The challenges of becoming better sex educators for young people and the resources needed to get there: findings from focus groups with economically disadvantaged ethnic/racial minority parents.

The benefits of positive parent-adolescent relationships and effective communication on sexual risk have been demonstrated among minority parents and teenagers. However, there is need for illuminating how structural inequalities, such as economic disadvantage and being an ethnic/racial minority, shape parents' approaches to adolescent sexuality. Schalet's cultural framework describes White middle-income Dutch parents' 'normalization' (i.e. support for self-regulated sexuality, healthy relationships and normalization of teenage sexuality) versus White middle-income American parents' 'dramatization' (i.e. emphasis on raging hormones, battle between the sexes and pushing sex outside the home) of teenage sexuality, approaches which she argues contribute to differences in sexual health outcomes in the two countries. We adopt Schalet's framework to explore the approaches of 182 economically disadvantaged ethnic/racial minority parents attending 1 of 15 focus groups across New York State. The results revealed parents' dramatization of teenage sexuality, and how fears about their children's health and safety combined with a lack of resources and educational tools heightened this dramatization process. Yet parents identified communication skills and community resources to help them normalize teenage sexuality. The findings have the potential to inform policy makers and practitioners working to develop programs and policies to bolster parents' role as effective sex educators for adolescents.

Real-time PCR detection of Didemnum perlucidum (Monniot, 1983) and Didemnum vexillum (Kott, 2002) in an applied routine marine biosecurity context.

Prevention and early detection are well recognized as the best strategies for minimizing the risks posed by nonindigenous species (NIS) that have the potential to become marine pests. Central to this is the ability to rapidly and accurately identify the presence of NIS, often from complex environmental samples like biofouling and ballast water. Molecular tools have been increasingly applied to assist with the identification of NIS and can prove particularly useful for taxonomically difficult groups like ascidians. In this study, we have developed real-time PCR assays suited to the specific identification of the ascidians Didemnum perlucidum and Didemnum vexillum. Despite being recognized as important global pests, this is the first time specific molecular detection methods have been developed that can support the early identification and detection of these species from a broad range of environmental sample types. These fast, robust and high-throughput assays represent powerful tools for routine marine biosecurity surveillance, as detection and confirmation of the early presence of species could assist in the timely establishment of emergency responses and control strategies. This study applied the developed assays to confirm the ability to detect Didemnid eDNA in water samples. While previous work has focused on detection of marine larvae from water samples, the development of real-time PCR assays specifically aimed at detecting eDNA of sessile invertebrate species in the marine environment represents a world first and a significant step forwards in applied marine biosecurity surveillance. Demonstrated success in the detection of D. perlucidum eDNA from water samples at sites where it could not be visually identified suggests value in incorporating such assays into biosecurity survey designs targeting Didemnid species.