544 research outputs found
Tips for research recruitment: The views of sexual minority youth
Researchers often experience difficulties recruiting hard-to-reach populations. This is especially so for studies involving those who have been historically stigmatized, such as individuals who challenge heteronormative expectations or people who experience mental ill health. The authors aimed to obtain the views of sexual minority adolescents (n=25) about what encouraged their participation in a research project. The authors used a general inductive approach to analyze interview data. Feedback consisted of 2 main overarching themes: tips and suggestions for future research and appreciate participantsâ motivation to get involved in research. Strategies for how recruitment can be optimized for studies involving sexual minority young people are discussed
Spin motive forces due to magnetic vortices and domain walls
We study spin motive forces, i.e, spin-dependent forces, and voltages induced
by time-dependent magnetization textures, for moving magnetic vortices and
domain walls. First, we consider the voltage generated by a one-dimensional
field-driven domain wall. Next, we perform detailed calculations on
field-driven vortex domain walls. We find that the results for the voltage as a
function of magnetic field differ between the one-dimensional and vortex domain
wall. For the experimentally relevant case of a vortex domain wall, the
dependence of voltage on field around Walker breakdown depends qualitatively on
the ratio of the so-called -parameter to the Gilbert damping constant,
and thus provides a way to determine this ratio experimentally. We also
consider vortices on a magnetic disk in the presence of an AC magnetic field.
In this case, the phase difference between field and voltage on the edge is
determined by the parameter, providing another experimental method to
determine this quantity.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, submitted to PR
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Youthâ12 The Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in New Zealand: Results for Young People Attracted to the Same Sex or Both Sexes
Almost four percent (3.8%) of young people reported being attracted to others of the same sex or both sexes in Youthâ12. This proportion is comparable to that found in the previous surveys conducted in 2001 and 2007, suggesting that over the past 11 years there has been no change in relation to the number of New Zealand secondary school students who are same/both-sex attracted. Furthermore these young people are ethnically, geographically, and socially diverse, and attend schools from around the country.
In 2012, the majority (53.1%) of same/both-sex attracted young people had âcome outâ (i.e. told people close to them about their sexuality) whilst 31.3% of same/both-sex attracted students had come out in 2001. However, in Youthâ12 only 14.4% of these young people said that they could easily talk to their family about their sexuality.
Most same/both-sex attracted students reported feeling positive towards school and described caring relationships with their parents and friends. Same/both-sex attracted students were also generous with their time in that they were more likely (than their opposite-sex attracted counterparts) to work as volunteers in their communities.
Although most same/both-sex attracted students are doing well, there are significant and harmful disparities when these students are compared to their opposite-sex attracted peers. Same/both-sex attracted young people are often exposed to environments that are challenging and discriminatory, and this in turn affects their wellbeing. For example, same/both-sex attracted youth are more likely to be bullied, be physically harmed, and to be afraid that someone would hurt or bother them at school. Furthermore, 59.4% of same/both-sex attracted students had deliberately self-harmed, 41.3% had significant depressive symptoms, 18.3% had attempted suicide in the last 12 months, and 35.7% had difficulty getting help for their emotional concerns. These mental health issues have not improved since 2001, and worryingly the proportion of same/both-sex attracted students experiencing significant depressive symptoms has increased from 27.0% in 2001 to 41.3% in 2012, while the proportion of opposite-sex attracted students with these symptoms has remained fairly constant (9.5% in 2007 and 11.4% in 2001 and 2012). This suggests that poor progress is being made in terms of addressing mental health concerns.
Overall this report highlights that while many same/both-sex attracted students are doing well, in comparison to opposite-sex attracted students, same/both-sex attracted young people continue to experience compromised health and wellbeing. Evidence from international studies suggest that reducing these disparities must focus on creating safe and nurturing environments which build upon the young personâs strengths and assets, and refrains from problematising (or pathologising) same/both-sex attracted young people
Draft genome assembly and transcriptome data of the icefish Chionodraco myersi reveal the key role of mitochondria for a life without hemoglobin at subzero temperatures
Antarctic fish belonging to Notothenioidei represent an extraordinary example of radiation in
the cold. In addition to the absence of hemoglobin, icefish show a number of other striking
peculiarities including large-diameter blood vessels, high vascular densities, mitochondriarich
muscle cells, and unusual mitochondrial architecture. In order to investigate the bases of
icefish adaptation to the extreme Southern Ocean conditions we sequenced the complete
genome of the icefish Chionodraco myersi. Comparative analyses of the icefish genome with
those of other teleost species, including two additional white-blooded and five red-blooded
notothenioids, provided a new perspective on the evolutionary loss of globin genes. Muscle
transcriptome comparative analyses against red-blooded notothenioids as well as temperate
fish revealed the peculiar regulation of genes involved in mitochondrial function in icefish.
Gene duplication and promoter sequence divergence were identified as genome-wide patterns
that likely contributed to the broad transcriptional program underlying the unique
features of icefish mitochondria
The Effects of Early Life Stress, Postnatal Diet Modulation, and Long-Term Western-Style Diet on Later-Life Metabolic and Cognitive Outcomes
Early life stress (ES) increases the risk to develop metabolic and brain disorders in adulthood. Breastfeeding (exclusivity and duration) is associated with improved metabolic and neurocognitive health outcomes, and the physical properties of the dietary lipids may contribute to this. Here, we tested whether early life exposure to dietary lipids mimicking some physical characteristics of breastmilk (i.e., large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets; Concept NuturisÂź infant milk formula (N-IMF)), could protect against ES-induced metabolic and brain abnormalities under standard circumstances, and in response to prolonged Western-style diet (WSD) in adulthood. ES was induced by exposing mice to limited nesting material from postnatal day (P) 2 to P9. From P16 to P42, male offspring were fed a standard IMF (S-IMF) or N-IMF, followed by either standard rodent diet (SD) or WSD until P230. We then assessed body composition development, fat mass, metabolic hormones, hippocampus-dependent cognitive function, and neurogenesis (proliferation and survival). Prolonged WSD resulted in an obesogenic phenotype at P230, which was not modulated by previous ES or N-IMF exposure. Nevertheless, ES and N-IMF modulated the effect of WSD on neurogenesis at P230, without affecting cognitive function, highlighting programming effects of the early life environment on the hippocampal response to later life challenges at a structural level
Turning round the telescope. Centre-right parties and immigration and integration policy in Europe
This is an Author's Original Manuscript of 'Turning round the telescope. Centre-right parties and immigration and integration policy in Europe', whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the Journal of European Public Policy 15(3):315-330, 2008 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi.org/10.1080/13501760701847341
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An online intervention to support the mental wellbeing of sexual and gender minority young people in England: Co-design of âOneselfâ
Introduction
Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are known to be at greater risk of compromised mental health when compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers. This is considered to be due to an increased burden from stigma, discrimination, or victimisation resulting in the heightened experience of stress in their daily lives. Given increasing digital accessibility and a strong preference for support online amongst SGMY, digital interventions are a keyway to provide support to manage stress and maintain SGMY wellbeing. This paper aims to explicate the codesign processes and underpinning logic of Oneself, a bespoke online intervention for SGMY.
Methods
The research followed a six-stage process set out by Hagen and colleagues (Identify, Define, Position, Concept, Create, Use) incorporating: a systematic scoping review of existing evidence; focus groups with four stakeholder groups (i.e., SGMY, professionals who directly support SGMY, parents of SGMY, and UK public health service commissioners); a series of co-design workshops and online consultations with SGMY; the appointment of a digital development company; and young adult SGM contributors to create content that was grounded in authentic SGMY experiences.
Results
Oneself features a welcome/home page that includes a free âaccessible to allâ animation explaining the importance of using appropriate pronouns, and the opportunity to create a user account and log-in to access further free content. Creating a user account provides an opportunity (for the user and the research team) to record engagement, assess usersâ wellbeing and track progress through the available content. There are three sections of content in Oneself focussed on the priority topics identified through co-design; 1. coming out and doing so safely, 2. managing school, including homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying or similar, and 3. dealing with parents and families, especially unsupportive family members, including parents/caregivers. Oneselfâs content focuses on identifying these as topic areas and providing potential resources to assist SGMY cope with these areas. For instance, Oneself drew on therapeutic concepts such as cognitive reframing, stress reduction and problem-solving techniques. There is also a section containing relaxation exercises, a section with links to other recommended support and resources, and a âdownloadsâ section with more detailed techniques and strategies for improving wellbeing.
Discussion
This paper contributes to research by opening up the âblack boxâ of intervention development. It shows how Oneself is underpinned by a logic which can support future development/evaluation and included diverse co-designers. More interactive techniques to support wellbeing would be a beneficial addition in further development. Additional content specific to a wider range of intersecting identities (such as being a care experienced Asian SGMY from a minority faith background) would also be beneficial in future Oneself development
Development of a Synthetic Earth Gravity Model by 3D mass optimisation based on forward modelling
Several previous Synthetic Earth Gravity Model (SEGM) simulations are based on existing information about the Earthâs internal mass distribution. However, currently available information is insufficient to model the Earthâs anomalous gravity field on a global scale. The low-frequency information is missing when modelling only topography, bathymetry and crust (including the MohoroviÄiÄ discontinuity), but the inclusion of information on the mantle and core does not seem to significantly improve this situation. This paper presents a method to determine a more realistic SEGM by considering simulated 3D mass distributions within the upper mantle as a proxy for all unmodelled masses within the Earth.The aim is to improve an initial SEGM based on forward gravity modelling of the topography, bathymetry and crust such that the missing low-frequency information is now included. The simulated 3D mass distribution has been derived through an interactive and iterative mass model optimisation algorithm, which minimises geoid height differences with respect to a degree-360 spherical harmonic expansion of the EGM2008 global external gravity field model. We present the developed optimisation algorithm by applying it to the development of a global SEGM that gives a reasonably close fit to EGM2008, and certainly closer than a SEGM based only on the topography, bathymetry and crust
Spillover Effects of Studying with Immigrant Students; A Quantile Regression Approach
Abstract: We analyze how the share of immigrant children in the classroom aects the educational attainment of native Dutch children in terms of their language and math performance at the end of primary school. Our paper studies the spill-over effects at different parts of the test score distribution of native Dutch students using a quantile regression approach. We fi nd no evidence of negative spillover effects of the classroom presence of immigrant children at the median of the test score distribution. In addition, there is no indication that these spill-over effects are present at other parts of the distribution.
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