Evaluation of a Sexuality and Relationships Education Program Taught in a Year 8 South Australian Classroom

This item is only available electronically.Sexuality and relationships education have changed dramatically over the past few decades. A renewed emphasis on curriculum developers to embed sexuality and relationships education with a holistic human rights-based approach is of increasing importance. This involves developing skills to empower students to make informed decisions and navigate safe and fulfilling relationships. While there are governing documents to guide curriculum developers to develop such a curriculum, often these guidance’s are ambiguous in nature and lack robust instruction. Additionally, the problem so often in education is that there are no obligations for curriculum developers to evaluate or monitor the quality of their programs. Therefore, exactly how does SRE encompass a holistic human-rights based to sexuality and relationships education and empower young people to live healthier lives? The purpose of this research is to develop a response to such an inquiry. An evaluation will be conducted on a Sexuality and Relationships Education Program which was provided by the program facilitator. This research employs the theoretical methodology of an intrinsic case study approach to conduct this evaluation. As essential process of this research was the development of a conceptual framework. This framework incorporates evaluating the input, context, process, and product factors of the program and the chosen guiding documents. The development of this evaluation provided strengths and limitations of the Sexuality and Relationships Education Program that cultivate the concepts addressed in the program. Recommendations for the Sexuality and Relationships Education Program are provided to assist the program facilitator, and other curriculum developers, to implement effective programs that empower young people. Additionally, this research aids to instil the importance of conducting program evaluations as a critical aspect to any curriculum implementation. Conducting this research has led to program recommendations and suggestions and revealed alternative directions for research on strategies to address key concepts of sexuality and relationships in schools concerning key concepts, including pornography and consent, which many teachers are often too hesitant to address in the classroom.Thesis (MTeach) -- University of Adelaide, School of Education, 202

Leveraging Implementation Science to Understand Factors Influencing Sustained Use of Mental Health Apps: a Narrative Review

Mental health (MH) smartphone applications (apps), which can aid in self-management of conditions such as depression and anxiety, have demonstrated dramatic growth over the past decade. However, their effectiveness and potential for sustained use remain uncertain. This narrative review leverages implementation science theory to explore factors influencing MH app uptake. The review is guided by the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework and discusses the role of the innovation, its recipients, context, and facilitation in influencing successful implementation of MH apps. The review highlights critical literature published between 2015 and 2020 with a focus on depression and anxiety apps. Sources were identified via PubMed, Google Scholar, and Twitter using a range of keywords pertaining to MH apps. Findings suggest that for apps to be successful, they must be advantageous over alternative tools, relatively easy to navigate, and aligned with users\u27 needs, skills, and resources. Significantly more attention must be paid to the complex contexts in which MH app implementation is occurring in order to refine facilitation strategies. The evidence base is still uncertain regarding the effectiveness and usability of MH apps, and much can be learned from the apps we use daily; namely, simpler is better and plans to integrate full behavioral treatments into smartphone form may be misguided. Non-traditional funding mechanisms that are nimble, responsive, and encouraging of industry partnerships will be necessary to move the course of MH app development in the right direction

The African Women's Protocol: Bringing Attention to Reproductive Rights and the MDGs

Andrew Gibbs and colleagues discuss the African Women's Protocol, a framework for ensuring reproductive rights are supported throughout the continent and for supporting interventions to improve women's reproductive health, including the MDGs

Modeling the impact of COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on respiratory syncytial virus transmission in South Africa

Background: The South African government employed various nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Surveillance data from South Africa indicates reduced circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) throughout the 2020–2021 seasons. Here, we use a mechanistic transmission model to project the rebound of RSV in the two subsequent seasons. Methods: We fit an age-structured epidemiological model to hospitalization data from national RSV surveillance in South Africa, allowing for time-varying reduction in RSV transmission during periods of COVID-19 circulation. We apply the model to project the rebound of RSV in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Results: We projected an early and intense outbreak of RSV in April 2022, with an age shift to older infants (6–23 months old) experiencing a larger portion of severe disease burden than typical. In March 2022, government alerts were issued to prepare the hospital system for this potentially intense outbreak. We then assess the 2022 predictions and project the 2023 season. Model predictions for 2023 indicate that RSV activity has not fully returned to normal, with a projected early and moderately intense wave. We estimate that NPIs reduced RSV transmission between 15% and 50% during periods of COVID-19 circulation. Conclusions: A wide range of NPIs impacted the dynamics of the RSV outbreaks throughout 2020–2023 in regard to timing, magnitude, and age structure, with important implications in a low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) setting where RSV interventions remain limited. More efforts should focus on adapting RSV models to LMIC data to project the impact of upcoming medical interventions for this disease.</p

Regional block versus general anaesthesia for caesarean section and neonatal outcomes: a population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anaesthesia guidelines recommend regional anaesthesia for most caesarean sections due to the risk of failed intubation and aspiration with general anaesthesia. However, general anaesthesia is considered to be safe for the foetus, based on limited evidence, and is still used for caesarean sections.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cohorts of caesarean sections by indication (that is, planned repeat caesarean section, failure to progress, foetal distress) were selected from the period 1998 to 2004 (<it>N </it>= 50,806). Deliveries performed under general anaesthesia were compared with those performed under spinal or epidural, for the outcomes of neonatal intubation and 5-minute Apgar (Apgar5) <7.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The risk of adverse outcomes was increased for caesarean sections under general anaesthesia for all three indications and across all levels of hospital. The relative risks were largest for low-risk planned repeat caesarean deliveries: resuscitation with intubation relative risk was 12.8 (95% confidence interval 7.6, 21.7), and Apgar5 <7 relative risk was 13.4 (95% confidence interval 9.2, 19.4). The largest absolute increase in risk was for unplanned caesareans due to foetal distress: there were five extra intubations per 100 deliveries and six extra Apgar5 <7 per 100 deliveries.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The infants most affected by general anaesthesia were those already compromised <it>in utero</it>, as evidenced by foetal distress. The increased rate of adverse neonatal outcomes should be weighed up when general anaesthesia is under consideration.</p

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Tsukushi Modulates Xnr2, FGF and BMP Signaling: Regulation of Xenopus Germ Layer Formation

Cell-cell communication is essential in tissue patterning. In early amphibian development, mesoderm is formed in the blastula-stage embryo through inductive interactions in which vegetal cells act on overlying equatorial cells. Members of the TGF-beta family such as activin B, Vg1, derrière and Xenopus nodal-related proteins (Xnrs) are candidate mesoderm inducing factors, with further activity to induce endoderm of the vegetal region. TGF-beta-like ligands, including BMP, are also responsible for patterning of germ layers. In addition, FGF signaling is essential for mesoderm formation whereas FGF signal inhibition has been implicated in endoderm induction. Clearly, several signaling pathways are coordinated to produce an appropriate developmental output; although intracellular crosstalk is known to integrate multiple pathways, relatively little is known about extracellular coordination

Measuring the predictability of life outcomes with a scientific mass collaboration.

How predictable are life trajectories? We investigated this question with a scientific mass collaboration using the common task method; 160 teams built predictive models for six life outcomes using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a high-quality birth cohort study. Despite using a rich dataset and applying machine-learning methods optimized for prediction, the best predictions were not very accurate and were only slightly better than those from a simple benchmark model. Within each outcome, prediction error was strongly associated with the family being predicted and weakly associated with the technique used to generate the prediction. Overall, these results suggest practical limits to the predictability of life outcomes in some settings and illustrate the value of mass collaborations in the social sciences

Expanding the diversity of mycobacteriophages: insights into genome architecture and evolution.

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand our knowledge of mycobacteriophage diversity and enhance our understanding of the roles of mobile elements in viral evolution. Expansion of the number of mycobacteriophages grouped within Cluster A provides insights into the basis of immune specificity in these temperate phages, and we also describe a novel example of apparent immunity theft. The isolation and genomic analysis of bacteriophages by freshman college students provides an example of an authentic research experience for novice scientists