Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Status Among University Freshmen in Hawai‘i

Purpose/Background: The HPV vaccine provides immunity against nine HPV strains that cause cancer and genital warts. It is recommended for 11 to 12 year olds, and catch-up immunization is recommended for females 13 to 26 years old and males 13 to 21 years old. College students represent an important population for HPV vaccination due to their increased risk for HPV infection. Despite the benefits of the HPV vaccine, its coverage rates are low in Hawaii. Hawai‘i is the home of two large universities on two islands that are representative of Hawai‘i’s populations, including Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Pacific Islanders. The purpose of this study was to assess the current HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge, barriers and beliefs among incoming Freshmen university students at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Materials & Methods: In 2016, 200 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) and University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (UHH) Freshmen students responded to a survey that assessed their knowledge and awareness of HPV, the HPV vaccine, their current vaccination status, and barriers and motivators to vaccination. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize each survey variable first for all students and then separately for each campus. Results: Overall 76% of Freshmen from both campuses heard of the HPV vaccine and 54% reported hearing it from their health care provider. Only 28% UHM and 23% UHH Freshmen students have received partial (1-2 shots) or completed doses of the HPV vaccine. For those who received the vaccine, 45% reported that they were told by their parent and 43% were told by their doctor. For the 147 students who did not receive the vaccine, 28% reported that they are still not sure to get it and 20% need more information. Their main reasons for not receiving the HPV vaccine were: their doctor did not mention the vaccine to him/her (44%), he/she never knew about the vaccine (18%), and they don\u27t know enough about the vaccine (17%). Discussion/Conclusion: Although the HPV vaccine has been available for 13 years, young adults remain unvaccinated. Freshmen students reported that they are informed about the vaccine, but were not vaccinated because of the lack of parental and/or healthcare provider recommendation. With no active education campaigns in Hawaii promoting the HPV vaccine at college campuses, a first step to increasing vaccination rates is to develop a health education campaign to inform students of the HPV vaccine and its availability at campus clinics and neighboring pharmacies

Comment on ``Evidence for Narrow Baryon Resonances in Inelastic pp Scattering''

Compton scattering data are sensitive to the existence of low-mass resonances reported by Tatischeff et al. We show that such states, with their reported properties, are excluded by previous Compton scattering experiments.Comment: One page, submitted to PR

Virtual light-by-light scattering and the g factor of a bound electron

The contribution of the light-by-light diagram to the g factor of electron and muon bound in Coulomb field is obtained. For electron in a ground state, our results are in good agreement with the results of other authors obtained numerically for large Z. For relatively small Z our results have essentially higher accuracy as compared to the previous ones. For muonic atoms, the contribution is obtained for the first time with the high accuracy in whole region of Z.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, RevTe

Spin-orbit induced interference in polygon-structures

We investigate the spin-orbit induced spin-interference pattern of ballistic electrons travelling along any regular polygon. It is found that the spin-interference depends strongly on the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit constants as well as on the sidelength and alignment of the polygon. We derive the analytical formulae for the limiting cases of either zero Dresselhaus or zero Rashba spin-orbit coupling, including the result obtained for a circle. We calculate the nonzero Dresselhaus and Rashba case numerically for the square, triangle, hexagon, and circle and discuss the observability of the spin-interference which can potentially be used to measure the Rashba and Dresselhaus coefficients.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Observation and theoretical description of the pure Fano-effect in the valence-band photo-emission of ferromagnets

The pure Fano-effect in angle-integrated valence-band photo-emission of ferromagnets has been observed for the first time. A contribution of the intrinsic spin polarization to the spin polarization of the photo-electrons has been avoided by an appropriate choice of the experimental parameters. The theoretical description of the resulting spectra reveals a complete analogy to the Fano-effect observed before for paramagnetic transition metals. While the theoretical photo-current and spin difference spectra are found in good quantitative agreement with experiment in the case of Fe and Co only a qualitative agreement could be achieved in the case of Ni by calculations on the basis of plain local spin density approximation (LSDA). Agreement with experimental data could be improved in this case in a very substantial way by a treatment of correlation effects on the basis of dynamical mean field theory (DMFT).Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures accepted by PR

Water-soluble material on aerosols collected within volcanic eruption clouds

In February and March of 1978, filter samplers mounted on an aircraft were used to collect the aerosol fraction of the eruption clouds from three active Guatemalan volcanoes (Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito). The samples were collected on Teflon (Fluoropore) filters with a nominal pore diameter of 0.5μm. The mass of air sampled by the filters ranged from 0.15 to 6.6 kg. The particulate material collected consisted of fragments of angular silicate ash and droplets of what is interpreted as dilute H2SO4 and HCl. After collection of the samples, each filter was rinsed with 60 ml of distilled-deionized water. Splits of each extract were centrifuged to remove particles greater than or equal to 0.1 μm in diameter, acidified, and analyzed for B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Pb, Si, Sr, V, and Zn by inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy. Separate splits were analyzed for F and Cl by specific-ion-electrode methods and for U by a fission track technique. The elements dissolved in the aqueous extracts represent components of water-soluble material either formed directly in the eruption cloud or derived from interaction of ash particles and aerosol components of the plume. Calculations of enrichment factors, based upon concentration ratios, showed the elements most enriched in the extracts relative to bulk ash composition were Cd, Cu, V, F, Cl, Zn, and Pb. These elements represent a subset (with the addition of Cl and F) of elements previously reported enriched in atmospheric aerosols in remote regions as well as in volcanic areas. This suggests that some of the enriched elements were widely dispersed as volatile halides emitted from a volcanic source

Comparison of organic and conventional pig productions on prevalence, antibiotic resistance and genetic diversity of Escherichia coli

The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence, the tetracycline resistance level and the genetic diversity of Escherichia coli isolated from organic pigs in comparison with conventional pigs. This study is integrated in a global European project, Safeorganic, funded trough CORE Organic II call. 25 organic and 25 conventional herds were considered in one slaughterhouse from April to October 2012. Colon content of 2 pigs per herds was sampled. For each pig, enumeration of E. coli and of tetracycline resistant E. coli (TET+E. coli) was determined

Exploring the potential of civic engagement to strengthen mental health systems in Indonesia (IGNITE): a study protocol

Background: Indonesia has the highest rate of years of life lost to disability or early death from Schizophrenia than any other country in the world. More than 90% of people with mental illness do not get any treatment and tens of thousands of people with psychosis are illegally detained (‘pasung’) in the family home. Civic engagement, a core part of the recent World Health Organisation global strategy, has the potential to address some of these challenges through the development of person‐centered models of care. The aim of the study is to develop a testable systems level, culturally appropriate, civic engagement framework for use in Jakarta and Bogor, Indonesia to strengthen local mental health services. Methods: A mixed methods study underpinned by a realist approach will be undertaken across four phases in two study sites in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bogor). Phase 1 will explore the use of civic engagement across South East Asia by conducting a systematic review of existing evidence. By surveying 300 mental health professionals, phase 2 will identify the stakeholders, the sources of collaboration and the evidence used by professionals in decision making within local mental health systems and identify potential opportunities for civic engagement within the system. In order to explore the potential use of civic engagement within Indonesian mental health services and identify priori‐ ties for a culturally appropriate framework, phase 3 will undertake two focus groups with participants with experience of psychosis or caring for someone with psychosis (n = 20–30). Professionals and other key decision makers in a range of roles across the system at a national (n = 5) and local level (n = 10–15/site) will also take part in semi‐structured interviews. Phase 4 will co‐produce a civic engagement framework for use in Indonesia by synthesising evidence from phases 1–3 collaboratively with key stakeholders. Discussion: Civic engagement is a potential way in which health services in low and middle income countries can address the burden of mental health conditions through the development of person‐centred models of care. However, such approaches are underexplored in Indonesia. This study will work with local stakeholders to design a testable civic engagement framework for use in mental health services in Indonesia

Dirac Hamiltonian with superstrong Coulomb field

We consider the quantum-mechanical problem of a relativistic Dirac particle moving in the Coulomb field of a point charge $Ze$. In the literature, it is often declared that a quantum-mechanical description of such a system does not exist for charge values exceeding the so-called critical charge with $Z=\alpha ^{-1}=137$ based on the fact that the standard expression for the lower bound state energy yields complex values at overcritical charges. We show that from the mathematical standpoint, there is no problem in defining a self-adjoint Hamiltonian for any value of charge. What is more, the transition through the critical charge does not lead to any qualitative changes in the mathematical description of the system. A specific feature of overcritical charges is a non uniqueness of the self-adjoint Hamiltonian, but this non uniqueness is also characteristic for charge values less than the critical one (and larger than the subcritical charge with $Z=(\sqrt{3}^{-1}=118$). We present the spectra and (generalized) eigenfunctions for all self-adjoint Hamiltonians. The methods used are the methods of the theory of self-adjoint extensions of symmetric operators and the Krein method of guiding functionals. The relation of the constructed one-particle quantum mechanics to the real physics of electrons in superstrong Coulomb fields where multiparticle effects may be of crucial importance is an open question.Comment: 44 pages, LaTex file, to be published in Teor.Mat.Fiz. (Theor.Math.Phys.