58 research outputs found
'What you look like is such a big factor': interviews with adolescent girls about the appearance culture in an all-girls' school
High school is a key venue for the development and expression of body image concerns in adolescent girls. Researchers have begun to investigate the role of school-based âappearance culturesâ in magnifying the body image concerns of students. To date, however, no research has examined girlsâ experience as participants within these cultures, and thus the opportunity to learn how girls account for the development and maintenance of these cultures has been missed. In interviews with nine girls attending an all-girlsâ school, the existence of a strong âappearance cultureâ in the school was identified as a major influence on the body image concerns of students. Girls talked about the ways in which appearance-focused conversations, dieting, and weight monitoring occurred as part of the everyday interaction with friends and peers at school. They also identified many ways in which their school attempted to address body image concerns, although these attempts were often portrayed as ineffective, if not counter-productive. These findings suggest that attempts to address the body image concerns of students will need to be sensitive to the lived reality of appearance cultures within schools
Links Between Behavior Change Techniques and Mechanisms of Action: An Expert Consensus Study
Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Understanding the mechanisms through which behavior change techniques (BCTs) can modify behavior is important for the development and evaluation of effective behavioral interventions. To advance the field, we require a shared knowledge of the mechanisms of action (MoAs) through which BCTs may operate when influencing behavior. PURPOSE: To elicit expert consensus on links between BCTs and MoAs. METHODS: In a modified Nominal Group Technique study, 105 international behavior change experts rated, discussed, and rerated links between 61 frequently used BCTs and 26 MoAs. The criterion for consensus was that at least 80 per cent of experts reached agreement about a link. Heat maps were used to present the data relating to all possible links. RESULTS: Of 1,586 possible links (61 BCTs x 26 MoAs), 51 of 61 (83.6 per cent) BCTs had a definite link to one or more MoAs (mean [SD] = 1.44 [0.96], range = 1-4), and 20 of 26 (76.9 per cent) MoAs had a definite link to one or more BCTs (mean [SD] = 3.27 [2.91], range = 9). Ninety (5.7 per cent) were identified as "definite" links, 464 (29.2 per cent) as "definitely not" links, and 1,032 (65.1 per cent) as "possible" or "unsure" links. No "definite" links were identified for 10 BCTs (e.g., "Action Planning" and "Behavioural Substitution") and for six MoAs (e.g., "Needs" and "Optimism"). CONCLUSIONS: The matrix of links between BCTs and MoAs provides a basis for those developing and synthesizing behavioral interventions. These links also provide a framework for specifying empirical tests in future studies
Measurement of the Positive Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment to 0.46 ppm
We present the first results of the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment for the
positive muon magnetic anomaly . The anomaly is
determined from the precision measurements of two angular frequencies.
Intensity variation of high-energy positrons from muon decays directly encodes
the difference frequency between the spin-precession and cyclotron
frequencies for polarized muons in a magnetic storage ring. The storage ring
magnetic field is measured using nuclear magnetic resonance probes calibrated
in terms of the equivalent proton spin precession frequency
in a spherical water sample at 34.7C. The
ratio , together with known fundamental
constants, determines
(0.46\,ppm). The result is 3.3 standard deviations greater than the standard
model prediction and is in excellent agreement with the previous Brookhaven
National Laboratory (BNL) E821 measurement. After combination with previous
measurements of both and , the new experimental average of
(0.35\,ppm) increases the
tension between experiment and theory to 4.2 standard deviationsComment: 10 pages; 4 figure
Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas
Although the MYC oncogene has been implicated in cancer, a systematic assessment of alterations of MYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatory proteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN), across human cancers is lacking. Using computational approaches, we define genomic and proteomic features associated with MYC and the PMN across the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas. Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one of the MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYC antagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequently mutated or deleted members, proposing a role as tumor suppressors. MYC alterations were mutually exclusive with PIK3CA, PTEN, APC, or BRAF alterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct oncogenic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such as immune response and growth factor signaling; chromatin, translation, and DNA replication/repair were conserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insights into MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkers and therapeutics for cancers with alterations of MYC or the PMN. We present a computational study determining the frequency and extent of alterations of the MYC network across the 33 human cancers of TCGA. These data, together with MYC, positively correlated pathways as well as mutually exclusive cancer genes, will be a resource for understanding MYC-driven cancers and designing of therapeutics
A multi-method exploration of the culture of weight consciousness in an all-girlsâ school
Background: Schools, and particularly all-girlsâ schools, have commonly been thought to be places where a culture surrounding weight consciousness may exist. This culture is also likely to be influenced by external factors, including familial and media influences. Methods: This study investigates such a culture in a private all-girlsâ school in Western Australia, using a mixed methods design. Surveys comprising both qualitative and quantitative questions were distributed to a total of 115 students, parents and teachers, and follow-up interviews were conducted with nine students. Additionally, two focus group interviews were conducted with a total of nine staff members, and school documents, including newsletters and information available on the schoolâs website, were collected. Findings: The results suggest that students, parents and teachers are aware of the role of the school environment in both contributing to and maintaining a culture of weight consciousness. Particular attention was paid to the role of peers and, to a lesser degree, staff members, as well as to the contribution of familial and media influences. In addition, significant relationships were found between the overall perceived importance of appearance and thinness in the school environment and that in society as a whole, as well as between studentâs weight concerns and their perceptions of the importance of thinness in the school environment. Finally, the results also suggest that the schoolâs informal culture may not necessarily reflect the formal values it promotes. Discussion: This has important implications for the prevention of and intervention into such problems within the school environment
A preliminary investigation into the culture of weight consciousness in an all-girlsâ school
Abstract not availabl
Body image concern among Australian adolescent girls: The role of body comparisons with models and peers
This study investigated the potential mediating roles of body comparisons with peers and models in the relationship between the internalization of thinness norms and body image concern. A total of 224 Western Australian girls aged 14â15 completed questionnaires assessing their endorsement of thinness norms, body image concerns, and frequency of body comparisons with peers and with models. Both targets of body comparisons were found to significantly mediate the relationship between the endorsement of thinness norms and body image concern, with body comparison with peers a stronger mediator than comparison with models. These findings show that body comparison with peers, in particular, plays a significant role in the experience of body image concerns among adolescent girls, and should be given a higher profile in programs designed to prevent or reduce body image concern
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