Review of the Stata statistical package

Statistics and Computing -     

Socialization Ambiguity in Samoan Adolescents: A Model for Human Development and Stress in the Context of Culture Change

Rapid globalization is forcing youth around the world to confront new developmental challenges, and conceptual models are needed that can capture this experience and its developmental implications. Exposure to nontraditional lifestyles opens up new socialization opportunities and raises the possibility of stress‐inducing dissonance between participating socializing agents and the messages they deliver. Socialization ambiguity is introduced as a model for culture change and adolescent stress, and it is applied to a sample of 10‐ to 20‐year‐olds (N=295) in the islands of Samoa. A physiological marker of stress (antibodies against the Epstein‐Barr virus) is employed to overcome some of the difficulties associated with measuring stress outcomes. Socialization ambiguity is found to be a significant source of stress on the remote island of Savai'i and the transitional area of rural Upolu, although the direction of the association is different, possibly reflecting divergent socialization goals in these two regions.     

Konvergenz, Divergenz Oder Hybridisierung?

Zusammenfassung In der aktuellen Globalisierungsliteratur gibt es verschiedene Thesen zur Entstehung einer Weltkultur. Sie lassen sich schlagwortartig als Konvergenz, Divergenz und Hybridisierung bezeichnen. Dabei wird von unterschiedlichen Wirkungsmechanismen und Voraussetzungen globaler Kulturentwicklung ausgegangen. Um hier zu begründeten Einsch?tzungen zu kommen, wird ein Modell skizziert, mittels dessen die Beziehungen zwischen der globalen und der lokalen Ebene zu fassen sind. Die drei Thesen zur Entstehung von Weltkultur unterstellen spezifische Konstellationen dieser Ebenen und neigen zu übergeneralisierungen. Verschiedene dieser Selektions-und Wirkungsbeziehungen werden in den Blick genommen. Es wird gefragt, welche globalen Kultureffekte die mit Modernisierung verbundenen sozialstrukturellen Ver?nderungen haben. Da kulturelle Prozesse nicht auf strukturelle Bedingungen reduziert werden dürfen, sondern eine Eigenlogik entfalten, müssen die Mischungen zwischen globaler und lokaler Kultur gesondert analysiert werden. Die Herausbildung einer Weltkultur l?uft in der alltags?sthetischen, der normativen und der kognitiven Dimension jeweils anders ab. Zum Schluss wird mit der „Standardisierung von Differenzen” eine These pr?sentiert, die die globale Kulturentwicklung besser erfasst als die g?ngigen Annahmen.     

Blurring boundaries: the promise and challenge of a district-community action plan for systemic high school change in Worcester,Massachusetts

The Worcester, Massachusetts, district-community plan for reinventing high schools shows how learning can be enhanced and transformed through intentional connections to community.     

One-year outcomes from the CASAWORKS for Families intervention for substance-abusing women on welfare

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multiservice intervention designed to move substance-abusing women on welfare to sobriety and self-sufficiency by addressing their substance abuse, domestic violence, employment, and basic needs. DESIGN: A field evaluation with repeated measures at 6 and 12 months on an intent-to-treat sample of 529 women conducted in 11 selected sites across the country. There were significant improvements shown in substance use and family and social functioning by the 6-month point, and additional improvements in employment by the 12-month point. By 12 months, more than 46% were abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, and 30% were employed at least part-time. There were only modest improvements shown in the medical and psychiatric status of these women. These preliminary findings suggest that site-level interagency coordination and program-level case management were associated with improvements in the targeted areas as predicted by the model. Future work will require a more closely specified, manual-guided form of the intervention plus the inclusion of control groups and cost measures to fully evaluate the cost benefits from the final form of the intervention.     

Best practices for physical activity programs and behavior counseling in older adult populations

Physical activity offers one of the greatest opportunities for people to extend years of active independent life and reduce functional limitations. The article identifies key practices for promoting physical activity in older adults, with a focus on those with chronic disease or low fitness and those with low levels of physical activity. Key practices identified: (a) A multidimensional activity program that includes endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility training is optimal for health and functional benefits; (b) principles of behavior change including social support, self-efficacy, active choices, health contracts, assurances of safety, and positive reinforcement enhance adherence; (c) manage risk by beginning at low intensity but gradually increasing to moderate physical activity, which has a better risk:benefit ratio and should be the goal for older adults; (d) an emergency procedure plan is prudent for community-based programs; and (e) monitoring aerobic intensity is important for progression and motivation. Selected content review of physical activity programming from major organizations and institutions is provided.     

More is less: neurogenesis and age-related cognitive decline in Long-Evans rats

A reduction in the ability to generate new neurons in the brain has been suggested to contribute to cognitive decline with advanced age. In an outbred model strain of Long-Evans rats, cognitive performance as a function of age is variable in assessments of hippocampal-dependent spatial memory. Recent research indicates that greater hippocampal neurogenesis accompanies diminished cognitive abilities in older Long-Evans rats. These findings imply that the role of neurogenesis might change between youth and old age, and that further work is needed to understand the potential benefits and liabilities that new neurons may afford an aging brain.