Why Doesn\u27t She Just Leave? Improving Identification and Response to Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in the Emergency Room

The purpose of this project was to improve identification and response to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) presenting to the emergency department. Project participants completed a pre-education questionnaire prior to the project leader providing intimate partner violence educational materials and a presentation entitled Recognizing and Responding to Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in the Emergency Room. The project participants then completed a mirrored post-education questionnaire. Evaluation of the project included a comparison of the participant\u27s responses to the mirrored questionnaires. Project participants reported an increase in the: • recognition of the prevalence of intimate partner violence among their patients, • self-reported confidence in the ability to identify patients at high risk for intimate partner violence, • self-reported confidence in the ability to identify patients currently experiencing intimate partner violence, • self-reported confidence using EMR screening tools for intimate partner violence, • self-reported confidence in communicating empathetically and effectively with patients experiencing intimate partner violence, • self-reported confidence in knowing what to do if a patient discloses intimate partner violence, • self-reported confidence in the ability to assess patients presenting with intimate partner violence complaints, • awareness of both community and hospital resources for patients experiencing intimate partner violence, and • awareness of barriers for patients experiencing intimate partner violence to access safety

Trace metal analysis by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and x-ray K-edge densitometry of forensic samples

This dissertation describes a variety of studies on the determination of trace elements in samples with forensic importance. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to determine the trace element composition of numerous lipstick samples. Lipstick samples were determined to be homogeneous. Most lipstick samples of similar colors were readily distinguishable at a 95% confidence interval based on trace element composition. Numerous strands of a multi-strand speaker cable were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS. The strands in this study are spatially heterogeneous in trace element composition. In actual forensic applications, the possibility of spatial heterogeneity must be considered, especially in cases where only small samples (e.g., copper wire fragments after an explosion) are available. The effects of many unpredictable variables, such as weather, temperature, and human activity, on the retention of gunshot residue (GSR) around projectile wounds were assessed with LA-ICP-MS. Skin samples around gunshot and stab wounds and larvae feeding in and around the wounds on decomposing pig carcasses were analyzed for elements consistent with GSR (Sb, Pb, Ba, and Cu). These elements were detected at higher levels in skin and larvae samples around the gunshot wounds compared to the stab wounds for an extended period of time throughout decomposition in both a winter and summer study. After decomposition, radiographic images of the pig bones containing possible damage from bullets revealed metallic particles embedded within a number of bones. Metallic particles within the bones were analyzed with x-ray, K-edge densitometry and determined to contain lead, indicating that bullet residue can be retained throughout decomposition and detected within bones containing projectile trauma

Physical activity and osteoarthritis; Fostering autonomous motivation and self-efficacy via a digital intervention

AbstractOsteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic musculoskeletal disease affecting approximately 8.75 million people in the UK alone. Symptoms include pain, joint stiffness, and muscle weakness, as well as psychological and emotional limitations such as depression and anxiety. Physical activity (PA) is recommended as a core treatment irrespective of disease severity, pain and function, yet nearly half of people with OA report doing no PA at all. Low-cost, accessible, and user-friendly interventions are needed to motivate people with OA to become and stay active over the long-term. Digital behaviour change interventions (DBCIs) might offer an opportunity to support people with OA to self-manage, and monitor their own levels of PA.A pragmatic, sequential explanatory mixed methods design was adopted to develop and test a DBCI to motivate people with OA to become and stay active. Four phases of research were undertaken: A systematic literature review assessed the effectiveness of existing digital interventions; a survey and secondary data analysis explored beliefs and motives for PA in this population; a design and production phase adopted the intervention mapping approach to develop a prototype website; and a testing phase utilised interviews and a think-aloud approach to explore acceptability and usability with potential users.The systematic literature review revealed that existing DBCIs provided small, positive outcomes for increasing PA in this population. The survey and secondary data analysis showed that higher levels of both self-efficacy and more autonomous forms of motivation were associated with higher levels of PA. Use of the intervention mapping approach enabled the development of a prototype website to be illustrated in a clear and transparent way, showing a clear link between the practical materials adopted within the website and the theoretical constructs they were attempting to change. Interviews and think-aloud sessions explored attitudes, values, and the perceived effectiveness of the website, and potential users highlighted the importance of clear, easy to understand information, focusing on enjoyment, and the importance of social connectedness.iiThese findings highlight the potential that DBCIs have to engage people with OA to become and stay active. A greater utilisation of such interventions would take pressure off scarce NHS resources. It illustrates the value of identifying motivational factors associated with engagement in PA and describes how these findings can be used to build the theoretical foundations of a DBCI. Future development of similar interventions should be based on theory, adequately described, and thoroughly tested with potential users to further understand how they might integrate the use of a digital intervention into their everyday lives

Contagious Anxiety: Anxious European Americans Can Transmit Their Physiological Reactivity to African Americans.

During interracial encounters, well-intentioned European Americans sometimes engage in subtle displays of anxiety, which can be interpreted as signs of racial bias by African American partners. In the present research, same-race and cross-race stranger dyads ( N = 123) engaged in getting-acquainted tasks, during which measures of sympathetic nervous system responses (preejection period, PEP) and heart rate variability were continuously collected. PEP scores showed that African American partners had stronger physiological linkage to European American partners who evidenced greater anxiety-greater cortisol reactivity, behavioral tension, and self-reported discomfort-which suggests greater physiological responsiveness to momentary changes in partners' affective states when those partners were anxious. European Americans showed physiological linkage to African American and European American partners, but linkage did not vary as a function of their partner's anxiety. Using physiological linkage offers a novel approach to understanding how affective responses unfold during dynamic intergroup interactions

Aeroheating Measurements of BOLT Aerodynamic Fairings and Transition Module

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has sponsored the Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT) Experiments to investigate hypersonic boundary layer transition on a low-curvature, concave surface with swept leading edges. This paper presents aeroheating measurements on a subscale model of the BOLT Flight Geometry, aerodynamic fairings, and Transition Module (TSM) in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel. The purpose of the test was to investigate and identify any areas of localized heating on the TSM for inclusion in the BOLT Critical Design Review (CDR). Surface heating distributions were measured using global phosphor thermography, and data were obtained for a range of model attitudes and free stream Reynolds numbers. Measurements showed low heating on the fairings and TSM. Additional analysis was completed after the CDR to compare heating on the TSM for the nominal BOLT vehicle reentry angle-of-attack with heating on the TSM for possible reentry angle-of-attack excursions. The results of this analysis were used in conjunction with thermal analyses from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to assess the need for thermal protection on the flight vehicle TSM

Going Global: GIS Day(s) 2020

GIS Day, a traditional drop-in and interactive event to promote and celebrate geospatial technology, is recognized by most if not all OCUL institutions. This year, the event went digital, thanks to Western University Library and several OCUL institututions, organizations, and over 30 volunteers, and 47 presenters.  This article summarizes the planning, delivery and execution of this event.  &nbsp

Double Trouble: Commingled Effects of Fast Food and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and the Intervening Role of Physical Activity on Childhood Obesity

Children are exposed to a great deal of food and beverage promotion. This is particularly concerning given that the prevalence of childhood obesity, a critical public health challenge, may be partially due to the increased consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages. However, there are lingering questions about the complex relationships between fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity levels, and childhood obesity. To address these complex relationships, this research examines the interaction of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, along with the frequency of physical activity, in leading to the likelihood of a child being overweight or obese. A primary concern is the compensatory role of physical activity in offsetting the direct and indirect effects of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on childhood obesity. For a sample of more than 4000 children between five and eleven years of age, results show that physical activity can partially counter the direct relationship between (1) fast food consumption and obesity and (2) sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity. However, this intervening role of physical activity indicates that activity level is unable to compensate for the combined effect of high fast food and high sugar-sweetened drink consumption on obesity likelihood. Conclusions for the public health community and possible implications for policy makers interested in the combined roles of fast food and sugar-sweetened drink consumption on childhood health and obesity are offered