Influencers and preference predictors of HPV vaccine uptake among US male and female young adult college students

Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of male and female college students in Kentucky about HPV associated diseases and vaccines, and to determine which parameters predicted self-reported uptake of HPV vaccination. Materials and methods: A self-selected cross-sectional sample of college students completed an evidence-based online survey. Results: Of approximately 1200 potential respondents, 585 completed the survey. The average age was 20.6 (SD 3.15) and 78% were female; 84% of the population had had one or more sexual partners. Concern for HPV vaccine safety and potential need for boosters did not significantly deter vaccine uptake. Likewise, knowledge about HPV associated cancers was not predictive of vaccine uptake. On the other hand, parental influence for vaccination was a strong predictor for vaccine uptake (aOR = 5.32, 2.71–13.03), and free vaccine nearly doubled the likelihood of being vaccinated (aOR 1.90, 1.05–3.41). In addition, the strong preference for the respondent\u27s partner to be HPV vaccinated predicted vaccine uptake (aOR = 4.04, 95% CI: 2.31–7.05), but the lack of preference for partner vaccination predicted an unvaccinated self (aOR = 0.50, 0.27–0.93). Conclusions: HPV vaccination has been successful in young adult college students in Kentucky. Young adults prefer their partners to be HPV vaccinated regardless of whether they themselves are vaccinated. Parental influence and free vaccine were positive predictors for vaccine uptake in this population

Manipulating Replisome Dynamics to Enhance Lambda Red-Mediated Multiplex Genome Engineering

Disrupting the interaction between primase and helicase in Escherichia coli increases Okazaki fragment (OF) length due to less frequent primer synthesis. We exploited this feature to increase the amount of ssDNA at the lagging strand of the replication fork that is available for λ Red-mediated Multiplex Automatable Genome Engineering (MAGE). Supporting this concept, we demonstrate that MAGE enhancements correlate with OF length. Compared with a standard recombineering strain (EcNR2), the strain with the longest OFs displays on average 62% more alleles converted per clone, 239% more clones with 5 or more allele conversions and 38% fewer clones with 0 allele conversions in 1 cycle of co-selection MAGE (CoS-MAGE) with 10 synthetic oligonucleotides. Additionally, we demonstrate that both synthetic oligonucleotides and accessible ssDNA targets on the lagging strand of the replication fork are limiting factors for MAGE. Given this new insight, we generated a strain with reduced oligonucleotide degradation and increased genomic ssDNA availability, which displayed 111% more alleles converted per clone, 527% more clones with 5 or more allele conversions and 71% fewer clones with 0 allele conversions in 1 cycle of 10-plex CoS-MAGE. These improvements will facilitate ambitious genome engineering projects by minimizing dependence on time-consuming clonal isolation and screening

The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, V: Predicted Performance of the MIRI Coronagraphs

The imaging channel on the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is equipped with four coronagraphs that provide high contrast imaging capabilities for studying faint point sources and extended emission that would otherwise be overwhelmed by a bright point-source in its vicinity. Such bright sources might include stars that are orbited by exoplanets and circumstellar material, mass-loss envelopes around post-main-sequence stars, the near-nuclear environments in active galaxies, and the host galaxies of distant quasars. This paper describes the coronagraphic observing modes of MIRI, as well as performance estimates based on measurements of the MIRI flight model during cryo-vacuum testing. A brief outline of coronagraphic operations is also provided. Finally, simulated MIRI coronagraphic observations of a few astronomical targets are presented for illustration

Understanding the mechanisms of IGF2 gene regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. HCC has a very well studied etiology, and is associated with chronic hepatic viral infections (hepatitis viruses B and C), alcohol abuse, or other causes of chronic liver damage. Currently, tumor resection and liver transplantation are the only potentially curative treatments available for HCC. However, the presence of extra-hepatic invasion and metastasis makes patients ineligible for these treatments. High IGF2 levels are associated with metastatic HCC, and we recently showed that IGF2-induced signaling through Igf1R stimulates the invasiveness and metastatic phenotype of HCC cells. However, the precise mechanisms by which IGF2 expression is enhanced in HCC are not well understood. IGF2 is an imprinted gene normally expressed from the paternal allele. Loss of imprinting, which activates the normally silent maternal allele, has been implicated as an epigenetic marker for the enhanced risk of human cancer. However, many HCCs that display elevated IGF2 expression levels retain a normal imprinting pattern. Therefore, additional gene regulation mechanisms must also influence IGF2 expression in HCC. Hypothesis: Long-range genomic interactions are important for the regulation of IGF2 gene expression, and alterations in these long-range interactions lead to elevated IGF2 gene expression in HCC. To address this hypothesis I have utilized chromosome conformation capture carbon copy (5C) technology to elucidate long-range interactions involving the IGF2 promoters in a normal hepatocyte cell line, THLE-2, and an HCC cell line HepG2

DIFFICULTÉS DE LA PARTICIPATION EN RECHERCHE- ACTION : retour d'expériences de modélisation d'accompagnement en appui à l'aménagement du territoire au Sénégal et à la Réunion

International audienceComment aider les institutions et acteurs locaux à investir davantage les processus d'affectation des terres pour aménager leur territoire ? La décentralisation de l'aménagement du territoire engagée à la Réunion et au Sénégal est inachevée. Malgré l'arsenal législatif, les populations locales semblent peu impliquées dans les décisions les concernant en raison notamment de la difficulté à appréhender la complexité des systèmes d'interactions entre dynamiques sociales et environnementales. Le projet Domino vise à accompagner les processus de décision en proposant aux acteurs de construire et d'explorer des scenarii prospectifs d'affectation des terres. Cette expérience de modélisation participative repose sur une dynamique partenariale complexe sur chaque terrain, source de difficultés. Conscients des dérives potentielles, nous discutons la nécessité de construire une démarche qualité de notre recherche-action. Mots clés : montage de partenariat, démarche qualité, modèle, changement social, ComMod, interdisciplinarité, décentralisation, foncier, Sénégal, Réunio

Search for positively charged strangelets and other related results with E864 at the AGS

We report on the latest results in the search for positively charged strangelets from E864's 96/97 run at the AGS with sensitivity of about $8\times 10^{-9}$ per central collision. This contribution also contains new results of a search for highly charged strangelets with $Z=+3$. Production of light nuclei, such as $^6He$ and $^6Li$, is presented as well. Measurements of yields of these rarely produced isotopes near midrapidity will help constrain the production levels of strangelets via coalescence. E864 also measures antiproton production which includes decays from antihyperons. Comparisons with antiproton yields measured by E878 as a function of centrality indicate a large antihyperon-to-antiproton ratio in central collisions.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; Talk at SQM'98, Padova, Italy (July 20-24th, 1998

Quark Matter 2006: high-pT and jets

An overview of new experimental results on high-\pT{} particle production and jets in heavy ion collisions from the Quark Matter 2006 conference is presented.Comment: Presented at Quark Matter 200

High Level of Soluble HLA-G in the Female Genital Tract of Beninese Commercial Sex Workers Is Associated with HIV-1 Infection

Most HIV infections are transmitted across mucosal epithelium. Understanding the role of innate and specific mucosal immunity in susceptibility or protection against HIV infection, as well as the effect of HIV infection on mucosal immunity, are of fundamental importance. HLA-G is a powerful modulator of the immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) expression in the female genital tract is associated with HIV-1 infection.Genital levels of sHLA-G were determined in 52 HIV-1-uninfected and 44 antiretroviral naïve HIV-1-infected female commercial sex workers (CSWs), as well as 71 HIV-1-uninfected non-CSW women at low risk of exposure, recruited in Cotonou, Benin. HIV-1-infected CSWs had higher genital levels of sHLA-G compared with those in both the HIV-1-uninfected CSW (P = 0.009) and non-CSW groups (P = 0.0006). The presence of bacterial vaginosis (P = 0.008), and HLA-G*01:01:02 genotype (P = 0.002) were associated with higher genital levels of sHLA-G in the HIV-1-infected CSWs, whereas the HLA-G*01:04:04 genotype was also associated with higher genital level of sHLA-G in the overall population (P = 0.038). When adjustment was made for all significant variables, the increased expression of sHLA-G in the genital mucosa remained significantly associated with both HIV-1 infection (P = 0.02) and bacterial vaginosis (P = 0.03).This study demonstrates that high level of sHLA-G in the genital mucosa is independently associated with both HIV-1 infection and bacterial vaginosis

Variable Accretion Rates and Fluffy First Stars

We combine the output of hydrodynamical simulations of Population III star cluster formation with stellar evolution models, and calculate the evolution of protostars experiencing variable mass accretion rates due to interactions within a massive disk. We find that the primordial protostars are extended 'fluffy' objects for the bulk of their pre-main-sequence lifetimes. Accretion luminosity feedback from such objects is high, but as shown in previous work, has a minimal effect on the star cluster. The extended radii of the protostars, combined with the observation of close encounters in the simulations, suggests that mergers will occur in such systems. Furthermore, mass transfer between close protostellar binaries with extended radii could lead to massive tight binaries, which are a possible progenitor of gamma ray bursts.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. To be published in MNRA