Modelling cross-gender and sexual relations

HIV/AIDS among youth is a serious problem in South Africa. Cross-gender relations and associated constructs surrounding masculinity/femininity and sexuality are increasingly recognized as at the heart of the issue. Growing attention has thus been given to developing initiatives geared towards children and very young adolescents (VYAs), aimed at addressing attitudes and behaviours surrounding gender and sexuality. This paper explored the representations of "positive" cross-gender relations, as well as associated constructs, in the Soul Buddyz edutainment initiative primarily geared towards 8-12 year-olds, and intended to provide "positive" role models for girls and boys.  Pertinent Soul Buddyz material was explored through methods of narrative and frame analysis, from a position informed by social constructionism and theoretical tenets of Michel Foucault. Findings were then situated within a broader framework, with reference made to the formative research undertaken for the development of Soul Buddyz, as well as other relevant studies concerning children and youth. The overarching aim of this paper was to raise questions in reference to HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives dealing with cross-gender relations and associated constructs, critical reflection upon these issues being considered as crucial within the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and for potentially strengthening prevention initiatives

Comparing proxy rated quality of life of people living with dementia in care homes

Background: Improving quality of life (QOL) for people with dementia is a priority. In care homes, we often rely on proxy ratings from staff and family but we do not know if, or how, they differ in care homes. Methods: We compared 1056 pairs of staff and family DEMQOL-Proxy ratings from 86 care homes across England. We explored factors associated with ratings quantitatively using multilevel modelling and, qualitatively, through thematic analysis of 12 staff and 12 relative interviews. Results: Staff and family ratings were weakly correlated (ρs = 0.35). Median staff scores were higher than family's (104 v. 101; p < 0.001). Family were more likely than staff to rate resident QOL as ‘Poor’ (χ2 = 55.91, p < 0.001). Staff and family rated QOL higher when residents had fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms and severe dementia. Staff rated QOL higher in homes with lower staff:resident ratios and when staff were native English speakers. Family rated QOL higher when the resident had spent longer living in the care home and was a native English. Spouses rated residents’ QOL higher than other relatives. Qualitative results suggest differences arise because staff felt good care provided high QOL but families compared the present to the past. Family judgements centre on loss and are complicated by decisions about care home placement and their understandings of dementia. Conclusion: Proxy reports differ systematically between staff and family. Reports are influenced by the rater:staff and family may conceptualise QOL differently

A Possible Massive Asteroid Belt Around zeta Lep

We have used the Keck I telescope to image at 11.7 microns and 17.9 microns the dust emission around zeta Lep, a main sequence A-type star at 21.5 pc from the Sun with an infrared excess. The excess is at most marginally resolved at 17.9 microns. The dust distance from the star is probably less than or equal to 6 AU, although some dust may extend to 9 AU. The mass of observed dust is \~10^22 g. Since the lifetime of dust particles is about 10,000 years because of the Poytning-Robertson effect, we robustly estimate at least 4 10^26 g must reside in parent bodies which may be asteroids if the system is in a steady state and has an age of ~300 Myr. This mass is approximately 200 times that contained within the main asteroid belt in our solar system.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, ApJL in pres

Alcohol involvement in aggression between intimate partners in New Zealand: a national cross-sectional study

Objectives: To examine the role of alcohol at the time of aggressive incidents between intimate partners in the general population by gender, by estimating (1) prevalence and severity of aggression, and drinking at the time, (2) associations of drinking at the time of the aggression with reported severity, anger and fear, and (3) association of usual drinking patterns with partner aggression. Design: A national survey of 18-70-year-olds using an electoral roll sample obtained self-reported alcohol consumption, partner’s alcohol consumption and details of the most severe partner aggression by the respondent and towards the respondent in the past 2 years. The mean scores for associated severity, anger and fear were analysed by gender and alcohol involvement. Multinomial models estimated associations of drinking patterns with aggression to and from the respondent. Results: The response rate was 49% (n=1925). Men and women reported similar prevalence of victimisation and perpetration of aggression (11-15%). Alcohol was involved in more than 25% of incidents, and reported more by women than by men, particularly male-only drinking when the respondent was the victim. Women reported greater severity, anger and fear with victimisation than men, and drinking was associated with greater reported severity. Heavy episodic drinking by respondents was associated with a threefold increase in victimisation and doubling of perpetration of aggression involving alcohol. Heavy episodic drinking by either partner was also associated with drinking being involved in reported aggression. Conclusions: The experience of intimate-partner aggression in a cross-section of households differs by gender and the involvement of alcohol, and ‘counts’ of aggressive acts in a population-based survey do not reflect the reality of gender differences. Heavy episodic drinking patterns are associated with more aggression involving alcohol within relationships, and alcohol involvement is associated with increased severity

Improved u′g′r′i′z′u'g'r'i'z' to UBVRCICUBVR_CI_C Transformation Equations for Main Sequence Stars

We report improved transformation equations between the $u'g'r'i'z'$ and $UBVR_CI_C$ photometric systems. Although the details of the transformations depend on luminosity class, we find a typical rms scatter on the order of 0.001 magnitude if the sample is limited to main sequence stars. Furthermore, we find an accurate transformation requires complex, multi-color dependencies for the bluer bandpasses. Results for giant stars will be reported in a subsequent paper.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

“The stress can be unbearable, but the good times are like finding gold”: A phase one modelling survey to inform the development of a self-help positive reappraisal coping intervention for caregivers of those with autism spectrum disorder

Caregivers of individuals with ASD can experience various practical, psychological, and social demands and need effective ways of coping to ameliorate the negative effects of caregiving. Numerous coping strategies are available, but the literature shows that caregivers can still struggle to cope, suggesting that interventions to support coping efforts could be beneficial. The MRC framework advocates the systematic development and evaluation of interventions, and this study was conducted to inform the future development of a self-help Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention (PRCI) for these caregivers. The aim was to establish whether positive reappraisal coping strategies were used and associated with greater psychological wellbeing, prior to developing such an intervention. Method. Caregivers of individuals with ASD (N = 112) responded to items from an existing PRCI (Lancastle, 2006; Lancastle & Boivin, 2008), by writing about aspects of caregiving that reflected the meaning of each item. They also completed questionnaires assessing resilience, caregiving burden, and positive and negative emotions. Results. Participants provided significantly more positive responses than negative responses to PRCI items, demonstrating their use of positive reappraisal coping. Thematic analyses showed that positive responses focused on factors such as their loved one’s personality and achievements, the contributions caregivers had made to this person’s progress, the support received, and their own personal development. Positive reappraisal coping was associated with greater resilience, more positive and less negative emotions, and a lesser sense of caregiver burden. Conclusion. This modelling study suggests that positive reappraisal strategies were used by caregivers and associated with greater psychological wellbeing. The findings will inform the development of a self-help PRCI for the caregivers of those with ASD. Future studies will systematically evaluate that PRCI to determine the nature of intervention effects and mediators and moderators of effects

A cross-cultural exploration of children's perceptions of wellbeing:Understanding protective and risk factors

There is a growing body of literature on children’s wellbeing. However, historically, focus has been on adults’ perspectives, leading to adult-centric views of wellbeing. Although recent years have witnessed an increase in researchers eliciting children’s perspectives, it is not clear whether children's perceptions of wellbeing are universal, or whether they are culturally distinct. This study sought to explore children’s perceptions of wellbeing across Wales and the Czech Republic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 53 children aged 9–12 years and analysed via thematic analysis. The results revealed similarities in the perceptions of children in Wales and Czech Republic, with children in both cultures drawing on risk and protective factors that children believe impacts on their wellbeing. Risk factors include disrupted family relationships, peer difficulties, and anxiety, while protective factors include positive parent-child relationships, meaningful friendships, and effective coping strategies. This paper suggests that warm parent-child and child-peer interactions contribute to children’s positive socioemotional functioning

New connections between finite element formulations of the Navier--Stokes equations

We show the velocity solutions to the convective, skew-symmetric, and rotational Galerkin finite element formulations of the Navier-Stokes equations are identical if Scott-Vogelius elements are used, and thus all three formulations will the same pointwise divergence free solution velocity. A connection is then established between the formulations for grad-div stabilized Taylor-Hood elements: under mild restrictions, the formulations' velocity solutions converge to each other (and to the Scott-Vogelius solution) as the stabilization parameter tends to infinity. Thus the benefits of using Scott-Vogelius elements can be obtained with the less expensive Taylor-Hood elements, and moreover the benefits of all the formulations can be retained if the rotational formulation is used. Numerical examples are provided that confirm the theory