The Dark Web and Human Trafficking

This is a quantitative-comparative analysis that focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms that assist law enforcement agencies as they combat human trafficking. Human trafficking is a Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) which means it can impact every country in the world, and in doing so, impact every person in the world. AI uses machine-learning capabilities to identify clusters, odd and/or unusual font, words, numbers, and other markers in advertisements that promote the sale of human beings. Human trafficking affects males, females, and children of all ages and can include different types of trafficking such as sex and labor trafficking. By using these AI platforms, law enforcement officers are able to identify and help more human beings than ever before in a quicker timeframe. This quantitative-comparative analysis compared Spotlight, Traffick Jam, Traffick Cam, and Domain Insight Graph (DIG) to determine if these platforms were helping law enforcement. The study revolved around the questions of accuracy, consistency, and effectiveness with each platform and found that the majority of AI platforms led the way to promote better, more efficient platforms by the same companies that learned how changes could assist law enforcement more in the future. While each platform assisted in their own ways, there were deltas in each area that leads to the need for future research in the area of AI and how it can be used to help victims of human trafficking and convict human traffickers more in later years

Brucella suis type 4 in foxes and their role as reservoirs/vectors among reindeer

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1989Field and laboratory studies were conducted to test the hypotheses that (1) the reindeer/caribou organism, Brucella suis type 4, is incidentally transmitted to reindeer predators such as foxes but does not cause reproductive disease in them, and (2) infected predators such as foxes are terminal hosts and do not serve as reservoirs of infection for reindeer. In field collections, serologic prevalence of brucellosis was similar for male and female foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus). B. suis type 4 was isolated from female Vulpes and Alopex. No association between reproductive status of foxes and brucellosis infections was observed. Serologic titers in Vulpes experimentally infected by oral exposure to Brucella suis type 4 were detected first by the standard tube and plate agglutination tests which were followed by the buffered Brucella antigen, rivanol, and complement fixation tests. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from the feces 4 to 6 days post-exposure (PE) and from the oral cavity for as long as 3 weeks PE in Vulpes challenged with 10\sp9 or 10\sp{11} colony forming units. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated frequently from regional lymph nodes in the head up to 18 weeks PE, and from only more distant nodes at 22 and 66 weeks PE. Organisms did not localize in the reproductive tract. Clinical effects of brucellosis in Vulpes experimentally-infected were not observed. Pathologic lesions were not detected in the male and non-gravid female reproductive tract. Due to breeding failure, effects of Brucella suis type 4 on the pregnant fox reproductive tract were not determined in experimental infections. Gross and microscopic pathology was limited to lymph nodes. Fox to fox transmission attributed to aerosols from products shed by infected foxes occurred readily. Transmission from Vulpes to lemmings (Dicrostonyx rubricatus) that were exposed to urine from infected fox occurred frequently. Transmission from infected Vulpes to two reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) occurred under conditions of close confinement. Ingestion of organisms passed mechanically in the fox feces was considered the probable source of infection. Fox saliva containing Brucella was also implicated in transmitting the organism through bites or aerosols

Does the Grade Level at Which Algebra I is Completed Affect Future Mathematics Performance

According to analysis of 2003 NAEP data, the percentage of students enrolling in Algebra I prior to ninth grade continues to increase, up to 42% in 2003. This current study is designed to examine the benefits of acceleration into algebra by exploring four major questions regarding timing of algebra. The first question examines relationships between student characteristics and timing of algebra. Relationships between school characteristics and timing of algebra are examined by the second question. Questions three and four explore relationships between timing of algebra and mathematics achievement and course taking, respectively. Information was gathered on 449 students matriculating at a small liberal arts college, located in the Midwest, during 2007-2008. Students were grouped according to the grade level at which they completed Algebra I. Eighty-two students completed Algebra I prior to ninth grade, 288 during ninth grade, and 79 after ninth grade. Statistical tests utilized to analyze the data include the chi square test of independence, one way between group analysis of variance, and multinomial logistic regression. A significant positive relationship between SES and enrollment in Algebra I prior to ninth grade and a significant negative relationship between SES and enrollment in Algebra I after ninth grade was found. No significant relationship was found between gender or race-ethnicity and timing of algebra. Relationships between school type (home, private, public) and timing of algebra were significant. Home educated students were less likely than other students to complete Algebra I prior to ninth grade. Both home and private school students completed Algebra I after ninth grade more often than students from public schools. No significant difference in timing of algebra was found with regard to school size or school locale (rural/non-rural). While early entrants into algebra did not complete more mathematics classes, they did complete more advanced mathematic classes and were more likely to study calculus. However, early entrants into algebra were more likely to drop out of the mathematics pipeline after tenth grade than other students. Early entrants into algebra had higher mathematics achievement as measured by Algebra II grades, mathematics grade point averages, and ACT Mathematics scores

Relationship between Patient Safety Culture and Safety Outcome Measures among Nurses

Preventable errors in healthcare are a significant problem in today’s society, contributing to numerous adverse patient outcomes and even deaths on a daily basis. Identifying adverse outcomes is an imperative first step in creating a safer healthcare system, which can be followed by cause analyses and action plans to address systematic issues and improve process reliability. Despite the widespread use of voluntary reporting systems to identify adverse events, recent literature has found extreme limitations and severe underreporting with its use in healthcare facilities. A frequent theme in the literature implies that identifying reportable events and discouraging hesitation in reporting begins with a strong safety culture. However, limited evidence was found in current literature to establish a clear link between various dimensions of safety culture with event reporting and overall safety perceptions. The purpose of this MSN thesis was to investigate the relationships between the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) 10 safety culture dimensions and four outcome measures, as categorized in the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), among direct care nurses. The primary methodology of this research involved secondary analysis of existing data in which survey results from the AHRQ’s HSOPSC were obtained from a large teaching hospital in the southeastern United Sates. Statistical correlational analyses were calculated using SPSS and Excel for a sample of 433 direct care nurses. All results were found to be statistically significant, in which a medium effect was seen in the correlations between overall dimensions of safety culture and patient safety grade (r = .476, p \u3c .001), as well as between safety culture dimensions and overall perception of safety (r = .391, p \u3c .001). A small effect was seen in the relationship between overall dimensions of safety culture and frequency of event reporting (r = .275, p \u3c .001). A negative, but minimal relationship was found between dimensions of safety culture and number of events reported (r = -.042, p \u3c .001). The results of this study are consistent with previous themes throughout the literature, in which leadership and communication were found to influence safety culture and frequency of event reporting. Due to the limitations of this MSN thesis, such as estimated frequency of event reporting on a survey item as opposed to an actual frequency, further research is needed to strengthen the relationships that were observed

Advancements in Methodologies and Theories Regarding Model Membrane Environments by Total Internal Reflection with Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

Total internal reflection with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (TIR-FCS) was utilized to determine the diffusion coefficient of nine fluorescently labeled antibodies, antibody fragments, and antibody complexes approximately 85 nm from a planar membrane. The diffusion coefficient decreased with increasing molecular size over what would be expected from the Stokes-Einstein Equation. Theory was derived specific to use with TIRFCS to describe spatially dependent diffusion near membranes. The decreased diffusion is likely due to increased frictional coefficients when molecules are in close proximity to membranes. This described spatially dependent diffusion could be one contributor to the nonideality observed in ligand-receptor kinetics at membranes. A stacked phospholipid bilayer system was developed by utilizing the interaction between NeutrAvidin and biotin. A biotinylated bilayer was deposited on a substrate and then treated with NeutrAvidin. Finally, a second biotinylated bilayer was allowed to adsorb and fuse atop the NeutrAvidin. This stacked bilayer system was characterized using epifluorescence, fluorescence pattern photobleaching recovery (FPPR), order parameter measurements, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These techniques indicated that the stacked bilayer was relatively continuous but did exhibit some gaps where bilayer was missing. Fluorescence experiments indicated that the second bilayer was less fluorescent than the primary bilayer. The stacked bilayer system will have application in multilayer systems and as a cushioning system. Other applications are likely forthcoming. High refractive index substrates would be beneficial for application in TIR-FCS because they produce much shallower evanescent wave depths (18-43 nm) than fused silica (63-104 nm). It was verified that phospholipid bilayers can be formed upon TiO2 and SrTiO3. A second verification was required because conflicting reports were present in the literature. TIR-FCS was attempted upon these substrates with some success. The data were fit to a simplified version of the appropriate autocorrelation function. The data did autocorrelate, but the fit was extremely noisy and did not fit well at fast times (< 0.1ms). TiO2 and SrTiO3 were determined to be natively luminescent in the visible region with SrTiO3 being about 6x more luminescent than TiO2. Further investigations are required to fully amend the use of TiO2 to TIR based techniques

Pregnancy Expectations and Experiences among Women in Southeast Ohio: Implications for Clinical Practice

Background/Objectives: Nearly 4 million women experience pregnancy every year in the United States. While there is research about medical outcomes related to pregnancy, especially in the context of disease, there is a dearth of research related to pregnancy expectations. Methods: This qualitative study explored women’s expectations and experiences of pregnancy in Southeast Ohio. Participants attending a clinic were recruited for individual interviews onsite at the physician's office. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Codes, in the form of descriptive labels such as words or brief phrases, were developed based on entire interviews. Results: Results indicate that women experience pregnancy on a continuum, some women enjoyed the experience, some were ambivalent, while others did not enjoy the experience. Furthermore, some women reported that their expectations for pregnancy matched their experience(s), while others felt that their expectations did not match their experience. Some women also felt “judged” by other women and even health care providers if they did not “love” the experience. Conclusions: Women experience pregnancy in a variety of ways, therefore, it is important that health care providers be sensitive to the notion that not all women enjoy the process, but they all want the same outcome of a healthy child. While it is important for health care providers to assess the physical health of the mother and the unborn child, this study demonstrated that it is also important to assess what an expectant mother knows about pregnancy and what she expects to happen

Assuring Youth Raising Livestock for Food Produce a Quality Product

The Nebraska 4-H Assuring Quality program was developed to help youth producers understand responsibilities of raising livestock for food, increase technical knowledge of quality assurance practices, and implement those practices. Participants\u27 knowledge, attitudes, and practices were determined by surveying parents using a post-then-pre method. Mean retrospective pre-scores showed that youths significantly increased their knowledge, positively changed their attitudes, and implemented better quality assurance management practices in each of the five subject areas taught: (a) quality assurance concepts, (b) feeding and watering, (c) animal identification, (d) housing and facilities and (e) prevention of problems