Fighting Fire with Fire: Utilizing Social Media to Combat Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Thirteen, often seen as an unlucky number, is the average age of a girl who is forced into the domestic sex slavery market in the United States. Sex trafficking, which is a subset of human trafficking, is a national problem for the United States. With the growth of the Internet since the 1980s, more and more victims are duped by human traffickers online. Teenagers are the most vulnerable population on the internet because they tend to be more active online. They are the most likely to visit websites that allow human interaction such as social-networking, forums, chatrooms, etc. My innovation is a mobile app, which poses as a game but offers a portal to interact with a local anti-human trafficking advocate who will provide the trafficked individual with the appropriate information and prepare them for emancipation. To keep both parties safe, all messages are deleted by “swiping”, which instantly displays the game. Additionally, messages are deleted and the game display appears if the individual locks their phone. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is closely related to sex trafficking and is usually referred to as, “Practices by which a person, usually an adult, achieves sexual gratification, financial gain, or advancement through the abuse or exploitation of a child’s sexuality.” Domestic minor sex trafficking is when commercial sexual exploitation involves United States citizens victimized on U.S. territory (Palmiotto, 2015). Empirical research on human trafficking, and specifically domestic minor sex trafficking, is virtually non-existent. In most cases, media coverage is the only source of information regarding exploitation methods employed through technology. Instead of relying on anecdotal events, most analysts agree that significant research is necessary to judge the extent to which human trafficking is facilitated and effectively combated by the Internet and other social media technologies. Media coverage suggests that child trafficking criminals and those facilitating juvenile prostitution are making use of online resources. The Internet provides a way to advertise commercial sex acts to a wide audience, and also provides a pseudo-anonymous environment for criminals to conceal or misrepresent their identities. For criminals, technology is an efficient means of reaching obscure target audiences, including: immigrant groups that may be the focus of international traffickers, pedophiles looking for access to very young children, people with extreme sexual tastes (e.g., sadism, bondage, bestiality, and those interested in child pornography. The offenders use online services to advertise their illicit businesses, namely exploiting young women and girls for commercial sex by using such online services as Craigslist.com, FindHotEscorts.com, and Backpage.com. Social activity has migrated to the Internet and it should come as no surprise that criminals have migrated as well. This means that efforts to prevent and prosecute these crimes need to migrate to the Internet and other technologies. However, these efforts are still in their early phases, and more research and practice is warranted to develop better methods to identify and investigate domestic minor sex trafficking in all its forms

Environmental Sculptural Furniture and Furnishings

Not Include

Exploring Tilt in Esports

In esports communities, tilt is a commonly used term that tends to describe a phenomenon generally associated with intense frustration and a subsequent deterioration in performance. Despite its common usage, to date, there has been surprisingly little exploration into the phenomenon within esports. Through semi-structured, phenomenologically-based interviews with four collegiate esports athletes, the present study aimed to explore player perceptions of the fundamental experiences of tilt. The abridged IPA revealed several insights into various aspects of tilt including common triggers, manifestations of, and responses to the phenomenon. Findings from this study may be used as the groundwork for future studies regarding tilt and esports athletes

I Still Believe in Saturation Evangelism by Local Churches

Written by Jerry Falwell, this lead article provides keen insight into Falwell\u27s heart, as well as giving new energy to the concept of saturating a city for Christ

Drivers of demand, interrelationships, and nutritional impacts within the nonalcoholic beverage complex

This study analyzes the economic and demographic drivers of household demand for at-home consumption of nonalcoholic beverages in 1999. Drivers of available intake of calories, calcium, vitamin C, and caffeine associated with the purchase of nonalcoholic beverages also are analyzed. The 1999 ACNielsen HomeScan Panel, purchased by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, is the source of the data for this project. Many different classifications of beverages were analyzed including milk(whole, reduced fat, flavored, and non-flavored), regular and low-calorie carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, isotonics(sports drinks), juices(orange, apple, vegetable, and other juices), fruit drinks, bottled water, coffee(regular and decaffeinated), and tea(regular and decaffeinated). Probit models were used to find demographic drivers that affect the choice to purchase a nonalcoholic beverage. Heckman sample selection models and cross tabulations were used to find demographic patterns pertaining to the amount of purchase of the nonalcoholic beverages. The nutrient analysis indicated that individuals receive 211 calories, 217 mg of calcium, 45 mg of vitamin C, and 95 mg of caffeine per day from all nonalcoholic beverages. A critical finding for the nutrient analysis was that persons within households below 130% of poverty were receiving more calories and caffeine from nonalcoholic beverages compared to persons within households above 130% of poverty. Likewise, persons in households below 130% of poverty were receiving less calcium and vitamin C from nonalcoholic beverages compared to persons in households above 130% of poverty. Price and cross-price elasticities were examined using the LA/AIDS model. Methodological concerns of data frequency, beverage aggregations, and censoring techniques were explored and discussed. Own-price and cross-price elasticities for the beverages were uncovered. Price elasticities by selected demographic groups also were investigated. Results indicated that price elasticities varied by demographics, specifically for race, region, and presence of children within the household. The information uncovered in this dissertation helps to update consumer demand knowledge and nutritional intake understanding in relation to nonalcoholic beverages. The information can be used as a guide for marketing strategists for targeting and promotion as well as for policy makers looking to improve nutritional intake received from nonalcoholic beverages

The Role Affiliation Membership Plays in an FFA Chapter: A Qualitative View from Kentucky

Research exists to demonstrate the benefits of FFA membership and the three-circle model of agriculture education. FFA membership had shown minimal growth in the 20 years following the rebranding. The innovative approach of affiliation membership has ushered in a steady growth of FFA membership, but not all chapters are participating in affiliation. FFA membership is provided to every student who is enrolled in agriculture education classes with affiliation, and the dues collection process is eliminated. This study investigated the view of affiliation membership in Kentucky High School Agriculture Education programs by researching the enrollment, involvement, and educational outcomes of affiliated programs. Interviews were conducted with eleven agriculture educators in Kentucky to identify themes among their perceptions of affiliation membership. Findings included minimal to no impact on agriculture course enrollment, but a theme developed indicating that once students were affiliated with FFA, they became involved which in turn impacted the chapter’s involvement levels in both CDE/LDE and non-competitive events. Additionally, there was a theme that indicated no definitive change to instructional practices or learning outcomes, but a noticeable change in daily instruction with the removal of explanations, dues collection, and the barrier for students who were not members being able to be involved. These findings suggest further study is needed to determine if affiliation membership is found to be beneficial by all programs. This impact could vary among larger and smaller programs as well as programs that are unable to manage more students involved with a limited number of agriculture educators

Folian-cv1 Is a Member of a Highly Acidic Phosphoprotein Class Derived From the Foliated Layer of the Eastern Oyster (\u3ci\u3eCrassostrea virginica\u3c/i\u3e) Shell and Identified in Hemocytes and Mantle

The proteins derived from the foliated shell layer of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, are unusually acidic and highly phosphorylated. Here we report the identification of a gene encoding a member of this class of phosphoproteins that we collectively refer to as folian. Using an in silico approach, a virtual probe was constructed from an N-terminal sequence (DEADAGD) determined for a 48 kDa folian phosphoprotein and used to screen an oyster EST databank. A sequence that matched the N-terminus of the 48 kDa protein was found and used to identify the full-length gene from a C. virginica BAC library. The molecular weight of the deduced gene product is 32 kDa and was named folian-cv1. Genomic Southern analysis revealed two variants of the gene. The mature protein is composed of 43.3% Asp, 32.6% Ser, and 9.1% Glu with 37.5% of the amino acids of the protein potentially phosphorylated. The primary sequence of folian-cv1 is organized in blocks, with a short relatively hydrophobic block at the N-terminus and with the remainder containing low complexity regions largely dominated by aspartic acid and serine. Overall, the protein is predicted to be highly disordered. PCR and sequence analyses identified folian-cv1 expression in the mantle and hemocytes. Immuno-histochemical staining of mantle tissue reveals that cells of the shell-facing epithelium and in the periostracal groove secrete a continuous layer of folian-positive material and that folian-positive hemocytes move through the mantle epithelium. The function in shell formation of folian proteins including folian-cv1 is not known. However, based on the complexity of this class of proteins and the two methods of their delivery to the region of shell formation, it is possible they are involved in diverse ways in this process

High-fat diet exacerbates SIV pathogenesis and accelerates disease progression

Copyright: © 2019. American Society for Clinical Investigation.Consuming a high-fat diet (HFD) is a risk factor for obesity and diabetes; both of these diseases are also associated with systemic inflammation, similar to HIV infection. A HFD induces intestinal dysbiosis and impairs liver function and coagulation, with a potential negative impact on HIV/SIV pathogenesis. We administered a HFD rich in saturated fats and cholesterol to nonpathogenic (African green monkeys) and pathogenic (pigtailed macaques) SIV hosts. The HFD had a negative impact on SIV disease progression in both species. Thus, increased cell-associated SIV DNA and RNA occurred in the HFD-receiving nonhuman primates, indicating a potential reservoir expansion. The HFD induced prominent immune cell infiltration in the adipose tissue, an important SIV reservoir, and heightened systemic immune activation and inflammation, altering the intestinal immune environment and triggering gut damage and microbial translocation. Furthermore, HFD altered lipid metabolism and HDL oxidation and also induced liver steatosis and fibrosis. These metabolic disturbances triggered incipient atherosclerosis and heightened cardiovascular risk in the SIV-infected HFD-receiving nonhuman primates. Our study demonstrates that dietary intake has a discernable impact on the natural history of HIV/SIV infections and suggests that dietary changes can be used as adjuvant approaches for HIV-infected subjects, to reduce inflammation and the risk of non-AIDS comorbidities and possibly other infectious diseases.This study was funded through NIH/NHLBI/NIAID/NIDDK/ NCRR R01 grants HL117715 (to IP), HL123096 (to IP), AI119346 (to CA), DK113919 (to IP and CA), DK119936 (to CA), RR025781 (to CA and IP), and AI104373 (to RMR). RMR was funded by grant PTDC/ MAT-APL/31602/2017 from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal). DNF and CCW were supported by the University of Colorado GI and Liver Innate Immunity Program. KDR and BBP were partly supported by the NIH Training Grant T32AI065380. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio