Problematic Internet Use in high school students in Guangdong Province, China

Background

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a growing problem in Chinese adolescents. There are many risk factors for PIU, which are found at school and at home. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of PIU and to investigate the potential risk factors for PIU among high school students in China.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 14,296 high school students were surveyed in four cities in Guangdong province. Problematic Internet Use was assessed by the 20-item Young Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). Information was also collected on demographics, family and school-related factors and Internet usage patterns. Of the 14,296 students, 12,446 were Internet users. Of those, 12.2% (1,515) were identified as problematic Internet users (PIUs). Generalized mixed-model regression revealed that there was no gender difference between PIUs and non-PIUs. High study-related stress, having social friends, poor relations with teachers and students and conflictive family relationships were risk factors for PIU. Students who spent more time on-line were more likely to develop PIU. The habits of and purposes for Internet usage were diverse, influencing the susceptibility to PIU.

Conclusions/Significance

PIU is common among high school students, and risk factors are found at home and at school. Teachers and parents should pay close attention to these risk factors. Effective measures are needed to prevent the spread of this problem.     

Breaking the Silence: Power, Conflict, and Contested Frames within an Affluent High School

This article examines an incident between male student athletes within a locker room at a private school. The reaction of many in this school community to this incident reveals that "hazing" rituals were normally ignored or condoned by many of the parents, coaches, administrators, and teachers who were aware of them. These attitudes changed when the incident was formally brought to the attention of the larger, public audience of the community. We analyze conflicting framings of this incident, exploring how a "joke" in the private space of the locker room became a case of "sexual harassment" in the public arena of the school, and how subsequent conflicts emerged and were resolved. We examine the reasons why different individuals and constituencies had different ways of framing the event, and how this incident can be framed as "hazing,""joking," or a liminoid rite of initiation into an affluent high school's football team.     

Variation in structural gender in the hermaphrodite Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae): within- and among-population patterns

In hermaphrodite plants, variations in structural gender (defined as the ratio between male and female gametes) may occur at different levels (among flowers, plants, and populations). In this study, we investigated variation in four traits influencing structural gender (number of carpels, ovules per carpel, stamens, and pollen grains per stamen) within and among six distant populations of the hermaphrodite perennial herb Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula. Our results show that the four traits investigated varied significantly at all levels considered. Traits influencing the female sexual component (number of carpels and ovules per carpel) showed greater variation at the lowermost levels (within flower and plant) than traits influencing the male component, which in turn varied more markedly among populations. Number of carpels per flower and number of pollen grains per anther were the most important traits affecting between-plant variation in structural gender. There was no evidence of significant plant-level trade-offs or correlations between the various male and female traits, which covaried differently across populations. The observed between-population variation in structural gender of Helleborus foetidus can be explained as a consequence of differences in self-pollination levels related to a flowers mating environment.     

师范院校生物学专业进行中学生物教师培训实践与探索

从现行中学生物课程改革面临的问题出发,探讨了对中学生物教师进行培训的必要性,对培训内容及其实施效果进行分析,最后提出师范院校对中学生物教师进行培训的具体实施意见。     

Environmental,Institutional, and Demographic Predictors of Environmental Literacy among Middle School Children

Building environmental literacy (EL) in children and adolescents is critical to meeting current and emerging environmental challenges worldwide. Although environmental education (EE) efforts have begun to address this need, empirical research holistically evaluating drivers of EL is critical. This study begins to fill this gap with an examination of school-wide EE programs among middle schools in North Carolina, including the use of published EE curricula and time outdoors while controlling for teacher education level and experience, student attributes (age, gender, and ethnicity), and school attributes (socio-economic status, student-teacher ratio, and locale). Our sample included an EE group selected from schools with registered school-wide EE programs, and a control group randomly selected from NC middle schools that were not registered as EE schools. Students were given an EL survey at the beginning and end of the spring 2012 semester. Use of published EE curricula, time outdoors, and having teachers with advanced degrees and mid-level teaching experience (between 3 and 5 years) were positively related with EL whereas minority status (Hispanic and black) was negatively related with EL. Results suggest that school-wide EE programs were not associated with improved EL, but the use of published EE curricula paired with time outdoors represents a strategy that may improve all key components of student EL. Further, investments in teacher development and efforts to maintain enthusiasm for EE among teachers with more than 5 years of experience may help to boost student EL levels. Middle school represents a pivotal time for influencing EL, as improvement was slower among older students. Differences in EL levels based on gender suggest boys and girls may possess complementary skills sets when approaching environmental issues. Our findings suggest ethnicity related disparities in EL levels may be mitigated by time spent in nature, especially among black and Hispanic students.     

Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences in Concern with Weight and in Bulimic Behaviors Among Adolescents

FIELD, ALISON E, GRAHAM A COLDITZ, KAREN E PETERSON. Racial/ethnic and gender differences in concern with weight and in bulimic behaviors among adolescents. This study examined cross-sectional gender and racial/ethnic differences in bulimic behaviors among adolescents. Subjects were 704 male and 621 female students at a large urban public high school in the Northeast. Approximately 61% of the girls and 43% of the boys reported trying to lose weight or maintain their current weight; 2.0% of the students reported using laxatives or vomiting to control their weight. The use of these behaviors to control weight was only slightly more common among girls than boys (2.7% vs. 1.4%,p=0.1). Although more black than white girls used laxatives or vomiting to control weight (odds ratio [OR]=11.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5–95.3), there were no racial/ethnic differences in these behaviors among boys. However, Hispanic boys were twice as likely as white boys to binge eat at least monthly (OR=2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.6). Our results suggest that bulimic behaviors affect male and female adolescents from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds. In addition, in contrast to the large gender differences in the prevalence of dieting and binge eating, more modest differences were documented in the prevalence of using vomiting and laxatives to control weight.     

Knowledge on HPV Vaccine and Cervical Cancer Facilitates Vaccine Acceptability among School Teachers in Kitui County,Kenya

Background

Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have the potential to reduce the burden of cervical cancer. School-based delivery of HPV vaccines is cost-effective and successful uptake depends on school teachers’ knowledge and acceptability of the vaccine. The aim of this study is to assess primary school teachers’ knowledge and acceptability of HPV vaccine and to explore facilitators and barriers of an ongoing Gavi Alliance-supported vaccination program in Kitui County, Kenya.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, mixed methods study in Central Division of Kitui County where the Ministry of Health is offering the quadrivalent HPV vaccine to grade four girls. Data on primary school teachers’ awareness, knowledge and acceptability of HPV vaccine as well as facilitators and barriers to the project was collected through self-administered questionnaires and two focus group discussions.

Results

339 teachers (60% female) completed the survey (62% response rate) and 13 participated in 2 focus group discussions. Vaccine awareness among teachers was high (90%), the level of knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer among teachers was moderate (48%, SD = 10.9) and females scored higher than males (50% vs. 46%, p = 0.002). Most teachers (89%) would recommend the vaccine to their daughter or close relatives. Those who would recommend the vaccine had more knowledge than those who would not (p = <0.001). The main barriers were insufficient information about the vaccine, poor accessibility of schools, absenteeism of girls on vaccine days, and fear of side effects.

Conclusions

Despite low to moderate levels of knowledge about HPV vaccine among school teachers, vaccine acceptability is high. Teachers with little knowledge on HPV vaccine are less likely to accept the vaccine than those who know more; this may affect uptake if not addressed. Empowering teachers to be vaccine champions in their community may be a feasible way of disseminating information about HPV vaccine and cervical cancer.     

More than Half of High School Students Report Disordered Eating: A Cross Sectional Study among Norwegian Boys and Girls

Disordered eating and eating disorders are of great concern due to their associations with physical and mental health risks. Even if adolescence has been identified as the most vulnerable time for developing disordered eating, few studies have used a broad spectrum of criteria to investigate the prevalence of disordered eating among high school students of both genders, in different programs of study, nor assessed correlates of disordered eating among this important target group. The purposes of this study were therefore to investigate the prevalence and correlates of disordered eating among both male and female high school students in sport-, general and vocational programs. A comprehensive questionnaire was completed by 2,451 students (98.7%), aged 15–17 years. The total prevalence of disordered eating was 54.9%, with 64.3% among girls and 45.0% among boys (p<0.001). The highest prevalence of disordered eating was found among vocational students (60.7%), followed by students in general programs (49.8%) and sport students (38.3%) (p<0.001). Female gender, school program (vocational and general), overweight/obesity and weight regulation were positively associated with disordered eating. The high prevalence indicates the importance of tailored prevention efforts directed at high school students, particularly in vocational programs. Furthermore, a smaller girls–boys ratio than expected indicates that the efforts to identify and manage disordered eating among high school students should include both genders.     

Year-Round Schools and the Politics of Time

This ethnographic study explores the politics of time in a multitrack, "yearround" school in inner-city Los Angeles. We analyze different types and experiences of time within the school and time collisions across institutions in this densely populated immigrant community. Viewing time as a contested commodity, we examine the politics behind the presumed impartiality of the clock and calendar. The school's year-round schedule is especially problematic, involving multiple tracks with lengthened days and a shortened school year. We show how issues of educational equity go to the core of debates over alternative school schedules.     

Sex and gender in medicine

Gender specific medicine is a part of gender-research, which has been insufficiently considered up to the present in medicine, sanitation and politics. Part of the scientific medicine simply ignores the knowledge that men and women are different in feeling, thinking and social acting without any question. Doctors often incline to treat all their patients as if there was just one gender: i.e. the male one. It is without dispute that men and women vastly suffer from the same diseases, but they often go through them quite differently. The female body seems to work differently from the male one in nearly all respects--starting with the brain, going on with the heart, cardiovascular, lungs, stomach and intestines and ending up with the skin and immune order. Identical cases of illnesses bring about different symptoms on both sides. Therapeutics therefore have to be appropriate for the specific gender. This however demands complete thinking in preventive measures, therapy, development of one's education and research. Exactly for this reason the new "gender-model" is absolutely important and necessary in medicine as a new pattern of thinking. Only in this way one can realize a comprehensive revaluation of health and disease of both sexes. Pre-eminently one has to convince people that the embedding of "gender" both in medicine and the surrounding area is much more useful than costly from the scientific, political and individual point oft view.     

HIV Prevalence and Risks Associated with HIV Infection among Transgender Individuals in Cambodia

IntroductionRecognizing transgender individuals have a high risk of HIV acquisition, and to inform policies and programming, we conducted an HIV prevalence and risk behaviors survey among transgender individuals in Cambodia.MethodsCross-sectional survey using a respondent driven sampling method with self-administered audio-computer assisted interviews. HIV testing was performed prior to the questionnaire with results available immediately after. Eligible participants were ≥18 years, identified as male at birth and self-identified/expressed as a different gender, and reported having sex with at least one male partner in past year. From six major urban centers of Cambodia, 891 transgender individuals were recruited.ResultsThe majority of the 891 participants self-identified as third gender or female (94.5%), were young (median age 23, IQR [20–27]), had secondary education or higher (80.5%), not married (89.7%), and employed (90.2%). The majority had first sex before 18 years (66.8%), with a male (79.9%), 37.9% having been paid or paying for this first sex. The rate of HIV positivity among participants was found to be 4.15%. Consistent condom use with male and female partners was low with all partner types, but particularly low with male partners when paying for sex (20.3%). The majority of participants reported having experienced discrimination in their lifetime (54.8%) and 30.3% had been assaulted. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age (adjusted OR = 14.73 [4.20, 51.67] for age 35–44 and adjusted OR = 7.63 [2.55, 22.81] for age 30–34), only having a primary school education or no schooling at all (adjusted OR = 2.62 [1.18, 5.80], being a resident of Siem Reap (adjusted OR = 7.44 [2.37,23.29], receiving payment at first sex (adjusted OR = 2.26 [1.00, 5.11], having sex during/after using drugs (adjusted OR = 2.90 [1.09,7.73]), inconsistent condom use during last anal sex (adjusted OR = 3.84 [1.58, 9.33]), and reporting low self-esteem (adjusted OR = 3.25 [1.35,7.85]) were independently associated with HIV infection.ConclusionsThis study confirms transgender individuals as one of the highest-risk groups for HIV infection in Cambodia. It suggests the need for programmatic strategies that mitigate identified associated risks and facilitate access to HIV care for this population.     

Sex/gender and socioeconomic differences in the predictive ability of self-rated health for mortality

Background

Studies have reported that the predictive ability of self-rated health (SRH) for mortality varies by sex/gender and socioeconomic group. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this relationship in Japan and explore the potential reasons for differences between the groups.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The analyses in the study were based on the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study''s (AGES) 2003 Cohort Study in Chita Peninsula, Japan, which followed the four-year survival status of 14,668 community-dwelling people who were at least 65 years old at the start of the study. We first examined sex/gender and education-level differences in association with fair/poor SRH. We then estimated the sex/gender- and education-specific hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality associated with lower SRH using Cox models. Control variables, including health behaviors (smoking and drinking), symptoms of depression, and chronic co-morbid conditions, were added to sequential regression models. The results showed men and women reported a similar prevalence of lower SRH. However, lower SRH was a stronger predictor of mortality in men (HR = 2.44 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.14–2.80]) than in women (HR = 1.88 [95% CI: 1.44–2.47]; p for sex/gender interaction = 0.018). The sex/gender difference in the predictive ability of SRH was progressively attenuated with the additional introduction of other co-morbid conditions. The predictive ability among individuals with high school education (HR = 2.39 [95% CI: 1.74–3.30]) was similar to that among individuals with less than a high school education (HR = 2.14 [95% CI: 1.83–2.50]; p for education interaction = 0.549).

Conclusions

The sex/gender difference in the predictive ability of SRH for mortality among this elderly Japanese population may be explained by male/female differences in what goes into an individual''s assessment of their SRH, with males apparently weighting depressive symptoms more than females.     

A Gender-Based Analysis of High School Athletes Using Computerized Electrocardiogram Measurements

Background

The addition of the ECG to the preparticipation examination (PPE) of high school athletes has been a topic for debate. Defining the difference between the high school male and female ECG is crucial to help initiate its implementation in the High School PPE. Establishing the different parameters set for the male and female ECG would help to reduce false positives. We examined the effect of gender on the high school athlete ECG by obtaining and analyzing ECG measurements of high school athletes from Henry M. Gunn High School.

Methods

In 2011 and 2012, computerized Electrocardiograms were recorded and analyzed on 181 athletes (52.5% male; mean age 16.1±1.1 years) who participated in 17 different sports. ECG statistics included intervals and durations in all 3 axes (X, Y, Z) to calculate 12 lead voltage sums, QRS Amplitude, QT interval, QRS Duration, and the sum of the R wave in V5 and the S Wave in V2 (RS Sum).

Results

By computer analysis, we demonstrated that male athletes had significantly greater QRS duration, Q-wave duration, and T wave amplitude. (P<0.05). By contrast, female athletes had a significantly greater QTc interval. (P<0.05).

Conclusion

The differences in ECG measurements in high school athletes are strongly associated with gender. However, body size does not correlate with the aforementioned ECG measurements. Our tables of the gender-specific parameters can help facilitate the development of a more large scale and in-depth ECG analysis for screening high school athletes in the future.     

Glucose as the sole metabolic fuel: a study on the possible influence of teachers' knowledge on the establishment of a misconception among Brazilian high school students

In the present work, I investigated the origin of the misconception that glucose is the sole metabolic fuel previously described among Brazilian high school students. The results of a multiple-choice test composed of 24 questions about a broad range of biology subjects were analyzed. The test was part of a contest and was answered by a sample composed of undergraduate students as well as biologists and practicing biology teachers. The majority of the responders had difficulties in recognizing the existence of gluconeogenesis and the possibility of ATP production using other fuels other than carbohydrates. Biology teachers and biologists seemed to either lack the knowledge or present the misconception regarding energy-yielding metabolism found among students. I argue that in both cases, biology teachers are likely to teach metabolism-related subjects in a manner that may contribute to the appearance of the misconception among high school students.     

广东大中学女教师心理健康状况调查研究

目的：调查研究广东大中学女教师心理健康状况并对两者进行比较。方法：利用症状自评量表（SCL-90）对广东330名女教师的心理健康状况进行问卷调查,同时访谈其中10位女教师。结果：大中学女教师的心理健康状况比全国普通人群差,具有轻度心理问题检出率为39．6％,明显心理问题检出率为18．3％;表现突出的是强迫症状、人际关系敏感、抑郁和焦虑。不同群体女教师的心理健康状况存在显著差异：中学女教师比大学女教师差;已婚女教师比未婚女教师差;35～45岁的女教师的心理健康问题较为严重。结论：女教师的心理健康状况不容乐观。建议从制度层面到人文关怀层面,从社会、学校到家庭都给予女教师更多的关心与爱护,客观上为女教师营造良好的生活环境和工作环境;主观上女教师应不断提高自身修养,学会调适自己心理,预防疾病,用正确积极的态度去应对生活和工作。     

Do students' attitudes toward women change during medical school?

BACKGROUND: Medical school has historically reinforced traditional views of women. This cohort study follows implementation of a revitalized curriculum and examines students'' attitudes toward women on entry into an Ontario medical school, and 3 years later. METHODS: Of the 75 students entering first year at Queen''s University medical school 70 completed the initial survey in September 1994 and 54 were resurveyed in May 1997. First-year students at 2 other Ontario medical schools were also surveyed in 1994, and these 166 respondents formed a comparison group. Changes in responses to statements about sex-role stereotypes, willingness to control decision-making of female patients, and conceptualization of women as "other" or "abnormal" because they are women were examined. Responses from the comparison group were used to indicate whether the Queen''s group was representative. RESULTS: Attitudinal differences between the primary group and the comparison group were not significant. After 3 years of medical education students were somewhat less accepting of sex-role stereotypes and less controlling in the doctor-patient encounter. They continued, however, to equate adults with men and to see women as "not adult" or "other." Female students began and remained somewhat more open-minded in all areas studied. INTERPRETATION: A predicted trend toward conservatism was not seen as students became older, more aware and closer to completion of medical training, although they continued to equate adults with male and to see women as "other." Findings may validate new curricular approaches and increased attention to gender issues in the academic environment.     

An examination of current practices and gender differences in strength and conditioning in a sample of varsity high school athletic programs

Currently, little is known about strength and conditioning programs at the high school level. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore current practices in strength and conditioning for varsity high school athletes in selected sports. The following were specifically examined: who administers programs for these athletes, what kinds of training activities are done, and whether the responsible party or emphasis changes depending on the gender of the athletes. Coaches of varsity soccer, basketball, softball, and baseball in 3 large Idaho school districts were asked to complete an online survey. Sixty-seven percent (32/48) of the questionnaires were completed and used for the study. The majority of coaches (84%) provided strength and conditioning opportunities for their athletes, although only 37% required participation. Strength training programs were designed and implemented primarily by either physical education teachers or head coaches. Compared with coaches of male athletes, coaches of female athletes were less likely to know the credentials of their strength coaches, and they were less likely to use certified coaches to plan and implement their strength and conditioning programs. Most programs included dynamic warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, agility training, speed training, and conditioning, and most programs were conducted 3 d·wk(-1) (76%) for sessions lasting between 30 and 59 minutes (63%). Compared with their female counterparts, male athletes were more likely to have required training, participate in strength training year round, and train using more sessions per week. This study provides additional information related to the practice of strength and conditioning in a sample of high school athletic teams.     

Native Language Teachers in a Struggle for Language and Cultural Survival

Language shift among New Mexico Pueblo Indians threatens the loss of their oral-based cultures. Language revival for many Pueblos has resulted in school programs in which students are easily accessible and teachers are accountable to tribes rather than the state. Finding "Pueblo space" for the Native language in school, where it was previously targeted for extinction, poses unique challenges. Personal histories and ethnographic interviews provide language teacher perspectives on teaching in four separate school programs.     

2014 年我校2200 例大学在校教职工体检结果初步分析

目的：分析2014 年我校在校教职工体检结果。方法：2200 例于本校2014 年10 月-2014 年11 月期间参加体检的教职工进 行体格检查、实验室检查以及其他辅助检查,分析体检结果并对不同性别和不同年龄段检出结果进行分析比较。结果：2200 例在 校教职工体检结果发现1203 例检查结果异常,检出率为54.68%,检出率最高的前十种疾病分别为高脂血症、脂肪肝、高血压、高 尿酸血症、糖尿病、心电图异常、肾结石、甲状腺结节、胆结石、胆囊息肉;体检检出率前十的疾病中,男性受检者高脂血症、脂肪 肝、肾结石患病率显著高于女性受检者,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;不同年龄段受检者高脂血症、脂肪肝、高血压、高尿酸血 症、糖尿病、心电图异常、胆结石检查率比较差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。结论：在校教职工健康体检检查结果异常率较高,检出 病种多,且不同性别和年龄段间存在差异。