Parents Living with HIV in China: Family Functioning and Quality of Life

In China, HIV shifts the lifestyle of not only parents living with HIV/AIDS, but also their children, partners, and extended families. We examined factors related to the quality of life of parents living with HIV and the relation between family functioning and individual quality of life. Interviews were conducted with a total of 116 parents living with HIV/AIDS. Analyses of variance, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relation between family functioning and quality of life. We found a significant association between family functioning and individual quality of life for parents living with HIV. In particular, family sociability had a strong relationship with the quality of life of parents living with HIV. Parents living with HIV from families where both parents are HIV-positive reported a lower level of family sociability than those from families with only one HIV-positive parent. HIV disclosure, family sociability, and number of children per family were found to be significant predictors of overall quality of life for the population. Study findings underscore the importance of developing interventions that improve family functioning for people living with HIV/AIDS in China.     

The Social Conditions for Successful Peer Education: A Comparison of Two HIV Prevention Programs Run by Sex Workers in India and South Africa

Peer education is a community-based intervention being implemented worldwide as an approach to HIV prevention. However, its results are inconsistent, with little consensus on why some projects succeed while others fail. Considering peer education as an ‘intervention-in-context’, we systematically compare the context and the implementation of two peer education interventions run by sex workers, one in India and one in South Africa, which produced contrasting outcomes. In so doing, we aim to identify key factors in the projects’ successes or failures that may inform future peer education efforts. The Indian project’s relative success was facilitated (1) by a more stable and supportive social, material and political context, and (2) by a community development ethos which devoted significant resources to sex workers’ involvement, ownership and empowerment, as opposed to a biomedical approach which marginalised sex workers’ concerns. We conclude with lessons learned and implications for current trends in peer education.     

Student characteristics and motivational and process factors in relation to styles of career development

In this study student background characteristics and certain personological characteristics, including motivations for schooling and types of learning strategies employed, are investigated in relation to affective and cognitive aspects of adolescent career development. A Career Development Inventory, Learning Process Questionnaire, Word Knowledge test and General Information Questionnaire (addressing demographic and career decision-making topics) were administered to national random samples of 14-year-old and grade 11 students. Canonical correlation analyses distinguished at least three styles of career development (possibly four), and associations with student characteristics suggested the motives and strategies that might plausibly enter into the various modes.     

Menstrual cycle effects on task performance examined in the context of stress research

The study examined the effects of degree of paramenstrual distress, signal frequency, task load and time on task on psychomotor performance across the menstrual cycle. Simple reaction time, choice reaction time and pursuit tracking were the tasks employed, and performance was assessed using the metrics of mean level, variability, and errors of omission and commission. The results showed performance as a function of menstrual cycle phase and paramenstrual distress to be highly task and metric specific, a finding typical of stressor variables: pursuit tracking was affected by phase, with mean performance at its worst premenstrually; choice reaction time was dependent on a complex interaction of experimental variables and measurement metrics; simple reaction time showed no significant effects. Patterns of attention allocation in a time-sharing situation combining both pursuit tracking and choice reaction time components were also investigated. Trends here indicated relatively better performance both menstrually and intermenstrually as components increased in signal/response frequency, with a corresponding deterioration premenstrually. Overall performance capacity appeared to be greatest at menstruation, and the degree of attentional selectivity was least. High distress women performed better on low frequency components, whereas asymptomatic women did better at higher signal rates.     

Advancing a grounded theory of parental support in competitive girls’ golf

Parental support in youth sport has been associated with positive athlete outcomes, such as sport enjoyment and continued participation. Although research has demonstrated the significant and influential role parents fulfil in the youth sport context, there remains a dearth of theoretical frameworks detailing parental support in youth sport and an absence of empirical research examining parental support across athlete development stages and sports. The present study sought to examine athletes’ perceptions of parental support, with a view to advancing a grounded theory of parental support in youth golf. Fourteen online synchronous focus groups were conducted with an international sample (Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland) of 61 girls, in the specialising (n = 27) and investment stages (n = 34) of athlete development. Data were analysed in three phases: open-coding, axial coding, and theoretical integration. The substantive grounded theory is constructed on the core category of ‘Individual Parental Support Preferences’. This core category is underpinned by four sub-categories of parental support which were evident across development stages: instrumental, informational, emotional, and autonomy support, and is influenced by a host of athlete (e.g., athletes’ performance), parent (e.g., parents’ knowledge), and contextual characteristics (e.g., location). Unconditional parental support is an important aspect of emotional support, however the concept of adopting a person-first approach to sport parenting is novel. These results provide a rich and novel insight of parental support in girls’ golf, advancing a grounded theoretical understanding of parental support mechanisms in a youth sport context.     

在亮度对比和颜色对比下立体视知觉的定量研究

研究了在亮度对比与等亮度颜色对比的条件下,受试者分辨随机点阵立体图对的立体视敏度（最小视差）．结果表明：（１）在亮度对比条件下,立体视敏度随对比度的增加而增加,１０％的对比度即可引起立体视知觉,对比度大于３０％时达到饱和;（２）在亮度对比与等亮度颜色对比两种不同的条件下,受试者的立体视敏度不存在有统计学意义的差异;（３）当双眼分别接受不同颜色的等亮度立体图刺激时,与亮度对比条件相比,受试者的立体视敏度无明显差异;（４）当受试者双眼分别接受由亮度对比和颜色对比形成的立体图刺激时,只有当颜色对比图中图形与背景间的对比度超过等亮度值３８％以上时,才能形成立体视知觉．以上结果提示,大、小细胞系统（包括斑点系统与斑点间系统）均参与立体视知觉信息的传递．     

Research on familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (FCJD) resulting in presymptomatic testing: Implications for the human genome project

A research study to identify the priori gene mutation in a family with familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (FCJD) evolved into presymptomatic diagnostic testing. Our experience with one case raises concerns regarding similar studies that will ensue as a result of the Human Genome Project. Technological advances in human molecular genetics make it difficult for Institutional Review Boards (IRB) to adequately evaluate proposed studies. Additionally, changes in the implications of the study may occur after initial IRB approval, due to technological progress. While FCJD, like Huntington's disease (HD), has adult onset and causes progressive dementia and ataxia, protocols established for presymptomatic testing of HD were not included in the FCJD study design. It is thus recommended that IRB committees include a genetics professional and that IRB-approved research studies be reevaluated on a regular basis to monitor the impact that technological advances may have on participating human subjects.     

Moment of Truth: Why Aha! Experiences are Correct

Having a sudden insight is often associated with inherent confidence, enough for Archimedes to run naked through the streets shouting “Eureka!”. Recent evidence demonstrates that public displays of enthusiasm, such as the ancient polymath's, are actually supported by a higher likelihood of being correct.