Assessing Participation and Effectiveness of the Peer-Led Approach in Youth Sexual Health Education: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in More Developed Countries

Sexual health education for young people is crucial not only for development of norms but also for protection against vulnerabilities during this stage in life. Although several systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of peer-led sex education, none have focused on the extent of peer participation. The purpose of this review was to evaluate peer-led sexual health education interventions in more developed countries (MDCs). Electronic and manual searches across five social science, education, and medical databases were conducted. Fifteen articles were selected in total. Most (10 of 15) studies gave low or no responsibility to peers. The majority of articles found improvements in sexual health knowledge (13 of 14) and attitudes (11 of 15) at postintervention stages. Two studies showed improved self-efficacy, and three showed behavioral changes. A preliminary synthesis of effectiveness and level of participation was done. Meta-analysis revealed a large effect on knowledge change (Hedges’ g = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43 to 1.25) and a medium effect on attitude change (Hedges’ g = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.80). Peer-led interventions could be a powerful tool. This review shows that this approach is effective in changing knowledge and attitudes but not behaviors. Further research and action are needed to understand optimal implementation.     

Bayesian adaptive dose‐escalation designs for simultaneously estimating the optimal and maximum safe dose based on safety and efficacy

The main purpose of dose‐escalation trials is to identify the dose(s) that is/are safe and efficacious for further investigations in later studies. In this paper, we introduce dose‐escalation designs that incorporate both the dose‐limiting events and dose‐limiting toxicities (DLTs) and indicative responses of efficacy into the procedure. A flexible nonparametric model is used for modelling the continuous efficacy responses while a logistic model is used for the binary DLTs. Escalation decisions are based on the combination of the probabilities of DLTs and expected efficacy through a gain function. On the basis of this setup, we then introduce 2 types of Bayesian adaptive dose‐escalation strategies. The first type of procedures, called “single objective,” aims to identify and recommend a single dose, either the maximum tolerated dose, the highest dose that is considered as safe, or the optimal dose, a safe dose that gives optimum benefit risk. The second type, called “dual objective,” aims to jointly estimate both the maximum tolerated dose and the optimal dose accurately. The recommended doses obtained under these dose‐escalation procedures provide information about the safety and efficacy profile of the novel drug to facilitate later studies. We evaluate different strategies via simulations based on an example constructed from a real trial on patients with type 2 diabetes, and the use of stopping rules is assessed. We find that the nonparametric model estimates the efficacy responses well for different underlying true shapes. The dual‐objective designs give better results in terms of identifying the 2 real target doses compared to the single‐objective designs.     

Optimal designs for additive mixture model with heteroscedastic errors

This paper presents a study of D- and A-optimality of direct sum designs for additive mixture models when the errors are heteroscedastic. Sufficient conditions are given so that D- and A-optimal designs for additive mixture models can be constructed from the D- and A-optimal designs for homogeneous models in sub-mixture systems.     

Least squares estimation of varying‐coefficient hazard regression with application to breast cancer dose‐intensity data

To enhance modeling flexibility, the authors propose a nonparametric hazard regression model, for which the ordinary and weighted least squares estimation and inference procedures are studied. The proposed model does not assume any parametric specifications on the covariate effects, which is suitable for exploring the nonlinear interactions between covariates, time and some exposure variable. The authors propose the local ordinary and weighted least squares estimators for the varying‐coefficient functions and establish the corresponding asymptotic normality properties. Simulation studies are conducted to empirically examine the finite‐sample performance of the new methods, and a real data example from a recent breast cancer study is used as an illustration. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 37: 659–674; 2009 © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada     

西北贫困民族聚居区学校体育特征研究

在层层比较中作者们认为西北贫困民族聚居区学校体育具有总体比较落后、地域特征明显;观念比较陈旧、经费严重不足;民族特色突出、发展潜力较大;少数民族青少年为主体,多数以一课两操为支撑四个方面的基本特征。     

西南山区小城市城镇文化建设SWOT分析——以重庆市城口县为例

文化建设带动区域发展对西南山区小城镇具有一定参考,是实现新形势下的特色城镇化发展的有益尝试。文章选择重庆市城口县为研究对象,运用SWOT研究方法,系统分析城口县在建设城镇文化进程中的优势、局限、机遇和挑战,归纳西南山区小城镇发展城镇文化的内外部环境,研究结果显示,城口县发展城镇文化总体上具有资源丰富的优势和空间受限等局限,国内政策、地方发展机遇等略大于区域竞争的挑战,且个别挑战和局限可以转化为发展机遇和优势。因此,以文化建设带动西南山区小城镇新型城镇化发展的思路具有一定可行性,但要结合小城市当地实际,打造有特色的文化空间格局和构建地方文化体系。     

族际政治民主化在南斯拉夫的失败——多民族国家治理视阈下的研究

"族际政治民主化"作为一种多民族国家治理方式,强调民族分权的民主。在多民族国家中,尊重和保障少数民族的权益,是国家正义的应有之义。但是,如果把国家民主的主体落到各个民族单位时,最终的发展结果就是"族主"。而如果离开了国家有效控制和建设的"族主",必将成为挑战国家统一的力量。南斯拉夫联邦共和国所采取的"民族共和国"制度正是"族际政治民主化"理论的集中体现。南斯拉夫联邦共和国走向解体的原因正是在于其过度强调民族分权的治国原则,而这严重削弱了国家的凝聚力和整合能力,给国家带来了毁灭性的后果。     

不同收入层次下的农户借贷需求意愿

基于包头市东河区14个农村250户农户的实地调查数据,采用分层模型对不同收入层次下农户借贷需求意愿和影响因素进行分析,结果得出村庄层和家庭层均对农户借贷需求意愿产生影响,村庄类型、村庄所处地理位置、周边金融机构数量,户主年龄、受教育程度、家庭收入稳定性与政府重视程度对整体农户借贷需求意愿有显著影响;从收入分组结果看,村庄类型和收入稳定性是影响不同收入层次农户借贷需求意愿的共同因素,而农户家庭收入来源和优惠政策激励对不同收入层次农户的借贷需求意愿均无显著影响,其他因素对农户借贷意愿影响存在差异,处于收入层次两端农户的借贷意愿不受农户个体特征和金融环境的影响,尤其是低收入农户受到一定的金融排斥。     

长途乘客出行行为分析——以天津为例

随着城市社会经济的快速发展,公路主枢纽规划所面临的形势发生了重要变化,规划的理念也需要更新,因此许多主枢纽城市已经完成或正在进行公路主枢纽规划修编工作.     

新教学模式在非金属专业教学中的设计与应用

本文以多媒体网络教学为研究对象,初步探讨多媒体网络技术辅助教学的基本模式,并据此设计了基于多媒体和互联网技术的非金属专业教学系统,使远程异地教学、在线测试等成为可能,优化了传统教学过程,促进了教学质量,为我们提供一个全新的教学模式。