Moving Past Assumptions: Recognizing Parents as Allies in Promoting the Sexual Literacies of Adolescents through a University-Community Collaboration

This article recounts how a university-community collaborative challenged prevailing assumptions about parents as barriers to the provision of gender and sexuality information to their children, allowing for the recognition of parents as critical stakeholders and partners in sexual literacy work with youth. We provide evidence that parents’ support for inclusive sexuality education uniquely situates them to educate and advocate for young people around these issues, and in so doing we hope to disrupt the rhetoric that casts parents in the United States as solely gatekeepers when it comes to young people’s access to information about the broad spectrum of human sexuality

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Multi-Dimensionality and the Complex Relationships between Religious Belief and Sexual Prejudice

Sexual prejudice has profound and negative consequences for sexual minorities, and previous research has linked it extensively with religious belief. Such research has been limited, however, in several important ways, including failure to fully account for the broad range of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that make up both of these constructs. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to conduct a secondary data analysis that first examined the specific multi-dimensionality of religious belief and sexual prejudice and then investigated the unique patterns of association between those emergent dimensions while controlling for other demographic and personality-trait predictors of prejudice. A series of confirmatory factor analyses and structural regression models were used to accomplish those objectives. Results provided strong evidence regarding the discrete dimensionality of both religious belief and sexual prejudice, as well as suggesting unique patterns of association between them. Right wing authoritarianism, religious fundamentalism, and centrality of religious identity surfaced as key predictors across the separate dimensions of sexual prejudice. Additional dimensions of religious belief and participants’ demographics were comparatively weak and inconsistent predictors of sexual prejudice. Implications of these findings for intervening to reduce sexual prejudice and prevent its objectionable consequences on sexual minority individuals are discussed

Enhancing the secondary-tertiary transition in chemistry through formative assessment and self-regulated learning environments

It is desirable to enhance student learning trajectories between their secondary and tertiary studies while simultaneously encouraging them to take responsibility for their learning early in their tertiary studies. Their preparedness for tertiary studies in their discipline can be measured using diagnostic tests and this enables standards-based benchmarking as students progress through their tertiary program. Concept inventories have been used extensively for this purpose. A more desirable goal, however, is to use the outcomes of diagnostic testing to provide students with opportunities to improve their learning through formative feedback and self-regulated learning activities. We aim to design and implement modular, formative learning objects, informed by the outcomes of concept inventories, to target key missing and mis-conceptions possessed by incoming students. Students will be able to challenge and adjust their existing conceptions by engaging in these discrete active learning modules (hosted by existing technologies) which will be administered either in class or online in large chemistry classes

Enhancing the secondary-tertiary transition in chemistry through formative assessment and self-regulated learning environments

It is desirable to enhance student learning trajectories between their secondary and tertiary studies while simultaneously encouraging them to take responsibility for their learning early in their tertiary studies. Their preparedness for tertiary studies in their discipline can be measured using diagnostic tests and this enables standards-based benchmarking as students progress through their tertiary program. Concept inventories have been used extensively for this purpose. A more desirable goal, however, is to use the outcomes of diagnostic testing to provide students with opportunities to improve their learning through formative feedback and self-regulated learning activities. We aim to design and implement modular, formative learning objects, informed by the outcomes of concept inventories, to target key missing and mis-conceptions possessed by incoming students. Students will be able to challenge and adjust their existing conceptions by engaging in these discrete active learning modules (hosted by existing technologies) which will be administered either in class or online in large chemistry classes

Results from a Community-Based Smoking Cessation Treatment Program for LGBT Smokers

Introduction. Little is known about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people's response to smoking cessation interventions. This descriptive study examined the benefits of a community-based, culturally tailored smoking cessation treatment program for LGBT smokers. Methods. A total of N = 198 LGBT individuals recruited from clinical practice and community outreach participated in group-based treatment. Sessions were based on the American Lung Association's "Freedom from Smoking Program" (ALA-FFS) and were tailored to LGBT smokers' needs. Seven-day smoking point prevalence abstinence served as the primary outcome. Results. Participants (M age = 40.5) were mostly White (70.4%) and male (60.5%) and had at least a college degree (58.4%). Forty-four percent scored in the moderate range on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence pretreatment, and 42.4% completed treatment (≥ 75% sessions). Higher educational attainment and use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) were associated with treatment completion. Self-reported quit rates were 32.3% at posttreatment assessment. Treatment attendance (OR = 2.45), use of NRT (OR = 4.24), and lower nicotine dependency (OR = 0.73) were positively associated with quitting smoking. Conclusions. Results suggest the benefits of offering LGBT smokers culturally tailored smoking cessation treatments. Future research could improve outcomes by encouraging treatment attendance and promoting NRT uptake

Laying out a learning smörgåsbord in chemistry: tempting students into finding their own recipe for success

Abstract of a presentation at The 2014 Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, 29-30 September, University of Sydney, Australia

Maximisation of quantum correlations under local filtering operations

Nonclassical correlations are a key resource to explore foundational quantum information tasks and find applications in device-independent protocols. Quantum steering was formalized in 2007 [1] and is distinct from other nonclassical correlations such as Bell nonlocality [2] and entanglement. Steering describes the effect of a local measurement on one system and affecting the measurement results on the other system. This can be visualized for two-qubit states using quantum steering ellipsoids (QSE), which is the set of Bloch vectors that Alice can collapse Bob's state to. They are theoretically well studied [3-6] and have been recently experimentally demonstrated [7]