Effectiveness of relationships and sex education: A systematic review of terminology,content, pedagogy,and outcomes

This paper presents a systematic review on published research on universal school-based relationships and sex education for children aged 4–18 years. The review excludes papers focused solely on targeted cohorts, specific content areas and approaches such as abstinence-only education. Systematic searches were conducted with 5007 papers identified and following three rounds of screening, 134 papers were included in this review. The review sought to identify the terms used to describe sex education, the content included in programs or curriculum, the approaches forming the basis for implementation, the methods used to evaluate programs including the outcomes assessed. We conclude that the terms used in the field are vast, the content varied, approaches were wide-ranging, methods numerous and claims to effectiveness fluctuated and at times contrasted. Future research should seek to identify consistency in terminology and content, identify pedagogical approaches that are fully described building on the field of expertise in education, and engage highly rigorous methods and expertise in evaluation. The field of sex education must be recognized socially and institutionally so that appropriate funding and resources can be distributed to achieve the depth and breadth of knowledge required to progress the field. The implications of this impact on children's access to and ability to develop knowledge, skills, behaviours and critical thinking about themselves and their relationships.     

Age,sex, and racial differences in harsh physical punishment: Results from a nationally representative United States sample

The purpose of this research was to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment in childhood in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) collected in 2004 and 2005 (n = 34,653). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment. Results suggest that the prevalence of harsh physical punishment has been decreasing among more recently born age groups; however, there appear to be sex and racial differences in this trend over time. The magnitude of the decrease appears to be stronger for males than for females. By race, the decrease in harsh physical punishment over time is only apparent among Whites; Black participants demonstrate little change over time, and harsh physical punishment seems to be increasing over time among Hispanics. Prevention and intervention efforts that educate about the links of physical punishment to negative outcomes and alternative non-physical discipline strategies may be particularly useful in reducing the prevalence of harsh physical punishment over time.     

Mediating effects of bullying involvement on the relationship of body mass index with social phobia,depression, suicidality,and self-esteem and sex differences in adolescents in Taiwan

The aims of this study were to examine the mediating effect of bullying involvement on the relationships between body mass index (BMI) and mental health problems, including social phobia, depression, suicidality, and low self-esteem among adolescents in Taiwan. The moderation effect of sex on the mediating role of bullying involvement was also examined. Five thousand two hundred and fifty-two students of high schools completed the questionnaires. Victimization and perpetration of passive and active bullying were assessed using the Chinese version of the School Bullying Experience Questionnaire. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height measurements. The Social Phobia Inventory, the Mandarin Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, the suicidality-related questionnaire from the epidemiological version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were applied to assess social phobia, depression, suicidality, and low self-esteem, respectively. The mediating effect of bullying involvement on the associations between increased BMI and mental health problems was examined by the Sobel test. The moderation effect of sex on the mediating role of bullying involvement was tested by the multiple-group structural equation model. Victimization of passive and active bullying and perpetration of passive bullying, but not perpetration of active bullying, had a mediating effect on the relationships between increased BMI and all four mental health problems. Sex did not have a significant moderation effect on the mediating role of bullying involvement. Bullying involvement should be a target of prevention and intervention in developing a strategy to improve mental health among adolescents with increased BMI.     

基于DNA计算的无向赋权图哈密顿路径问题

本文给出一种通过DNA序列编码来处理权值的方式,对无向赋权图哈密顿路径问题进行了描述。首先用寡核苷酸片段编码图中的顶点和边,然后将这些寡核苷酸片段放入缓冲溶液中,利用连接酶将它们连接起来,从而产生所有无向边不同的DNA链,最后利用PCR扩增、探针、电泳等生物手段寻找对应于只经过图的顶点一次的无向Hamilton路的DNA链,通过比较以及前面实验条件的控制最终找到最短的Hamilton路径。