Use of the Carolina HPV Immunization Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (CHIAS) in Young Adult Women

Background Validated measures that can accurate describe young adults’ HPV vaccination attitudes and how these relate to vaccination intention and receipt are needed for developing interventions to improve low HPV vaccination levels. The Carolina HPV Immunization Attitudes Scale (CHIAS) is a validated measure of these outcomes that was originally designed for parents. Objective To assess the performance of the CHIAS among young adult women using an exploratory factor analysis. Methods A convenience sample of 139 young adult women (age 18–26 years) were given the CHIAS measure at baseline. Factor analysis was used to determine attitudinal factor groupings and the association of these factors with HPV vaccination intention. A 6-month follow up assessment examined the stability of the CHIAS over time and the association of baseline vaccine factors with vaccine receipt. Results Five factors loaded on to the CHIAS in young adults - “Barriers,” “Harms,” “Effectiveness,” “Risk Denial” and “Uncertainty,” - which was similar to the factor loadings of CHIAS for parents. “Harms” was the factor most consistently associated with vaccination intention at all time points assessed. Only 5 women had received or made an appointment to receive the vaccine at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions In terms of categorizing HPV vaccination attitudes, the CHIAS appears to have similar performance among young adults as in parents. However, additional studies are needed to assess the utility of the CHIAS for predicting HPV vaccine receipt among the young adult population

“That which is crooked can be made straight”: Challenges and opportunities of Assistive Reproductive Technologies (ART) in Ireland in the 21st century

Objective: Technology offers new opportunities, and challenges of as yet undreamed. Ethical intuitions honed over millions of years of small-group, competitive obligate sexual reproduction may mislead us in relation to new technologies. Between 1999 and 2008 the number of ART treatment cycles increased by 265% in Ireland. Some of the implications of such technologies are profound—challenging existing reproductive understanding. Ireland offers unique opportunities for study as a small country, emerging from a traditional religious past, with almost unregulated access to Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART). Method: Data from an Irish population of varied ages and both sexes (N = 606) were collected through an on-line survey which included demographics and attitudes and knowledge of ART. Results: While interest in ART was high, accurate knowledge was patchy. Latent class analysis revealed a typology of five groups of responders to ART, distinguished by their attitudes and knowledge of this technology. These groups were tentatively labelled as ‘Worried Yet Willing’, ‘Live and Let Live’, ‘Disengaged’, ‘Judgemental’ and ‘Conflicted’. This is a large, demographically representative sample from a country—Ireland—that is actively considering reproductive challenges in the twenty first century. This is therefore a valuable opportunity to access the processes underlining attitudes to these new opportunities and threats. However, even though the sample was reasonably large, women were—perhaps unsurprisingly—over represented. They outnumbered men by 4:1. Follow up research might specifically focus on males, and especially males in certain key demographic sectors. Conclusion: Responses to the introduction of ART in Ireland fell into five distinct groups. These groups had some predicative value in highlighting attitudes to ART provision in prospective groups, though not always in expected ways. Attitudes were generally positive. Understanding the distinguishing features of these types of responders is important for health care professionals regarding service development and delivery. Implications for the direction of future related research is discussed

Analysis of α-dystroglycan/LG domain binding modes:investigating protein motifs that regulate the affinity of isolated LG domains

Dystroglycan (DG) is an adhesion complex that links the cytoskeleton to the surrounding extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle and a wide variety of other tissues. It is composed of a highly glycosylated extracellular α-DG associated noncovalently with a transmembrane β-DG whose cytodomain interacts with dystrophin and its isoforms. Alpha-dystroglycan (α-DG) binds tightly and in a calcium-dependent fashion to multiple extracellular proteins and proteoglycans, each of which harbors at least one, or, more frequently, tandem arrays of laminin-globular (LG) domains. Considerable biochemical and structural work has accumulated on the α-DG-binding LG domains, highlighting a significant heterogeneity in ligand-binding properties of domains from different proteins as well as between single and multiple LG domains within the same protein. Here we review biochemical, structural, and functional information on the LG domains reported to bind α-dystroglycan. In addition, we have incorporated bioinformatics and modeling to explore whether specific motifs responsible for α-dystroglycan recognition can be identified within isolated LG domains. In particular, we analyzed the LG domains of slits and agrin as well as those of paradigmatic α-DG non-binders such as laminin-α3. While some stretches of basic residues may be important, no universally conserved motifs could be identified. However, the data confirm that the coordinated calcium atom within the LG domain is needed to establish an interaction with the sugars of α-DG, although it appears that this alone is insufficient to mediate significant α-DG binding. We develop a scenario involving different binding modes of a single LG domain unit, or tandemly repeated units, with α-DG. A variability of binding modes might be important to generate a range of affinities to allow physiological regulation of this interaction, reflecting its crucial biological importance

Sherrill House

Prepared by the Fall 2012 Conservation of Historic Building Materials class. This Historic Structure Report contains a historical overview of the Sherrill House, an interior and exterior architectural description, a conditions assessment of the interior and exterior of the structure, recommendations for treatment and future use, and a maintenance plan. The purpose of this report is to provide a current assessment of the condition of the property, recommendations for needed repairs and options for future use of the structure.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1039/thumbnail.jp

Rapid Prototyping of Reconfigurable Microfluidic Channels in Undercooled Metal Particle-Elastomer Composites

Conventional fabrication of microfluidic channels/devices are faced with challenges such as single use channels and/or significant time consumption. We propose a flexible platform for fabricating microfluidic channels simply through indentation on a smart composite—the so-called ST3R (Stiffness tuning through thermodynamic relaxation) composite. The application of ST3R composite allows rapid fabrication of microfluidic channels by hand or with a prefabricated stamp, and precise prototyping of complex designs using a 2D plotter. Indenter geometry, applied stress, filler loading, and number of repeated indentations affect channel dimensions and/or shape. These channels further exhibit; i) Substantial improvement against swelling by organic solvent, in part due to the high modulus of the solidified metal network. ii) Channel reconfigurability by heating the solidified undercooled metals. ST3R composite slabs have the potential to serve as microfluidic ‘breadboards’, from which complex channels can be integrated in a flexible manner

Near infrared light propagation modeling of infant lung with light source placed inside intubated airway

We simulate light propagation in 3D numerical model of infant thorax at 761 nm with light source placed inside the trachea and detectors over the skin between axilla and sternum

Non-invasive lung oxygen monitoring in term infants: a pilot trial

Employing non-invasive GASMAS based system, lung oxygen measurements were performed on 25 healthy term infants on various chest positions. Oxygen and water vapor absorption signal was detected on most occasions

Quasibrittle fracture scaling and size effect

The report attempts a broad review of the problem of size effect or scaling of failure, which has recently come to the forefront of attention because of its importance for concrete and geotechnical engineering, geomechanics, arctic ice engineering, as well as in designing large loadbearing parts made of advanced ceramics and composites, e.g. for aircraft or ships. First the main results of Weibull statistical theory of random strength are briefly summarized and its applicability and limitations described. In this theory as well as plasticity, elasticity with a strength limit, and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the size effect is a simple power law because no characteristic size or length is present. Attention is then focused on the deterministic size effect in quasibrittle materials which, because of the existence of a non-negligible material length characterizing the size of the fracture process zone, represents the bridging between the simple powerlaw size effects of plasticity and of LEFM. The energetic theory of quasibrittle size effect in the bridging region is explained and then a host of recent refinements, extensions and ramifications are discussed. Comments on other types of size effect, including that which might be associated with the fractal geometry of fracture, are also made. The historical development of the size effect theories is outlined and the recent trends of research are emphasized