Reducing the Risk of HIV Among Adolescent Girls :: essays research papers

According to the CDC, the majority of female adolescents will have had at least one sexual partner by the time they reach the age of 18. Once reserved for high school students, sex ed is now being introduced in junior high and even elementary schools. It is undeniable that our teenagers are becoming sexually active earlier and inevitably, are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and HIV. While it is impossible to alter the choices of sexually active teens once they have been made, it is a mandate for those who interact with them to equip teens with the proper resources to make smart choices and offer suggestions to modify risky behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aim of this particular study was two-fold. First, the authors studied the possibility and practicality of reducing the HIV risk among adolescent girls through the utilization of a small group, community-based setting. Secondly, the effectiveness and usefulness of such an intervention was determined and further analyzed using a controlled design. In the examination of statistical conclusion validity pertaining to this study, one threat that is imperative for the reader to consider lies in the low statistical power of the study. With 129 girls recruited, less than half (62) attended either the HIV or control intervention groups with only 48 completing the three month follow up session. Polit and Beck states that studies with low statistical power may not succeed in establishing a relationship between the variables. As a pilot study, it is hardly dismissive and worth noting that, at best, a relationship may be present or could be present between the two variables, however, the low statistical power causes me to hesitate to assign an irrefutable relationship between the intervention group and reduced risk behavior as demonstrated by the behavioral changes (decreased substance abuse, increased knowledge on HIV prevention, fewer engagement in risky sexual behavior). The authors acknowledged this threat to the statistical conclusio n validity but also noted that outcomes were â€Å"encouraging†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attrition presents a threat to both statistical conclusion and internal validity. In the aforementioned statistics, it is obvious to deduce that attrition was a direct result of the unavailability of many girls, which consequently resulted in low statistical power. The attrition rate in this study can be considered random as it was blamed on work schedules and inability to form contact and did not alter extraneous characteristics of those remaining in the study.

Goldelocks Planet

Could ‘Goldilocks' planet be just right for life? [->0][->1] AP Photo/Zina Deretsky, National Science FoundationAn artist rendering by Lynette Cook, National Science Foundation, shows the new planet on the right.  ·Top of Form 1 Buzz up! 865 votes Bottom of Form 1  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. facebook. com/sharer. php? u=http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths&t=Could+%27Goldilocks%27+planet+be+just+right+for+life%3F+-+Yahoo%21+News†Share  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://twitter. com/home? status=http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths†retweet  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://mtf. ews. yahoo. com/mailto/? prop=news&locale=us&url=http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths&title=Could+%27Goldilocks%27+planet+be+just+right+for+life%3F+-+Yahoo%21+News&h1=ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths&h2=T&h3=624†³Email  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths/pr int†Print  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"/nphotos/undated-handout-artist-rendering-provided-Lynette-Cook-National-Science-Foundation/photo//100929/480/urn_publicid_ap_org7e4574a9e56348109f878f3f99936813//s:/ap/20100929/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_earths†?FPRIVATE â€Å"TYPE=PICT;ALT=This undated handout artist rendering provided by Lynette Cook, National Science Foundation, shows a new planet, right. Astronomers have found a plane†AP – This undated handout artist rendering provided by Lynette Cook, National Science Foundation, shows a †¦  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"/nphotos/Goldilocks-planet/ss/events/sc/093010goldilocplanet†? FPRIVATE â€Å"TYPE=PICT;ALT='Goldilocks' planet†HYPERLINK â€Å"/nphotos/Goldilocks-planet/ss/events/sc/093010goldilocplanet†Slideshow:'Goldilocks' planet  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://us. rd. yahoo. om/dailynews/external/hearst_orlando_wesh/av_hearst_orlan_wesh/884e0bfd9b244f9bb69f244f471dd239/37795187;_ylt=AkmdpzkzfGvlRd_Ow96TXr5xieA A;_ylu=X3oDMTFiMThoYm9oBHBvcwM0BHNlYwN5bl9yXzNzbG90X3ZpZGVvBHNsawN2aWQtZXYtdGh1bWI-/*http://news. yahoo. com/video/politics-15749652/22211228†? FP RIVATE â€Å"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Titusville Teen Campaigns To Save NASA†Play Video HYPERLINK â€Å"http://us. rd. yahoo. com/dailynews/external/hearst_orlando_wesh/av_hearst_orlan_wesh/884e0bfd9b244f9bb69f244f471dd239/37795187;_ylt=AhwlUOUqG. XJT7dMF4fIKZRxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTFhaWFjbWFmBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl9yXzNzbG90X3ZpZGVvBHNsawN2aWQtZXYtbGluaw–/*http://news. ahoo. com/video/politics-15749652/22211228†³Space Video:Titusville Teen Campaigns To Save NASA HYPERLINK â€Å"/video/local/orlando;_ylt=AvXELmZkdK7w8FyZhXrJ2stxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTFiMTJlb3JuBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9yXzNzbG90X3ZpZGVvBHNsawN2aWQtZXYtcHJvdmk-â€Å"WESH Orlando  ·HYPERLINK â€Å"http://us. rd. yahoo. com/dailynews/external/reutersav/av_reuters_all/398f239b7ca1ff117e11bfc2a7471a54/37792448;_ylt=AglH. ImWxulddgvz7mWJZWJxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTFiOWVlczFoBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5 bl9yXzNzbG90X3ZpZGVvBHNsawN2aWQtZXYtdGh1bWI-/*http://news. yahoo. com/video/science-15749654/22207740†?F? FPRIVATE â€Å"TYPE=PICT;ALT=New planet could support life†Play Video HYPERLINK â€Å"http://us. rd. yahoo. com/dailynews/external/reutersav/av_reuters_all/398f239b7ca1ff117e11bfc2a7471a54/37792448;_ylt=Ah1mE3gU9F_SRM8nCpSKJElxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTFhcDNlYmRyBHBvcwM4BHNlYwN5bl9yXzNzbG90X3ZpZGVvBHNsawN2aWQtZXYtbGluaw–/*http://news. yahoo. com/video/science-15749654/22207740†³Space Video:New planet could support lifeMore photos  »HYPERLINK â€Å"http://us. rd. yahoo. com/dailynews/ap/brand/SIG=11f589428/**http%3A%2F%2Fwww. ap. org%2Ftermsandconditions†?FPRIVATE â€Å"TYPE=PICT;ALT=AP†[->2] Reuters By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Wed Sep 29, 7:19 pm ET WASHINGTON – Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone fo r life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right. Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere. It's just right. Just like Earth. This really is the first Goldilocks planet,† said co-discoverer R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. [Related: Seven best places to sleep under the stars[->3]] The new planet sits smack in the middle of what astronomers refer to as the habitable zone, unlike any of the nearly 500 other planets astronomers have found outside our solar system. And it is in our galactic neighborhood, suggesting that plenty of Earth-like planets circle other stars. Finding a planet that could potentially support life is a major step toward answering the timeless question: Are we alone?Scientists have jumped the gun before on proclaiming that planets outside our solar system were habitable only to have them turn out to be n ot quite so conducive to life. But this one is so clearly in the right zone that five outside astronomers told The Associated Press it seems to be the real thing. â€Å"This is the first one I'm truly excited about,† said Penn State University's Jim Kasting. He said this planet is a â€Å"pretty prime candidate† for harboring life. Life on other planets doesn't mean E. T. Even a simple single-cell bacteria or the equivalent of shower mold would shake perceptions about the uniqueness of life on Earth.But there are still many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star — 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It's so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it doesn't rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark. Temperatures can be as hot as 160 degrees or as frigid as 25 degrees below zero, but in between — in the land of constant sunrise — it would be â€Å"shirt-sleeve weather,† said co-discoverer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz.It's unknown whether water actually exists on the planet, and what kind of atmosphere it has. But because conditions are ideal for liquid water, and because there always seems to be life on Earth where there is water, Vogt believes â€Å"that chances for life on this planet are 100 percent. † The astronomers' findings are being published in Astrophysical Journal and were announced by the National Science Foundation on Wednesday. The planet circles a star called Gliese 581.It's about 120 trillion miles away, so it would take several generations for a spaceship to get there. It may seem like a long distance, but in the scheme of the vast universe, this planet is â€Å"like right in our face, right next door to us,† Vogt said in an interview. That close proximity and the way it was found so early in astronomers' search for habitable planets hints to scientists that planets like Earth are probably not that rare. Vogt and Butler ran some calculations, with giant

Social Problems As The Behaviorist See Them Homelessness

Social-Problems as the Behaviorist see them: Homelessness Perception is an interesting thing to consider when looking at the well-being of populations that are generally stereotyped in negative ways. For example, the homeless population is often stereotyped as having mental illness, lacking capacity for medical and wellness decisions, unable to function in society etc. there are so many unfortunate stereotypes that follow homeless individuals. Consider the possibility that a homeless individual made the choice to live in that way, what if this had nothing to do with failure or mental illness. For some the decision is neither, they may not have choose this however, they are also not entirely capable of getting out of it, so it this†¦show more content†¦Like many situations humans experience, a lot of variables compile which create the given outcome, the situation can be changed to create a desired outcome with ambition, confidence, self-efficacy and reinforcement. Self-determ ination theory is guided by the suggestion that humans operation based on overall life goals, aspirations and accomplishments to organize and direct their behavior over a period of time (Niemiec, Ryan Deci, 2009). If this is the case, does the homeless individual have experience in failure and cannot overcome the obstacles to reach those life goals, or has their behavior become so disorganized that over time they have completely lost their sense of self. Graham and Weiner (2012) suggest that many situations humans find themselves in can be attributed to various states of mind. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors have considerable influence over the state of mind that many decisions come from. Intrinsic factors, such as emotions, thoughts, beliefs and feelings arrive in many ways and at different times throughout a lifetime. Intrinsic factors will lead up to life-goals, aspirations and accomplishments in the same way they are considered a reaction to those very situations (Niemiec, Rya n Deci, 2009). Depending on how the outcome is, the intrinsic variable can vary drastically from the start to finish of a goal with success or failure. These types of variables are whatShow MoreRelatedCaring For a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Essay3408 Words   |  14 Pagesrecurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, plans, or attempts. Over the course of at least two weeks, the symptoms must occur for most of day, nearly every day. Lastly, the MDE must be accompanied by clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Major Depressive Disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. It is estimated that each year nearly 7% of adults will experienceRead MorePschy Case5196 Words   |  21 Pagesexplains a phenomenon or set of phenomena. - True 3) Scientists who have studied pain mechanisms have discovered that C) pain signals are sent to the central nervous system via two pathways. 4) When grading the exam, the experienced teacher had few problems reading the students sloppy handwriting because she had asked this question before and knew in advance what the student was likely to write. This example shows most clearly the importance of A) top-down processing. 5) Even though you have beenRead MoreAbnormal Psychology. Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior20707 Words   |  83 Pagespersonality traits. (p. 80) T⠝‘ F⠝‘ An objective test of personality is one that does not require any subjective judgments on the part of the person taking the test. (p. 84) T⠝‘ F⠝‘ One of the most widely used personality tests asks people to interpret what they see in a series of inkblots. (p. 88) T⠝‘ F⠝‘ People in weight-loss programs who carefully monitor what they eat tend to lose less weight than people who are less-reliable monitors. (p. 94) T⠝‘ F⠝‘ Despite advances in technology, physicians today must still