Health, employment, and economic change, 1973-2009: repeated cross sectional study

Objective To see whether adverse relations between social class, health, and economic activity, observed between 1973 and 1993 and previously identified in a 1996 BMJ paper, were still apparent between 1994 and 2009 despite improvements in the general economic climate and overall population health

Unprecedented geological and political stability? An analysis of a prospective geological high-level nuclear waste repository in South Australia based on stakeholder theory, risk perception and deliberative democracy

This paper analyses the technical, commercial, institutional and socio-political (TCIS) issues of a controversial proposal to develop an international high level nuclear waste (HLW) repository in South Australia in order to answer the question; could South Australia legitimise an international geological nuclear waste repository? The framework for the analysis uniquely draws parallels between the social amplification of risk framework, stakeholder theory and the innovation literature. The analysis of secondary and primary interview transcripts – supplemented by other publically available data – illustrates how stakeholders have used influence tactics to shape their salience based on the TCIS uncertainties identified, and their ability to amplify or attenuate risks. The findings suggest that the technology does not yet have socio-political legitimacy, based on secondary stakeholder groups’ opposition and influence tactics. This affected the outcome of political decision making. Cognitive legitimacy was yet to be established because South Australia does not yet have the knowledge and expertise – nor a suitable regulator – to successfully develop a repository, and the economic assumptions have not yet gone through a rigorous conjecture-refutation approach. The paper then concludes with recommendations that could create the conditions for legitimisation in the future

Development of a dual-factor measure of adolescent mental health: an analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2014 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study

Introduction Studies of adolescent mental health require valid measures that are supported by evidence-based theories. An established theory is the dual-factor model, which argues that mental health status is only fully understood by incorporating information on both subjective well-being and psychopathology. Objectives To develop a novel measure of adolescent mental health based on the dual-factor model and test its construct validity. Design Cross-sectional analysis of national health survey data. Setting and participants Nationally weighted sample of 21 993 grade 6–10 students; average age: 14.0 (SD 1.4) years from the 2014 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Measures Self-report indicators of subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect), and psychopathology (psychological symptoms and overt risk-taking behaviour) were incorporated into the dual-factor measure. Characteristics of adolescents families, specific mental health indicators and measures of academic and social functioning were used in the assessment of construct validity. Results Proportions of students categorised to the four mental health groups indicated by the dual-factor measure were 67.6% ‘mentally healthy’, 17.5% ‘symptomatic yet content’, 5.5% ‘asymptomatic yet discontent’ and 9.4% ‘mentally unhealthy’. Being mentally healthy was associated with the highest functioning (greater social support and academic functioning) and being mentally unhealthy was associated with the worst. A one-unit increase (ranges=0–10) in peer support (OR 1.19; 95%CI 1.15 to 1.22), family support (OR 1.32; 95%CI 1.28 to 1.36), student support (OR 1.20; 95%CI 1.17 to 1.24) and average school marks (OR 1.18; 95%CI 1.10 to 1.27) increased the odds of being symptomatic yet content versus mentally unhealthy. Mentally healthy youth were the most likely to live with both parents (77% vs ≤65%) and report their family as well-off (62% vs ≤53%). Conclusions We developed a novel, construct valid dual-factor measure of adolescent mental health. This potentially provides a nuanced and comprehensive approach to the assessment of adolescent mental health that is direly needed.Canadian Institutes of Health Researc

Cross-national evidence for the clustering and psychosocial correlates of adolescent risk behaviours in 27 countries

Background: According to Jessor's Problem Behaviour Theory (PBT) and Moffitt's theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behaviour, adolescent risk behaviours cluster and can be predicted by various psychosocial factors including parent, peer and school attachment. This study tested the potential influence of the sociocultural, or macro-level, environment on the clustering and correlates of adolescent risk behaviour across 27 European and North American countries. Methods: Analyses were based on data from the 2009-10 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Participants compromised 56 090 adolescents (Mage = 15.5 years) who self-reported on substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) and early sexual activity as well as on psychosocial factors (parent, peer and school attachment). Results: Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses (with country as grouping variable) showed that substance use and early sexual activity loaded on a single underlying factor across countries. In addition, multiple group path analyses (with country as grouping variable) showed that associations between this factor and parent, peer and school attachment were identical across countries. Conclusion: Cross-national consistencies exist in the clustering and psychosocial correlates of substance use and early sexual activity across western countries. While Jessor's PBT stresses the problematic aspects of adolescent risk behaviours, Moffitt emphasizes their normative character. Although the problematic nature of risk behaviours overall receives more attention in the literature, it is important to consider both perspectives to fully understand why they cluster and correlate with psychosocial factors. This is essential for the development and implementation of prevention programmes aimed at reducing adolescent risk behaviours across Europe and North Americ

A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION OF “TEACHING PRESENCE” IN THE SUNY LEARNING NETWORK

This paper is a follow-up study to a preliminary investigation of teaching presence in the State University of New York Learning Network (SLN). In the present studywe review ongoing issues of pedagogy and faculty development, and their relationship to student satisfaction, and reported learning in SLN. We provide an overview of the SLN program,and summarize a conceptual framework for our current research on higher education, online learning environments. This framework integrates research on how people learn, with principles of good practice in higher education and recent research on learning in asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) in higher education. We also present resultsof a follow-up study on one aspect of the model, “Teaching Presence”. The SUNY Learning Network is a proud recipient of two Sloan-C Awards, the 2001 Award for Excellence in ALN Faculty Development and the 2002 Award for Excellence in ALN Programming. We believe that it is no coincidence that SLN was recognized in this order; that is to say, we feel our efforts to create a systematic faculty development program has allowed us to create an outstanding program of online courses and degrees. A clear vision regarding the prerequisites for a high quality online learning environment, especially prerequisites related to faculty development, is essential to building effective ALN programs. As this special edition of JALN is dedicated to such efforts we would like to focus on our model for learning environments design and share results of research on specific aspects of the model. In past studies we have argued that student-faculty and student-student interaction are among the variables most strongly correlated with student satisfaction and reported learning. In the present study, we focus on one aspect of our model for online learning environments and examine interaction more deeply. Building upon the work of Anderson and colleagues we examine the kinds of activities that comprise and sustain productive interaction. These researchers have categorized interactions that occur in asynchronous learning environments that encourage knowledge creation and identify online behaviors and processes that approximate (and may improve upon) those that occur in face-to-face settings. We look at a key element of their work, “teaching presence,” and present results of a follow-up study examining students’ perceptions of this constellation of online faculty behaviors. We also identify the components of teaching presence that correlate most highly with student satisfaction and reported learning

Sex Pheromone of the Soybean Aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, and Its Potential Use in Semiochemical-Based Control

The newly invasive soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, has seriously threatened soybean production in North America, after having spread to \u3e20 states in the United States and several southern provinces of Canada. Control of A. glycineshas focused on applications of insecticides, which are not a long-term solution to soybean aphid pest management. In autumn, soybean aphids start producing alate females (gynoparae) that search for their overwintering host plants, the common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica. The gynoparae then produce pheromone-emitting wingless female offspring (oviparae) that attract male aphids. In this study, we report the chemical identification of the soybean aphid sex pheromone using gas chromatography–electroantennogram, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Behavioral activities of males and gynoparous females in the field were also characterized. The potential applications using formulations containing specific soybean aphid pheromone compositions for reducing overwintering populations are discussed

Ab Initio Evidence for the Formation of Impurity d(3z^2-r^2) Holes in Doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4

Using the spin unrestricted Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr density functional, we computed the electronic structure of explicitly doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 (x = 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5). At each doping level, an impurity hole band is formed within the undoped insulating gap. This band is well-localized to CuO_6 octahedra adjacent to the Sr impurities. The nature of the impurity hole is A_{1g} in symmetry, formed primarily from the z^2 orbital on the Cu and p_z orbitals on the apical O's. There is a strong triplet coupling of this hole with the intrinsic B_{1g} Cu x^2-y^2/O1 p_{sigma} hole on the same site. Optimization of the c coordinate of the apical O's in the doped CuO_6 octahedron lead to an asymmetric anti-Jahn-Teller distortion of the O2 atoms toward the central Cu. In particular, the O2 atom between the Cu and Sr is displaced 0.26 A while the O2 atom between the Cu and La is displaced 0.10 A. Contrary to expectations, investigation of a 0.1 A enhanced Jahn-Teller distortion of this octahedron does not force formation of an x^2-y^2 hole, but instead leads to migration of the z^2 hole to the four other CuO_6 octahedra surrounding the Sr impurity. This latter observation offers a simple explanation for the bifurcation of the Sr-O2 distance revealed in x-ray absorption fine structure data.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. B. See http://www.firstprinciples.com for more informatio