race, and with no insurance were the populations at greatest risk. It is necessary to continue monitoring the prevalence of this infection in the general population to provide a basis for effective treatment and prevention in the target populations