Social Media Marketing to Encourage HIV Testing among Young Black College Men

Background: HIV continues to disproportionately affect young Black men (YBM) and efforts are needed to increase HIV testing in this population. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to develop and evaluate a theory driven social media marketing (SMM) campaign (based upon social learning theory) to increase HIV testing among young Black men attending a public university in Atlanta, GA. Methods: Three focus groups with YBM were conducted to develop a social media marketing campaign. The three month social media marketing campaign included targeted Facebook and Instagram advertisements as well as print advertising, campaign related events, a campaign website, and blog. Two hundred four students (n=106 for the baseline survey and n=98 for the post campaign survey) completed an online survey assessing sexual behaviors, attitudes toward HIV testing, stigma, testing barriers, exposure to HIV testing campaigns, social learning processes, and Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) constructs. Baseline data analyses involved a confirmatory factor analysis treating social learning as a latent variable and regressing IBM constructs on social learning. Evaluation of the campaign involved comparing pre and post differences in HIV testing frequency and mean scores for covariates as well as the association of the pre/post-grouping variable with HIV testing in a multivariable logistic regression model. A mediation analysis was conducted to assess a potential causal pathway through which the intervention affected HIV testing in bivariate models and in path analyses. Results: The latent variable of social learning was indirectly associated with HIV testing intentions through experiential attitudes (β=0.135, p=0.014) and directly associated with experiential attitudes (β=-0.248, p=0.010). There was a significant difference in HIV testing frequency pre and post campaign (62.2% vs. 39.6%; p=0.001) in unadjusted analyses. Differential association (the people who share normative patterns of behavior with YBM) was the only mediator to have a direct association with HIV testing (AOR= 1.418, p= 0.035) in the adjusted model. Conclusions: HIV testing was higher post campaign launch. Differential association for HIV testing may be the key to increase testing uptake among young Black men. Social learning may be extended to HIV testing behavior and may influence experiential attitudes toward HIV testing

Constraints on stable equilibria with fluctuation-induced forces

We examine whether fluctuation-induced forces can lead to stable levitation. First, we analyze a collection of classical objects at finite temperature that contain fixed and mobile charges, and show that any arrangement in space is unstable to small perturbations in position. This extends Earnshaw's theorem for electrostatics by including thermal fluctuations of internal charges. Quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field are responsible for Casimir/van der Waals interactions. Neglecting permeabilities, we find that any equilibrium position of items subject to such forces is also unstable if the permittivities of all objects are higher or lower than that of the enveloping medium; the former being the generic case for ordinary materials in vacuum.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Contextual Factors and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Young, Black Men

Young Black men (YBM), aged 13 to 24 years, face a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STI acquisition among YBM is due to incorrect and inconsistent condom use and is exacerbated by multiple sexual partners. Sexual and reproductive health is influenced by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social determinants that contribute to increased risk for STI acquisition. However, there are key social determinants of sexual health that play a major role in adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviors: gender norms, environment, peers, and families as well as a desire to impregnate a woman. Associations between contextual factors (risky environmental context, desire to impregnate a woman, and peer norms supportive of unsafe sex) and sexual risk behaviors were examined among a sample of YBM attending adolescent health clinics. This study used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (N = 702). Parental monitoring was also examined as an effect modifier of those associations. Sexual risk behaviors were the frequency of condomless vaginal sex, number of sexual partners within the previous 2 months, and lifetime number of sexual partners. Mean age was 19.7. In the adjusted model, peer norms was the only significant predictor for all sexual risk outcomes (p \u3c .05). Parental monitoring was an effect modifier for the perceived peer norms and lifetime sexual partners association (p = .053) where the effect of peer norms on lifetime sexual partners was lower for participants with higher levels of perceived parental monitoring

Courage 2 Test : An Evaluation of a Social Media Marketing Campaign to Increase HIV Testing among Young Black Men

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a social media marketing (SMM) campaign designed to increase HIV testing among young Black men attending a public university in Atlanta, GA. “Courage 2 Test” was a three-month SMM campaign (launched from February 2017 to April 2017) that included targeted Facebook and Instagram advertisements to encourage HIV testing. Students completed an online survey via two cross-sectional samples (n=106 at baseline and n=98 post campaign). Campaign evaluation involved assessing the effects of campaign exposure and the pre/post-grouping variable on ever testing for HIV and testing for HIV in the previous six months via separate logistic regression models. Ever testing for HIV and testing for HIV in the previous six months were higher post campaign (62.2% vs. 39.6%, p=0.001; 35.7% vs. 17.9%, p=0.004, respectively). There were no differences in ever testing for HIV or testing for HIV in the previous six months pre and post campaign launch in multivariable models. There was no statistically significant campaign effect on either HIV testing outcome when controlling for other variables. Although direct campaign exposure was not associated with either HIV testing outcome, ever testing for HIV and testing for HIV in the previous six months were higher post campaign launch compared to the baseline

Quasar and galaxy classification using Gaia EDR3 and CatWise2020

In this work, we assess the combined use of Gaia photometry and astrometry with infrared data from CatWISE in improving the identification of extragalactic sources compared to the classification obtained using Gaia data. We evaluate different input feature configurations and prior functions, with the aim of presenting a classification methodology integrating prior knowledge stemming from realistic class distributions in the universe. In our work, we compare different classifiers, namely Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), XGBoost and CatBoost, and classify sources into three classes - star, quasar, and galaxy, with the target quasar and galaxy class labels obtained from SDSS16 and the star label from Gaia EDR3. In our approach, we adjust the posterior probabilities to reflect the intrinsic distribution of extragalactic sources in the universe via a prior function. We introduce two priors, a global prior reflecting the overall rarity of quasars and galaxies, and a mixed prior that incorporates in addition the distribution of the these sources as a function of Galactic latitude and magnitude. Our best classification performances, in terms of completeness and purity of the galaxy and quasar classes, are achieved using the mixed prior for sources at high latitudes and in the magnitude range G = 18.5 to 19.5. We apply our identified best-performing classifier to three application datasets from Gaia DR3, and find that the global prior is more conservative in what it considers to be a quasar or a galaxy compared to the mixed prior. In particular, when applied to the pure quasar and galaxy candidates samples, we attain a purity of 97% for quasars and 99.9% for galaxies using the global prior, and purities of 96% and 99% respectively using the mixed prior. We conclude our work by discussing the importance of applying adjusted priors portraying realistic class distributions in the universe.Comment: 21 pages, 23 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

Retrospective evaluation of foot-and-mouth disease vaccineeffectiveness in Turkey

AbstractFoot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is present in much of Turkey and its control is largely based on vaccination. The arrival of the FMD Asia-1 serotype in Turkey in 2011 caused particular concern, spreading rapidly westwards across the country towards the FMD free European Union. With no prior natural immunity, control of spread would rely heavily on vaccination.Unlike human vaccines, field protection is rarely evaluated directly for FMD vaccines. Between September 2011 and July 2012 we performed four retrospective outbreak investigations to assess the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of FMD Asia-1 vaccines in Turkey. Vaccine effectiveness is defined as the reduction in risk in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals with similar virus exposure in the field.The four investigations included 12 villages and 1230 cattle >4 months of age. One investigation assessed the FMD Asia-1 Shamir vaccine, the other three evaluated the recently introduced FMD Asia-1 TUR 11 vaccine made using a field isolate of the FMD Asia-1 Sindh-08 lineage that had recently entered Turkey.After adjustment for confounding, the TUR 11 vaccine provided moderate protection against both clinical disease VE=69% [95% CI: 50%–81%] and infection VE=63% [95% CI: 29%–81%]. However, protection was variable with some herds with high vaccine coverage still experiencing high disease incidence. Some of this variability will be the result of the variation in virus challenge and immunity that occurs under field conditions.In the outbreak investigated there was no evidence that the Asia-1 Shamir vaccine provided adequate protection against clinical FMD with an incidence of 89% in single vaccinated cattle and 69% in those vaccinated two to five times.Based on these effectiveness estimates, vaccination alone is unlikely to produce the high levels of herd immunity needed to control FMD without additional control measures

Psychosocial Mediators of Perceived Stigma and Suicidal Ideation among Transgender Women

BACKGROUND: Transgender women (TGW) in the U.S. experience high rates of stigma, depression, and elevated rates of suicide. This study examined correlates of suicidal ideation and estimated the conditional indirect effects of perceived stigma and psychosocial mediators on suicidal ideation. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, TGW (N = 92) were recruited through snowball sampling in Atlanta, Georgia. Structured interviews were conducted. Suicidal ideation was assessed by combining two variables that measured suicidal thoughts. Logistic regression models were performed to identify the potential risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation. We examined hypothesized psychosocial factors, including anxiety, depression, psychosocial impact of gender minority status, and substance use behaviors as potential mediators for the relationship between perceived stigma and suicidal ideation. All models were controlled for age, race, education, and homelessness. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was reported by 33% (N = 30) of the study participants. In multivariable analysis, suicidal ideation was associated with sexual abuse (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI = 1.10-9.30), anxiety (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.10-2.73), family verbal abuse (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.10-8.40), stranger verbal abuse (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.02-10.08), and psychosocial impact of gender minority status (AOR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.81-6.46). Partner support was found to be the protective factor for suicidal ideation (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13-0.90). In the mediation analysis, the psychosocial impact of gender minority status mediated the relationship between perceived stigma and suicidal ideation. The estimated conditional indirect effect was 0.46, (95% CI = 0.12-1.11). CONCLUSION: Interventions that aim to reduce suicidal behaviors among TGW should address stigma, psychosocial impact of gender minority status, and different forms of violence and abuse

Resting Heart Rate and Metabolic Syndrome in Patients With Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease in Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) Trial

The relation between the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and resting heart rate (rHR) in patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease is unknown. The authors examined the cross-sectional association at baseline between components of the MetS and rHR and between rHR and left ventricular ejection fraction in the population from the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) randomized clinical trial. The mean rHR in the MetS group was significantly higher than in those without (68.4±12.3 vs 65.6±11.8 beats per min, P=.0017). The rHR was higher (P<.001 for trend) with increasing number of components for MetS. Linear regression analyses demonstrated that as compared to individuals without MetS, rHR was significantly higher in participants with MetS (regression coefficient, 2.9; P=.0015). In patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, the presence of higher rHR is associated with increasing number of criteria of MetS and the presence of ventricular dysfunction.Prev Cardiol. 2010;13:112–116. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79383/1/j.1751-7141.2010.00067.x.pd

Associations of Blood Pressure and&nbsp;Cholesterol Levels During Young&nbsp;Adulthood With Later&nbsp;Cardiovascular Events.

BackgroundBlood pressure (BP) and cholesterol are major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but effects of exposures during young adulthood on later life CVD risk have not been well quantified.ObjectiveThe authors sought to evaluate the independent associations between young adult exposures to risk factors and later life CVD risk, accounting for later life exposures.MethodsThe authors pooled data from 6 U.S. cohorts with observations spanning the life course from young adulthood to later life, and imputed risk factor trajectories for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols, systolic and diastolic BP starting from age 18 years for every participant. Time-weighted average exposures to each risk factor during young (age 18 to 39 years) and later adulthood (age ≥40 years) were calculated and linked to subsequent risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), or stroke.ResultsA total of 36,030 participants were included. During a median follow-up of 17 years, there were 4,570 CHD, 5,119 HF, and 2,862 stroke events. When young and later adult risk factors were considered jointly in the model, young adult LDL&nbsp;≥100&nbsp;mg/dl (compared with&nbsp;&lt;100&nbsp;mg/dl) was associated with a 64% increased risk for CHD, independent of later adult exposures. Similarly, young adult SBP&nbsp;≥130&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg (compared with&nbsp;&lt;120&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg) was associated with a 37% increased risk for HF, and young adult DBP&nbsp;≥80&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg (compared with&nbsp;&lt;80&nbsp;mm&nbsp;Hg) was associated with a 21% increased risk.ConclusionsCumulative young adult exposures to elevated systolic BP, diastolic BP and LDL were associated with&nbsp;increased CVD risks in later life, independent of later adult exposures