学习不良青少年学业情绪研究：特点、影响学业成就的机制及干预

学业情绪是指在教学或学习过程中，与学生学业相关的各种情绪体验。采用问卷、访谈、实验室实验、自然实验等多种方法，从学习不良青少年学业情绪的特点和影响因素出发，重点考察了学业情绪对学习不良青少年学业成就及选择性注意和持续性注意的影响。在此基础上，制定了学业情绪整合性干预措施，对学习不良青少年进行了学业情绪的干预。结果表明： 1、以1731名初一到高三学生为被试，通过三次取样测试，编制的《青少年学业情绪问卷》具有较好的理论构想和信、效度指标，是研究青少年学业情绪问题的一个有效工具。 2、采用问卷法，比较了学习不良青少年和一般青少年在学业情绪上的特点，被试为普通初中与高中学生1034人，其中学习不良学生506人。结果表明，学习不良青少年比一般青少年有更少的积极学业情绪、更多的消极学业情绪。学习不良青少年与一般青少年在学业情绪上的差异主要体现在初一、初二和高二、高三年级。总体上，消极学业情绪有随着学业时间的延续而增强的趋势，积极学业情绪有随着学业时间延续而降低的趋势。男生的积极学业情绪多于女生，女生的消极学业情绪多于男生。学习不良青少年的学业情绪受人际、学业、课堂、个人等多方面因素的影响，其中人际因素是最主要的因素。 3、以1209名青少年为被试，采用结构方程模型检验了学业情绪对学业成就的影响模式。结果发现，积极高唤醒学业情绪通过成就目标、学业效能、学习策略间接影响学业成就；积极低唤醒、消极低唤醒和消极高唤醒学业情绪对学业成就有直接影响。学业情绪影响学习不良青少年学业成就的模式形态与一般青少年相同。 4、学业情绪对学习不良青少年的选择性注意和持续性注意有一定影响。对70名高一学习不良青少年研究的结果表明，对积极低唤醒学业情绪下选择性注意的反应时成绩优于消极学业情绪。对69名高二学习不良青少年研究的结果表明，消极高唤醒的学业情绪能够增加持续性注意的虚报率，降低抑制能力，而积极高唤醒的学业情绪能够提高判断标准，占用更多的心理资源。 5、以358名高中学生为被试（其中学习不良学生52人），通过学业情绪的整合性教育干预发现，该干预能够有效促进学习不良青少年及全体青少年学业情绪的改善；短期内对学习不良及全体青少年的学业成就提高有积极作用。

Levantamento exploratório - reconhecimento de solos do Estado de Sergipe.

Este trabalho constitui o texto explicativo do levantamento dos solos do Estado de Sergipe, que abrange uma area de 21.994km2 e situa-se na Regiao Nordeste do Brasil, localizado entre os paralelos de 9 31'54" e 11 34'12" de latitude Sul e os meridianos de 36 11'20" de longitude a Oeste de Greenwich. O levantamento foi executado em nivel intermediario entre exploratorio e de reconhecimento, utilizando-se como bases o mapa topografico do Estado na escala 1:400.000 e foto-mosaicos nao controlados nas escalas de 1:100.000 e 1:80.000. Na zona umida costeira foram utilizadas tambem fotografias aereas verticais na escala de 1:60.000. No Estado de Sergipe prevalecem na zona costeira clima quente e umido; vegetacao florestal e cerrado; relevo plano, suave ondulado nosvales; sedimentos do Grupo Barreiras-Terciario, do Holoceno e do Cretaceo. O solo mais importante desta area e o Podzolico Vermelho Amarelo e em menor proporcao sao encontradas as Areias Quartzosas Distroficas e Latosol Vermelho Amarelo Distrofico, os quais sao derivados principalmente de sedimentos do Terciario. Relacionados com o Holoceno, sao encontrados as Areias Quartzosas Marinhas, Solos Indiscriminados de Mangues, Podzol e outros Solos Hidromorficos. Na parte oeste do Estado predominam: clima semi-arido muito quente; vegetacao de caatinga; relevo plano e suave ondulado; rochas cristalinas (xistos, gnaisses, granitos) e meta-siltitos. Destacam-se: Solos Litolicos Eutroficos, Brunos nao Calcicos, Planosol Solodico Eutrofico, Regosol, Solonetz Solodizado..

Molecular dynamics-based approach to study the anisotropic self-diffusion of molecules in porous materials with multiple cage types: Application to H-2 in losod

Van den Berg, A. W. C., Flikkema, E., Lems, S., Bromley, S. T., Jansen, J. C. (2006). Molecular dynamics-based approach to study the anisotropic self-diffusion of molecules in porous materials with multiple cage types: Application to H-2 in losod. Journal of physical chemistry b, 110 (1), 501-506. RAE2008

Valuing maternity care: a comparison of stated preference methods with an application to cost-benefit analysis

This research investigates whether a reconfiguration of maternity services, which collocates consultant- and midwifery-led care, reflects demand and value for money in Ireland. Qualitative and quantitative research is undertaken to investigate demand and an economic evaluation is performed to evaluate the costs and benefits of the different models of care. Qualitative research is undertaken to identify women’s motivations when choosing place of delivery. These data are further used to inform two stated preference techniques: a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and contingent valuation method (CVM). These are employed to identify women’s strengths of preferences for different features of care (DCE) and estimate women’s willingness to pay for maternity care (CVM), which is used to inform a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) on consultant- and midwifery-led care. The qualitative research suggests women do not have a clear preference for consultant or midwifery-led care, but rather a hybrid model of care which closely resembles the Domiciliary Care In and Out of Hospital (DOMINO) scheme. Women’s primary concern during care is safety, meaning women would only utilise midwifery-led care when co-located with consultant-led care. The DCE also finds women’s preferred package of care closely mirrors the DOMINO scheme with 39% of women expected to utilise this service. Consultant- and midwifery-led care would then be utilised by 34% and 27% of women, respectively. The CVM supports this hierarchy of preferences where consultant-led care is consistently valued more than midwifery-led care – women are willing to pay €956.03 for consultant-led care and €808.33 for midwifery-led care. A package of care for a woman availing of consultant- and midwifery-led care is estimated to cost €1,102.72 and €682.49, respectively. The CBA suggests both models of care are cost-beneficial and should be pursued in Ireland. This reconfiguration of maternity services would maximise women’s utility, while fulfilling important objectives of key government policy.

Who tests, who doesn't, and why? Uptake of mobile HIV counseling and testing in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Optimally, expanded HIV testing programs should reduce barriers to testing while attracting new and high-risk testers. We assessed barriers to testing and HIV risk among clients participating in mobile voluntary counseling and testing (MVCT) campaigns in four rural villages in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. METHODS: Between December 2007 and April 2008, 878 MVCT participants and 506 randomly selected community residents who did not access MVCT were surveyed. Gender-specific logistic regression models were used to describe differences in socioeconomic characteristics, HIV exposure risk, testing histories, HIV related stigma, and attitudes toward testing between MVCT participants and community residents who did not access MVCT. Gender-specific logistic regression models were used to describe differences in socioeconomic characteristics, HIV exposure risk, testing histories, HIV related stigma, and attitudes toward testing, between the two groups. RESULTS: MVCT clients reported greater HIV exposure risk (OR 1.20 [1.04 to 1.38] for males; OR 1.11 [1.03 to 1.19] for females). Female MVCT clients were more likely to report low household expenditures (OR 1.47 [1.04 to 2.05]), male clients reported higher rates of unstable income sources (OR 1.99 [1.22 to 3.24]). First-time testers were more likely than non-testers to cite distance to testing sites as a reason for not having previously tested (OR 2.17 [1.05 to 4.48] for males; OR 5.95 [2.85 to 12.45] for females). HIV-related stigma, fears of testing or test disclosure, and not being able to leave work were strongly associated with non-participation in MVCT (ORs from 0.11 to 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: MVCT attracted clients with increased exposure risk and fewer economic resources; HIV related stigma and testing-related fears remained barriers to testing. MVCT did not disproportionately attract either first-time or frequent repeat testers. Educational campaigns to reduce stigma and fears of testing could improve the effectiveness of MVCT in attracting new and high-risk populations.

Accuracy of proactive case finding for mental disorders by community informants in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Accurate detection of persons in need of mental healthcare is crucial to reduce the treatment gap between psychiatric burden and service use in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. AIMS: To evaluate the accuracy of a community-based proactive case-finding strategy (Community Informant Detection Tool, CIDT), involving pictorial vignettes, designed to initiate pathways for mental health treatment in primary care settings. METHOD: Community informants using the CIDT identified screen positive (n = 110) and negative persons (n = 85). Participants were then administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). RESULTS: The CIDT has a positive predictive value of 0.64 (0.68 for adults only) and a negative predictive value of 0.93 (0.91 for adults only). CONCLUSIONS: The CIDT has promising detection properties for psychiatric caseness. Further research should investigate its potential to increase demand for, and access to, mental health services.

[Book review] Chance encounters: a first course in data analysis and inference

Book review of: Chance Encounters: A First Course in Data Analysis and Inference by Christopher J. Wild and George A.F. Seber 2000, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Hard-bound, xviii + 612 pp ISBN 0-471-32936-3