School of shock: film,television and anal education

Since their inception, film and television have been accused of having all kinds of magical powers to alter behaviour, coerce malfeasance and encourage debauchery. Decades of media theory later, the powers of persuasion are in fact thought to be much more modest. One area where popular media is considered to be particularly influential is education, with film and television being perceived to have a role in teaching audiences about certain topics, notably sexuality. This paper focuses specifically on the education provided by film and television about anal heterosex. Screen depictions have a function in not just putting such a sex act onto the audience agenda but in guiding viewers' reception. In this paper, the use of pleasure, pain and power frames is examined to explore the specifics of the anal education provided by screen fiction.     

The Role of Life-Space,Social Activity,and Depression on the Subjective Memory Complaints of Community-Dwelling Filipino Elderly: A Structural Equation Model

Subjective memory complaints are one of the major concerns of the elderly and remain a challenging area in gerontology. There are previous studies that identify different factors affecting subjective memory complaints. However, an extended model that correlates life-space on subjective memory complaints remains a blank spot. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of life-space, social activity and depression on subjective memory complaints among the selective group of Filipino elderly in the community. To test the factors affecting subjective memory complaints, a structural equation modeling was employed among all parameters. One hundred eighty-nine Filipino elderly aged 60 years and above located in Parañaque City, Makati City and Malabon City were given a multiaspect questionnaire consisting of a robotfoto, Life-Space Assessment (LSA), Research and Development (RAND) Social Health Battery, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SMQ). Results revealed that life-space and social activity inversely affect depression while subjective memory complaints are directly affected by depression. New pathways emerged suggesting the interrelationship between life-space and social activity. Additionally, social activity directly affects subjective memory complaints. This study provides a confirmation of the impact of the factors affecting subjective memory complaints. Incorporation of these factors into the existing practice can help the health care providers in optimizing the quality of care rendered and quality of life of the elderly.     

Introducing emergency preparedness in childbirth education classes

In the wake of recent natural and man-made disasters and emergency situations, pregnant women are especially vulnerable. The authors of this column encourage childbirth educators to include disaster preparedness instruction and emergency childbirth techniques in their class content.     

学术评等的光与影

在英语中,“评等”一词具有双重涵义:“层级系列”和“腐败或污秽”.本文指出,学者在学术期刊发表研究的压力来自于极度化的学术“评等”.本文首先陈述这种压力的迹象,并探讨影响因子和高等教育排行榜所引发的后果.本文将排行榜与四大发展趋势相结合:1)专业技能的理性主义成为韦伯所强调的科层制权威的特征之一;2)高等教育管理和规制的政治化趋势在新管理主义和学术评估中的高度体现;3)商业性学术出版的定价和资金筹措利用以上趋势实现利润的最大化;4)尽管编辑或期刊本身持反对观点或重视期刊的不同目标,但却只能在新规则体系中做出决定.在阐述上述四大发展趋势的基础上,本文将对笔者所编辑的期刊《比较教育评论》展开讨论,指出排行榜的替代选项,并建议推进更具生命力和参与度的教育研究.具体而言,本文建议将学术论文作为学术交流的副产品,将此作为目前仅将影响因子视为判断学术期刊质量的标准尺度的替代性或互补性方式.最后,本文主张期刊和读者都应注重学术交流的内涵价值,将学术交流视为最重要的产物.     

Childhood aerobic fitness predicts cognitive performance one year later

Aerobically fit children outperform less fit peers on cognitive control challenges that involve inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. The aim of this study was to determine whether, compared with less fit children, more fit 9- and 10-year-old pre-adolescents exhibit superior performance on a modified compatible and incompatible flanker task of cognitive control at the initial time of fitness testing and approximately one year later. We found that more fit children demonstrated increased flanker accuracy at both test sessions, coupled with a superior ability to flexibly allocate strategies during task conditions that required different amounts of cognitive control, relative to less fit children. More fit children also gained a speed benefit at follow-up testing. Structural MRI data were also collected to investigate the relationship between basal ganglia volume and task performance. Bilateral putamen volumes of the dorsal striatum and globus pallidus volumes predicted flanker performance at initial and follow-up testing one year later. The present findings suggest that childhood aerobic fitness and basal ganglia volumes relate to cognitive control at the time of fitness testing and may play a role in cognitive performance in the future. We hope that this research will encourage public health and educational changes that will promote a physically active lifestyle in children.     

The Impact of Background Television on Parent–Child Interaction

This study investigated the hypothesis that background television affects interactions between parents and very young children. Fifty-one 12-, 24-, and 36-month-old children, each accompanied by 1 parent, were observed for 1 hr of free play in a laboratory space resembling a family room. For half of the hour, an adult-directed television program played in the background on a monaural television set. During the other half hour, the television was not on. Both the quantity and quality of parent–child interaction decreased in the presence of background television. These findings suggest one way in which early, chronic exposure to television may have a negative impact on development.     

世界上最幸福的地方

当今世界哪里的人们对生活最为满意呢？经济合作与发展组织（OECD）新近发布的一项研究报告,显示北欧国家人们的幸福指数最高,这个设在法国巴黎,由30个民主政府组成的机构经常提供经济和社会方而的统计数据。