County-Level Factors Associated With School-Required Immunization Rates Among Connecticut Kindergarteners: 2018-2023

The COVID-19 pandemic brought public attention to the implications of anti-vaccine sentiment to population health. However, the anti-vaccine movement began impacting school-aged children long before the pandemic. This study examines the role of socioeconomic factors in Connecticut kindergarten immunization rates between the 2018-2018 and 2022-2023 school years. Connecticut is the third smallest state in the United States, yet significantly diverse socioeconomic statuses exist within its small spatial boundary. Analyzing data from the Connecticut Annual School Immunization Survey and the United States Census, we demonstrate a connection between socioeconomic factors and kindergarteners fully up-to-date on all required school immunizations at the county level. The findings argue that changes Connecticut kindergarten immunizations rates are more associated with median social economic status than low or high social economic status. We provide recommendations for future research to address gaps in childhood immunizations in Connecticut

Living and Teaching Well-being: An Application Plan for a Professional Certificate in Applied Positive Education at The Shawnee Institute

Modern education is largely focused on academic achievement, yet recent research has called into question whether academic learning is enough to foster and support mental and physical health across the lifespan. Mounting interest in more well-balanced educational approaches that integrate academic learning and character education have inspired the emergence of a new field called positive education. Despite a growing demand, comprehensive training in positive education remains limited. The Shawnee Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of positive education, aims to fill this void by launching a professional certificate in applied positive education. The following paper presents a tailored application plan for implementing a professional certificate program at The Shawnee Institute which includes a situational analysis of the education sector, as well as a literature review detailing the relevance of well-being theory, experiential learning, and personal and organizational change in education settings. The plan concludes with recommendations for professional competencies, a proposal for effective program implementation and evaluation, a detailed curriculum outline, and a sample learning module

Against the Tide: Household Structure, Opportunities, and Outcomes among White and Minority Youth

The authors examine the effects of household structure on young adults and how these effects might have contributed to the negative trends in educational and employment outcomes observed for young minorities over time.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1028/thumbnail.jp

Navigating the two-way street of comparative oncology

Comparative Medicine: Innovations for the Animal to Human Health Corridor PanelCompanion animals offer a unique model for study of spontaneously occurring cancer for many reasons. Our pets share our environment, thus may have similar exposure to environmental carcinogens. The technology for diagnosis and staging of cancer in veterinary medicine is identical to that available in human medicine, thus direct comparisons can be made. The biological behavior of naturally-occurring cancer in immune-competent pets more closely mimics that of human cancer than does that of experimentally-induced cancer in immunocompromised rodent models. One in four dogs will develop cancer in their lifetime and many pet owners will seek specialty, and even investigational therapy options. Thus, an opportunity exists for advancing the field of human oncology while offering state-of-the-art options for veterinary patients. The features shared between human and companion animal cancers provide a compelling argument for capitalizing on the opportunities that comparative oncology offers to benefit our understanding, diagnostic tools, and therapy options for a disease that knows no species boundaries. Examples of translational oncology research spanning from bench top laboratory investigations to bedside/cageside applications will be highlighted

Women Widowed in the Disaster: A Psychosocial Perspective

This paper is an attempt to bring about the psychosocialaspects of women widowed in the Tsunami disaster inIndia. The research used a descriptive research design. Of214 widows, nearly 107 of them who lost their spouses inthe Tsunami (Study Group) and the women widowedprior to the Tsunami disaster for varied causes (ControlGroup) were interviewed for the study using simplerandom sample technique. Disability AssessmentSchedule (WHO DAS, 2001), Self Reporting Questionnaire(SRQ, WHO, 1994) were used along with semi structuredinterview schedule to gather socio demographic details.The results indicate that the psychological distress andthe disability of the women widowed in the disaster arehigher than the women who were widowed prior to theTsunami. These results guide us to provide psychosocialinterventions to the vulnerable groups of women amongother vulnerable groups in the disaster mental health programmes

Phase light curves for extrasolar Jupiters and Saturns

We predict how a remote observer would see the brightness variations of giant planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn as they orbit their central stars. We model the geometry of Jupiter, Saturn and Saturn's rings for varying orbital and viewing parameters. Scattering properties for the planets and rings at wavelenghts 0.6-0.7 microns follow Pioneer and Voyager observations, namely, planets are forward scattering and rings are backward scattering. Images of the planet with or without rings are simulated and used to calculate the disk-averaged luminosity varying along the orbit, that is, a light curve is generated. We find that the different scattering properties of Jupiter and Saturn (without rings) make a substantial difference in the shape of their light curves. Saturn-size rings increase the apparent luminosity of the planet by a factor of 2-3 for a wide range of geometries. Rings produce asymmetric light curves that are distinct from the light curve of the planet without rings. If radial velocity data are available for the planet, the effect of the ring on the light curve can be distinguished from effects due to orbital eccentricity. Non-ringed planets on eccentric orbits produce light curves with maxima shifted relative to the position of the maximum planet's phase. Given radial velocity data, the amount of the shift restricts the planet's unknown orbital inclination and therefore its mass. Combination of radial velocity data and a light curve for a non-ringed planet on an eccentric orbit can also be used to constrain the surface scattering properties of the planet. To summarize our results for the detectability of exoplanets in reflected light, we present a chart of light curve amplitudes of non-ringed planets for different eccentricities, inclinations, and the viewing azimuthal angles of the observer.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap.

Monoclonal antibodies for copper-64 PET dosimetry and radioimmunotherapy

BACKGROUND: We previously described a two-antibody model of (64)Cu radioimmunotherapy to evaluate low-dose, solid-tumor response. This model was designed to test the hypothesis that cellular internalization is critical in causing tumor cell death by mechanisms in addition to radiation damage. The purpose of the present study was to estimate radiation dosimetry for both antibodies (mAbs) using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and evaluate the effect of internalization on tumor growth. RESULTS: Dosimetry was similar between therapy groups. Median time to tumor progression to 1 g ranged from 7–12 days for control groups and was 32 days for both treatment groups (p < 0.0001). No statistically significant difference existed between any control group or between the treatment groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In female nude mice bearing LS174T colon carcinoma xenografts, tumor dosimetry was calculated using serial PET images of three mice in each group of either internalizing (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cBR96 (DOTA = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) or non-internalizing (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cT84.66 from 3 to 48 h. For the therapy study, controls (n = 10) received saline, DOTA-cBR96 or DOTA-cT84.66. Treatment animals (n = 9) received 0.890 mCi of (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cBR96 or 0.710 mCi of (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cT84.66. Tumors were measured daily. CONCLUSIONS: PET imaging allows the use of (64)Cu for pre-therapy calculation of tumor dosimetry. In spite of highly similar tumor dosimetry, an internalizing antibody did not improve the outcome of (64)Cu radioimmunotherapy. Radio-resistance of this tumor cell line and copper efflux may have confounded the study. Further investigations of the therapeutic efficacy of (64)Cu-labeled mAbs will focus on interaction between (64)Cu and tumor suppressor genes and copper chaperones

The challenges of e-commerce application among SMEs in West Coast of Sabah: A preliminary study

This article investigates the challenges related to social, technological, and investment issues of e-commerce application among small-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in west coast of Sabah. The result of these study stressed that the application of e-commerce are very important and need to be implemented widely especially in Sabah to make it more competitive and creative in order to compete in global market

Hormonal and Sex Impact on the Epidemiology of Canine Lymphoma

The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data demonstrate that the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is lower for women, but that the incidence increases after fifty years of age, at which menopause is regularly reached, suggesting that female hormones may be protective for NHL. This study examines the influence of sex on lymphoma risk in a relevant large animal model. Records for dogs in the Veterinary Medical Database were analyzed from 1964 to 2002. Risk ratios were calculated to evaluate associations between sex, neutering status, and lymphoma occurrence. A total of 14,573 cases and 1,157,342 controls were identified. Intact females had a significantly lower risk of developing lymphoma, Odds Ratio 0.69 (0.63–0.74) with a P < .001. We conclude that there is a sex effect on NHL risk in dogs similar to humans. We hypothesize that the hormone levels of intact females lower the risk of NHL. The possibility of a protective role of endogenous estrogens in the etiology of NHL should be investigated

Breaking the cycle of maltreatment: The role of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships

Purpose We examine two research questions. First, does a history of child maltreatment victimization significantly increase the likelihood of maltreatment perpetration during adulthood? Second, do safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) during early adulthood serve as direct protective factors, buffering protective factors, or both to interrupt intergenerational continuity in maltreating behaviors? Methods Data come from the Rochester Youth Development Study that followed a community sample from age 14 to 31 with 14 assessments. Maltreatment victimization records covering birth through age 17 were collected from Child Protective Services records as were maltreatment perpetration records from age 21 to 30. Data on five SSNRs were measured during three interviews from ages 21 to 23. Results There is a significant relationship between maltreatment victimization and maltreatment perpetration (odds ratio = 2.57; 95% confidence interval = 1.47–4.50). Three of the five SSNRs investigated—relationship satisfaction, parental satisfaction, and attachment to child—served as direct protective factors, significantly reducing risk for those who had been maltreated. However, none of the interaction terms—between maltreatment victimization and the SSNR—was statistically significant, indicating that the SSNRs did not serve as buffering protective factors Conclusions Although a history of maltreatment significantly increases the risk of subsequent perpetration of maltreatment, enhancing SSNRs with intimate partners and with children during early adulthood can decrease the odds that a victim of maltreatment will become a perpetrator. Mandated reporters and service providers should be aware of the risk posed by earlier maltreatment and be prepared to ameliorate that risk, in part by strengthening supportive social relationships