HIV counselling and testing in secondary schools: what students want

Background: HIV counselling and testing (HCT) is an essential element in the response to the HIV epidemic. There are still major research gaps about the best ways to provide HCT, especially to the youth, and school-based HCT is a model that has been suggested. To make HCT youth friendly and to enhance access to the service, the particular needs of the youth need to be addressed. Aim: To explore the expressed needs of students about school-based HCT service provision. Method: The study was conducted in 6 secondary schools in Cape Town where a mobile HCT service is provided by a non-governmental organisation. In each school, two mixed gender focus groups were held, one with grades 8 and 9 students and one with grades 10 and 11. A total of 91 students aged 13-21 were involved. The focus groups were conducted in the students' home language. All groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated into English. Results: Content data analysis was done and the following themes emerged: (1) Where the students want HCT to be done, (2) How they want HCT to be done and (3) Who should do the counselling. Most students want HCT to be provided in schools on condition that their fears and expressed needs are taken into account. They raised concerns regarding privacy and confidentiality, and expressed the need to be given information regarding HCT before testing is done. They wanted staff providing the service to be experienced and trained to work with youth, and they wanted students who tested positive to be followed up and supported. Conclusion: To increase youth utilisation of the HCT service, their expressed needs should be taken into account when developing a model for school-based HCT

An Avatar or Acolyte for the Moon-God Men?

�The Museum of Art and Archaeology owns one of the earliest egregiously large coins minted by Greek cities in the Roman Empire, a great bronze, issued for the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (193-211 C. E.) by the magistrate Sos. Charikles. Some of these medallion-size coins may have been struck to commemorate imperial visits or the celebration of Games. Some proclaimed an alliance between two cities; such Alliance issues may be labeled Omonoia (Concord). Other coins boasted of a city's prestige, as in the case of a Metropolis, designated as the administrative head of a region. Similarly, some cities had sought and fulfilled the privilege of Neokoria, maintaining an imperial cult, prestigious and flattering to both parties, for qualified cities. The coins, in these cases, usually bear the title Neokoros (the city as temple "warden"), occasionally even Neokoros for the second or third time. When cities put on Games, the coins with Agonistic motifs often proclaim the name of the Games, Alexandria, Pythia, Severa, or the like. Metropoleis, of course, are often so called in monumental epigraphy or historical texts as well. The coin presented here, one of the largest of the Severan period and issued at Saitta, a city in Lydia, seems, however, to fit none of these categories."�First paragraph.Includes bibliographical reference

Influence of Social Support and Family Resources on Workload, Capacity, and Depressive Symptoms in Parents of Children with Medical Complexity

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are a small but growing population with chronic, sometimes life-limiting health conditions and high health care utilization. Their parents experience social and financial hardships and describe care as demanding. Research examining parental mental health is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among family resources, social support, parents’ perceived workload to care for their CMC and their perceived ability to do the work, and how this impacts family burden and parental depressive symptoms. A non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational design was conducted in a national sample of 106 parent participants of CMC, recruited using social media. Pearson’s correlations and multiple regression was conducted to examine relationships among the major variables. Parent participants were largely white (84.9%) biological (91.5%) mothers (98.1%) ranging in age from 23 to 47 years. The majority were married/partnered (86.8%) and college educated (37.7%) with incomes of $50,000 or more (61.3%). Nearly 62% of parents reported clinically significant depressive symptoms. Higher family resources were associated with less workload (r = - 0.47, p In this largely homogeneous sample of parents with CMC, depressive symptoms were common, family burden was significant, and both were explained by inadequate resources and high workload. Results emphasize the importance of care coordination support for families, as well as universal screening for social support, family resources, and depressive symptoms

Improved Fractionation of Glycinin and B-Conglycinin and Partitioning of Phytochemicals

Glycinin-rich and â-conglycinin-rich products are prepared by soy protein fractionation. Physicochemical characteristics of these proteins affect their unique, important functionality in food systems and industrial applications. Soybean isoflavones and saponins are phytochemicals with potential health benefits. Objectives of this protein fractionation research were to (1) improve protein and phytochemical extraction from defatted soy flakes and recovery in product fractions and (2) evaluate phytochemical partitioning and profile changes during fractionation. Extraction environments (pH, ethanol concentration, temperature, and water-to-flake ratio) were each varied during bench-scale optimization. Optimized conditions of 45 °C and 10:1 water-to-flake ratio were compared with previous conditions of 20 °C and 15:1 water-to-flake ratio and a soy protein isolate process at pilot scale. Optimized conditions yielded more â-conglycinin with higher isoflavone and saponin concentrations, but fraction purity was diminished by glycinin contamination. Bench-scale data demonstrated that increased phytochemical extraction did not translate into increased concentrations in product fractions

Weak Evidence for Increased Motivated Forgetting of Trauma-Related Words in Dissociated or Traumatised Individuals in a Directed Forgetting Experiment

Motivated forgetting is the idea that people can block out, or forget, upsetting or traumatic memories, because there is a motivation to do so. Some researchers have cited directed forgetting studies using trauma-related words as evidence for the theory of motivated forgetting of trauma. In the current article subjects used the list method directed forgetting paradigm with both trauma-related words and positive words. After one list of words was presented subjects were directed to forget the words previously learned, and they then received another list of words. Each list was a mix of positive and trauma-related words, and the lists were counterbalanced. Later, subjects recalled as many of the words as they could, including the ones they were told to forget. Based on the theory that motivated forgetting would lead to recall deficits of trauma-related material, we created eight hypotheses. High dissociators, trauma-exposed, sexual trauma-exposed, and high dissociators with trauma-exposure participants were hypothesised to show enhanced forgetting of trauma words. Results indicated only one of eight hypotheses was supported: those higher on dissociation and trauma recalled fewer trauma words in the to-be-forgotten condition, compared to those low on dissociation and trauma. These results provide weak support for differential motivated forgetting

Weak evidence for increased motivated forgetting of trauma-related words in dissociated or traumatised individuals in a directed forgetting experiment

Motivated forgetting is the idea that people can block out, or forget, upsetting or traumatic memories, because there is a motivation to do so. Some researchers have cited directed forgetting studies using trauma-related words as evidence for the theory of motivated forgetting of trauma. In the current article subjects used the list method directed forgetting paradigm with both trauma-related words and positive words. After one list of words was presented subjects were directed to forget the words previously learned, and they then received another list of words. Each list was a mix of positive and trauma-related words, and the lists were counterbalanced. Later, subjects recalled as many of the words as they could, including the ones they were told to forget. Based on the theory that motivated forgetting would lead to recall deficits of trauma-related material, we created eight hypotheses. High dissociators, trauma-exposed, sexual trauma-exposed, and high dissociators with trauma-exposure participants were hypothesised to show enhanced forgetting of trauma words. Results indicated only one of eight hypotheses was supported: those higher on dissociation and trauma recalled fewer trauma words in the to-be-forgotten condition, compared to those low on dissociation and trauma. These results provide weak support for differential motivated forgetting

Are We There Yet? Data Saturation in Qualitative Research

Failure to reach data saturation has an impact on the quality of the research conducted and hampers content validity. The aim of a study should include what determines when data saturation is achieved, for a small study will reach saturation more rapidly than a larger study. Data saturation is reached when there is enough information to replicate the study when the ability to obtain additional new information has been attained, and when further coding is no longer feasible. The following article critiques two qualitative studies for data saturation: Wolcott (2004) and Landau and Drori (2008). Failure to reach data saturation has a negative impact on the validity on one’s research. The intended audience is novice student researchers

Evaluating the Application of Program Outcomes to Study Abroad Experiences

Study abroad is a critical component of a comprehensive higher education experience in today’s global society. The Institute of International Education (IIE) reported that, in 2013–2014, 304,467 U.S. students participated in study abroad. This number has more than tripled over the last two decades, and while short-term study abroad is still the most popular, the number of American students spending a semester or a year abroad is also increasing (IIE). According to Kuh, O’Donnell, and Reed, study abroad has been deemed a high-impact practice, and, as an experiential approach to global learning, study abroad has the power to transform the lives of college students who are given the opportunity to participate and broaden their education. A search through the 2015 annual conference program of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) turned up a dozen sessions focusing on the topic of study abroad, demonstrating that a growing number of honors programs and colleges are encouraging or requiring study abroad. Many programs now offer and support honors semesters abroad or organized, faculty- led summer trips. According to Scott, 66% of honors colleges and 44% of honors programs at four-year institutions support study abroad that includes academic coursework, and many provide financial support to students studying abroad. Given this high level of support, in conjunction with an era of fiscal exigency, examination of the impact and benefits of study abroad is especially important. Although program outcomes vary, diversity, intercultural competence, and global citizenship are goals shared in some form by many honors programs and colleges. Study abroad is often the most direct way to foster these outcomes because it gives students opportunities to experience unfamiliar settings that promote inclusivity and reduce ethnocentrism, yet global citizenship is not the only area in which a student might experience growth through this type of experience. The purpose of our study is to examine the perceived and documented enrichments to the academic experiences of study abroad students in the Schedler Honors College Travel Abroad Grant (TAG) program. In the article “Building an Honors Education for the Twenty-First Century: Making Connections In and Outside the Classroom,” Alger points out that “at a time when many people have called for greater accountability in higher education, we must be prepared to articulate and assess student learning outcomes much more clearly than we have in the past” (63). Heeding this assertion, honors administrators must be prepared to defend their support of study abroad if they are going to be able to fund these types of experiences in the future

Evaluating the Application of Program Outcomes to Study Abroad Experiences

Study abroad is a critical component of a comprehensive higher education experience in today’s global society. The Institute of International Education (IIE) reported that, in 2013–2014, 304,467 U.S. students participated in study abroad. This number has more than tripled over the last two decades, and while short-term study abroad is still the most popular, the number of American students spending a semester or a year abroad is also increasing (IIE). According to Kuh, O’Donnell, and Reed, study abroad has been deemed a high-impact practice, and, as an experiential approach to global learning, study abroad has the power to transform the lives of college students who are given the opportunity to participate and broaden their education. A search through the 2015 annual conference program of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) turned up a dozen sessions focusing on the topic of study abroad, demonstrating that a growing number of honors programs and colleges are encouraging or requiring study abroad. Many programs now offer and support honors semesters abroad or organized, faculty- led summer trips. According to Scott, 66% of honors colleges and 44% of honors programs at four-year institutions support study abroad that includes academic coursework, and many provide financial support to students studying abroad. Given this high level of support, in conjunction with an era of fiscal exigency, examination of the impact and benefits of study abroad is especially important. Although program outcomes vary, diversity, intercultural competence, and global citizenship are goals shared in some form by many honors programs and colleges. Study abroad is often the most direct way to foster these outcomes because it gives students opportunities to experience unfamiliar settings that promote inclusivity and reduce ethnocentrism, yet global citizenship is not the only area in which a student might experience growth through this type of experience. The purpose of our study is to examine the perceived and documented enrichments to the academic experiences of study abroad students in the Schedler Honors College Travel Abroad Grant (TAG) program. In the article “Building an Honors Education for the Twenty-First Century: Making Connections In and Outside the Classroom,” Alger points out that “at a time when many people have called for greater accountability in higher education, we must be prepared to articulate and assess student learning outcomes much more clearly than we have in the past” (63). Heeding this assertion, honors administrators must be prepared to defend their support of study abroad if they are going to be able to fund these types of experiences in the future

Influence network linkages across implementation strategy conditions in a randomized controlled trial of two strategies for scaling up evidence-based practices in public youth-serving systems.

BackgroundGiven the importance of influence networks in the implementation of evidence-based practices and interventions, it is unclear whether such networks continue to operate as sources of information and advice when they are segmented and disrupted by randomization to different implementation strategy conditions. The present study examines the linkages across implementation strategy conditions of social influence networks of leaders of youth-serving systems in 12 California counties participating in a randomized controlled trial of community development teams (CDTs) to scale up use of an evidence-based practice.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 directors, assistant directors, and program managers of county probation, mental health, and child welfare departments. A web-based survey collected additional quantitative data on information and advice networks of study participants. A mixed-methods approach to data analysis was used to create a sociometric data set (n = 176) to examine linkages between treatment and standard conditions.ResultsOf those network members who were affiliated with a county (n = 137), only 6 (4.4%) were directly connected to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition; 19 (13.9%) were connected by two steps or fewer to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition; 64 (46.7%) were connected by three or fewer steps to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition. Most of the indirect steps between individuals who were in different implementation strategy conditions were connections involving a third non-county organizational entity that had an important role in the trial in keeping the implementation strategy conditions separate. When these entities were excluded, the CDT network exhibited fewer components and significantly higher betweenness centralization than did the standard condition network.ConclusionAlthough the integrity of the RCT in this instance was not compromised by study participant influence networks, RCT designs should consider how influence networks may extend beyond boundaries established by the randomization process in implementation studies.Trial registrationNCT00880126