Understanding the Experience of Weight Gain and Body Image During Adolescent Pregnancy

This qualitative descriptive study explores the experience of adolescent pregnancy and the influence of body image and other factors on weight gain. It identified three main themes through content analysis: Continuity of Care, Adolescent Investment in a Healthy Pregnancy, and the Impact of Pregnancy Symptoms

Portable remote laser sensor for methane leak detection

A portable laser system for remote detection of methane gas leaks and concentrations is disclosed. The system transmitter includes first and second lasers, tuned respectively to a wavelength coincident with a strong absorption line of methane and a reference wavelength which is weakly absorbed by methane gas. The system receiver includes a spherical mirror for collecting the reflected laser radiation and focusing the collected radiation through a narrowband optical filter onto an optial detector. The filter is tuned to the wavelength of the two lasers, and rejects background noise. The output of the optical detector is processed by a lock-in detector synchronized to the chopper, and which measures the difference between the first wavelength signal and the reference wavelength signal

Adaptive Optics Observations of Exoplanets, Brown Dwarfs, & Binary Stars

The current direct observations of brown dwarfs and exoplanets have been obtained using instruments not specifically designed for overcoming the large contrast ratio between the host star and any wide-separation faint companions. However, we are about to witness the birth of several new dedicated observing platforms specifically geared towards high contrast imaging of these objects. The Gemini Planet Imager, VLT-SPHERE, Subaru HiCIAO, and Project 1640 at the Palomar 5m telescope will return images of numerous exoplanets and brown dwarfs over hundreds of observing nights in the next five years. Along with diffraction-limited coronagraphs and high-order adaptive optics, these instruments also will return spectral and polarimetric information on any discovered targets, giving clues to their atmospheric compositions and characteristics. Such spectral characterization will be key to forming a detailed theory of comparative exoplanetary science which will be widely applicable to both exoplanets and brown dwarfs. Further, the prevalence of aperture masking interferometry in the field of high contrast imaging is also allowing observers to sense massive, young planets at solar system scales (~3-30 AU)---separations out of reach to conventional direct imaging techniques. Such observations can provide snapshots at the earliest phases of planet formation---information essential for constraining formation mechanisms as well as evolutionary models of planetary mass companions. As a demonstration of the power of this technique, I briefly review recent aperture masking observations of the HR 8799 system. Moreover, all of the aforementioned techniques are already extremely adept at detecting low-mass stellar companions to their target stars, and I present some recent highlights.Comment: Invited Review for IAU Symposium 28

Problems associated with points of discontinuity

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Delamination behavior of quasi-isotropic graphite epoxy laminates subjected to tension and torsion loads

Sixteen and thirty-two ply quasi-isotropic laminates fabricated from AS4/3501-6 were subjected to pure tension, simultaneous tension and torsion, and torsion fatigue. Layups tested were (45 sub n/-45 sub n/O sub n/90 sub n) sub s, with n = 2 or 4. A torsion damage pattern consisting of a localized matrix crack and delaminations was characterized, and the measured torsional stiffnesses were compared with calculated values. It was found that a combination of tension and torsion led to failure at smaller loads than either type of deformation acting alone. Further work is required to determine the exact form of the failure criterion

Identifying Leadership: Correlations Between Introversion-Extroversion and Leadership Qualities

From the beginning of time, individuals have been forced to work in groups via the circumstances they were presented with. Naturally, individuals within the groups stepped forward to take roles of leadership, guiding the rest of the group. Since then, an emphasis has been placed identifying those qualities which make successful leaders. Kouzes and Posner (1995) have identified five vital qualities of a leader: challenging the process; inspiring a shared vision; enabling others to act; modeling the way; and encouraging the heart. In an effort to gain personal insight, leader or not, an emphasis on getting to know your personality and how it affects you, has recently taken root in our culture. Most commonly diagnosed via a personality test, persons are commonly defined by characteristics such as introversion and extroversion. The traits of introversion and extroversion help define who an individual is. In an attempt to combine the knowledge of who a person is with what tasks for which they are most equipped, the question has been raised of whether the personality traits of introversion and extroversion correlate with the level of leadership qualities one possesses. Forty college subjects were given the Student Leadership Practices Inventory and a Jung Typology test from Humanrnetrics.com. It was hypothesized that there would be significant, positive correlations between extroversion and leadership scores among the five subscales of leadership qualities. After analysis and data collection, it was found that there was not a significant correlation between introversion/extroversion and any of the five subscales of leadership as defined by Kouzes and Posner. Thus, the quality of either being an introvert or extrovert does not have significant bearing on the leadership quality of an individual

Post-recession urban politics aren’t helping cities to become financially stable

While the Great Recession officially ended six years ago, it still has implications for how cities are governed. Sara Hinkley writes that following the financial crisis, many states expanded control over city finances and efforts have been made to reform city’s public sector pensions. She argues that this city-state struggle for control can also be seen as a move to concentrate power by state governments that are more conservative, and that this struggle has made it harder for many cities to fully recover from the downturn

Shielding Children from Pornography by Incentivizing Private Choice

In March of 2016, Playboy stopped publishing images of naked women in their magazines. According to the company’s chief executive, Scott Flanders, “[the] battle has been fought and won . . . . You’re now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it’s just passé at this juncture.” In stark contrast to the world of past generations, “[n]ow every teenage boy has an Internet-connected phone . . . . Pornographic magazines, even those as storied as Playboy, have lost their shock value, their commercial value and their cultural relevance.” One consequence of modern technological advancements is that online pornography has become both prevalent and highly accessible to children. Though some children access pornography intentionally, many are exposed to pornography unintentionally, often at very young ages. Some adults are dismayed by this new normal, arguing that exposure to pornography and its inherent messages is harmful to children. Others argue that there is evidence that pornography may not be harmful after all, at least when it comes to its consumption by teenagers. Still others seem to approach the issue from a more neutral perspective, viewing the prevalence of online pornography as an inevitable new reality we simply need to learn how to live with. This difference in perspective raises the question of whether children’s easy access to online pornography is a problem we should address. Part I of this Note argues that children’s easy access to online pornography is indeed a problem, and it is time for Congress to revisit this issue. Part II provides an overview of Congress’s attempts to deal with the problem up to this point, most of which have been unsuccessful. Part III proposes that Congress pass legislation that awards financial incentives to Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Mobile Data Providers (MDP) who provide default filtering that adult customers can easily turn off. Part III also explains why passing this type of legislation is constitutionally permissible. Finally, Part IV argues that passing this type of legislation is normatively a good idea