Turning on and turning off: A focus group study of the factors that affect women's sexual arousal

This is a post print version of the article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below.The aim of this study was to inform the development of a questionnaire to assess a woman's tendency to respond with sexual excitation/inhibition in different situations. Nine focus groups, involving 80 women (M age = 34.3 years; range, 18-84), were conducted. Women described a wide range of physical (genital and nongenital), cognitive/emotional, and behavioral cues to arousal. The relationship between sexual interest (desire) and sexual arousal was complex; sexual interest was reported as sometimes preceding arousal, but at other times following it. Many women did not clearly differentiate between arousal and interest. Qualitative data on the factors that women perceived as enhancers and inhibitors of sexual arousal are presented, with a focus on the following themes: feelings about one's body; concern about reputation; unwanted pregnancy/ contraception; feeling desired versus feeling used by a partner; feeling accepted by a partner; style of approach/initiation; and negative mood. The findings can help inform conceptualizations of sexual arousal in women.This research was funded (in part) by a grant from the Lilly Centre for Women‟s Health

The effects of constructivist learning environments: A commentary

This special issue on the effects of constructivist learning environments is based on a symposium organized during the last annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago. The studies in this issue not only provide an overview of the multitude of forms a constructivist learning environment can take, they also provide the reader with an overview of recent advances in this domain of research. The present discussion article provides a critical reflection on the studies in this special issue and tries to identify their prospects and limitations

What factors are associated with reporting lacking interest in sex and how do these vary by gender? Findings from the third British national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles

OBJECTIVES: To investigate factors associated with reporting lacking interest in sex and how these vary by gender. SETTING: British general population. DESIGN: Complex survey analyses of data collected for a cross-sectional probability sample survey, undertaken 2010-2012, specifically logistic regression to calculate age-adjusted OR (AOR) to identify associated factors. PARTICIPANTS: 4839 men and 6669 women aged 16-74 years who reported ≥1 sexual partner (opposite-sex or same-sex) in the past year for the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Lacking interest in sex for ≥3 months in the past year. RESULTS: Overall, 15.0% (13.9-16.2) of men and 34.2% (32.8-35.5) of women reported lacking interest in sex. This was associated with age and physical and mental health for both men and women, including self-reported general health and current depression. Lacking interest in sex was more prevalent among men and women reporting sexually transmitted infection diagnoses (ever), non-volitional sex (ever) and holding sexual attitudes related to normative expectations about sex. Some gender similarities in associated relationship and family-related factors were evident, including partner having had sexual difficulties in the last year (men: AOR 1.41 (1.07-1.86); women: AOR 1.60 (1.32-1.94)), not feeling emotionally close to partner during sex (men: 3.74 (1.76-7.93); women: 4.80 (2.99-7.69) and ease of talking about sex (men: 1.53 (1.23-1.90);women: 2.06 (1.77-2.39)). Among women only, lack of interest in sex was higher among those in a relationship of >1 year in duration and those not sharing the same level of interest (4.57 (3.87-5.38)) or preferences (2.91 (2.22-3.83)) with a partner. CONCLUSIONS: Both gender similarities and differences were found in factors associated with lacking interest in sex, with the most marked differences in relation to some relationship variables. Findings highlight the need to assess, and if appropriate, treat lacking interest in sex in a holistic and relationship-specific way

Sequencing PDX1 (insulin promoter factor 1) in 1788 UK individuals found 5% had a low frequency coding variant, but these variants are not associated with Type 2 diabetes

OnlineOpen Article. This is a copy of an article published in Diabetic Medicine. This journal is available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1464-5491Genome-wide association studies have identified >30 common variants associated with Type 2 diabetes (>5% minor allele frequency). These variants have small effects on individual risk and do not account for a large proportion of the heritable component of the disease. Monogenic forms of diabetes are caused by mutations that occur in <1:2000 individuals and follow strict patterns of inheritance. In contrast, the role of low frequency genetic variants (minor allele frequency 0.1-5%) in Type 2 diabetes is not known. The aim of this study was to assess the role of low frequency PDX1 (also called IPF1) variants in Type 2 diabetes

Estimating the Prevalence of Sexual Function Problems: The Impact of Morbidity Criteria

Establishing the clinical significance of symptoms of sexual dysfunction is challenging. To address this, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced two new morbidity criteria (duration and symptom severity) to the existing criteria of distress. This study sought to establish the impact of these three criteria on the population prevalence of sexual function problems. The data come from a national probability survey (Natsal-3) and are based on 11,509 male and female participants aged 16-74, reporting at least one sexual partner in the past year. The key outcomes were: proportion of individuals reporting proxy measures of DSM-5 problems, and the proportion of those meeting morbidity criteria. We found that among sexually active men, the prevalence of reporting one or more of four specific sexual problems was 38.2%, but 4.2% after applying the three morbidity criteria; corresponding figures for women reporting one or more of three specific sexual problems, were 22.8% and 3.6%. Just over a third of men and women reporting a problem meeting all three morbidity criteria had sought help in the last year. We conclude that the DSM-5 morbidity criteria impose a focus on clinically significant symptoms

A scheme for determining vehicle routes based on Arc-based service network design

In freight transportation, less-than-truckload carriers often need to assign each vehicle a cyclic route so that drivers can come back home after a certain period of time. However, the Node-Arc model for service network design addresses decisions on each arc and does not determine routes directly, although the vehicle balancing constraint ensures that the number of outgoing vehicles equals the number of incoming vehicles at each node. How to transform the optimized service network into a set of vehicle routes remains an important problem that has not yet been studied. In this paper, we propose a three-phase scheme to address this problem. In the first stage, we present an algorithm based on the depth-first search to find all of the different cyclic routes in a service network design solution. In the second stage, we propose to prune poor cyclic routes using real-life constraints so that a collection of acceptable vehicle routes can be obtained before route assignment. Some of the pruning can also be done in the first stage to speed up the proposed algorithm. In the third stage, we formulate the problem of selecting a set of cyclic routes to cover the entire network as a weighted set covering problem. The resulting model is formulated as an integer program and solved with IBM ILOG CPLEX solver. Experimental results on benchmark instances for service network design indicate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme which gives high-quality solutions in an efficient way

Exploring the short-term and maintained effects of strategic instruction on the writing of 4th grade students: should strategies be focused on the process?

p.1769-1790The principal aim of strategy-focused instruction is to teach students strategies to control their writing processes and achieve quality writing. For this purpose, nine 4th grade Elementary School classes from three diferent schools (N=215) were randomly allocated to two forms of strategy-focused program called cognitive selfregulation instruction (CSRI). The full-CSRI (experimental condition 1, n=72) taught students a strategic approach to set appropriate product goals along with planning strategies. However, in the brief-CSRI (experimental condition 2, n=69), the direct teaching of planning procedures was removed. These two experimental conditions were compared with a control condition (n=74). We used a pre-test/posttest design and we also collected a maintenance writing performance 7 months after the intervention. Writing performance was holistically evaluated through readerbased measures made up of aspects related to structure, coherence, and quality. Only the full-CSRI condition wrote better compare–contrast texts than the control group in both the short term and at the maintenance timepoint. The study discusses the efects of the intervention on each measure and whether or not it is necessary to train process strategiesS

Physical activity attitudes, intentions and behaviour among 18-25 year olds: a mixed method study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A survey of people with foot problems related to rheumatoid arthritis and their educational needs

Background Up to 50% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have foot symptoms at diagnosis, hence early foot health intervention is recommended and this should include patient education. This study identifies, for the first time, the foot health education (FHE) needs of people with RA. Methods An online survey of people with RA (n = 543) captured quantitative data in relation to the aims, methods of delivery, content, timing and accessibility of FHE. Results The majority concurred about the aims of FHE. Verbal delivery and websites were the most common methods. Written and verbal FHE were perceived to be the most effective methods. The point of diagnosis was the preferred time to receive it. Lack of access to FHE included minimal focus on foot health during consultations by both health practitioners and patients with RA. Participant gender, age, disease duration and living situation had a statistically significant influence on the results. Conclusion Foot health education is rarely considered within the medical consultation. There is a lack of patient and/or health professional awareness of this need with a detrimental impact on foot health. Patients require health professionals to identify their foot education health needs. Tailored foot health education should begin at initial diagnosis

An exploratory cluster randomised trial of a university halls of residence based social norms marketing campaign to reduce alcohol consumption among 1st year students

&lt;p&gt;Aims: This exploratory trial examines the feasibility of implementing a social norms marketing campaign to reduce student drinking in universities in Wales, and evaluating it using cluster randomised trial methodology.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: Fifty residence halls in 4 universities in Wales were randomly assigned to intervention or control arms. Web and paper surveys were distributed to students within these halls (n = 3800), assessing exposure/contamination, recall of and evaluative responses to intervention messages, perceived drinking norms and personal drinking behaviour. Measures included the Drinking Norms Rating Form, the Daily Drinking Questionnaire and AUDIT-C.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: A response rate of 15% (n = 554) was achieved, varying substantially between sites. Intervention posters were seen by 80% and 43% of students in intervention and control halls respectively, with most remaining materials seen by a minority in both groups. Intervention messages were rated as credible and relevant by little more than half of students, though fewer felt they would influence their behaviour, with lighter drinkers more likely to perceive messages as credible. No differences in perceived norms were observed between intervention and control groups. Students reporting having seen intervention materials reported lower descriptive and injunctive norms than those who did not.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusions: Attention is needed to enhancing exposure, credibility and perceived relevance of intervention messages, particularly among heavier drinkers, before definitive evaluation can be recommended. A definitive evaluation would need to consider how it would achieve sufficient response rates, whilst hall-level cluster randomisation appears subject to a significant degree of contamination.&lt;/p&gt