OTs Delivering Culturally Sensitive Care for Dementia Family Caregivers From Diverse Backgrounds

As occupational therapists, addressing key cultural barriers that may obstruct access to dementia care and education for individuals with dementia and their caregivers from diverse backgrounds is a priority for client-centered care. Stress, racial discrimination, and distrust may exacerbate symptoms and prevalence of dementia in certain populations, such as Chinese- Americans and Latinx (Quinones et al. 2020). Immigrants’ experiences of aging and health are diverse due to belonging to different socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic groups and having varying levels of education and work experience (R. S. 2020). There are existing cultural differences regarding caregiving and family networks, perception and recognition of dementia and associated symptoms, negative experiences with health and care services, and language barriers. Examining how individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds understand dementia and experience the caregiving role can provide occupational therapists (OTs) with an understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity. We aim to establish educational resources for OT Practitioners (OTPs) on how to be culturally sensitive when supporting caregivers from diverse backgrounds and individuals living with dementia (ILwD) and their particular needs. Providing educational resources to OTPs will contribute to fostering collaborative relationships between OTPs and dementia family caregivers from diverse backgrounds

Novel aspects of iron homeostasis in pathogenic bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei

Iron is an essential regulatory signal for virulence factors in many pathogens. Mammals and bloodstream form (BSF) Trypanosoma brucei obtain iron by receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin bound to receptors (TfR) but the mechanisms by which T. brucei subsequently handles iron remains enigmatic. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of T. brucei cultured in iron-rich and iron-poor conditions. We show that adaptation to iron-deprivation induces upregulation of TfR, a cohort of parasite-specific genes (ESAG3, PAGS), genes involved in glucose uptake and glycolysis (THT1 and hexokinase), endocytosis (Phosphatidic Acid Phosphatase, PAP2), and most notably a divergent RNA binding protein RBP5, indicative of a non-canonical mechanism for regulating intracellular iron levels. We show that cells depleted of TfR by RNA silencing import free iron as a compensatory survival strategy. The TfR and RBP5 iron response are reversible by genetic complementation, the response kinetics are similar, but the regulatory mechanisms are distinct. Increased TfR protein is due to increased mRNA. Increased RBP5 expression, however, occurs by a post-transcriptional feedback mechanism whereby RBP5 interacts with its own, and with PAP2 mRNAs. Further observations suggest that increased RBP5 expression in iron-deprived cells has a maximum threshold as ectopic overexpression above this threshold disrupts normal cell cycle progression resulting in an accumulation of anucleate cells and cells in G2/M phase. This phenotype is not observed with overexpression of RPB5 containing a point mutation (F61A) in its single RNA Recognition Motif. Our experiments shed new light on how T. brucei BSFs reorganise their transcriptome to deal with iron stress revealing the first iron responsive RNA binding protein that is co-regulated with TfR, is important for cell viability and iron homeostasis; two essential processes for successful proliferation

Gravitational Radiation from Coalescing Binary Neutron Stars

We calculate the gravitational radiation produced by the merger and coalescence of inspiraling binary neutron stars using 3-dimensional numerical simulations. The stars are modeled as polytropes and start out in the point-mass limit at wide separation. The hydrodynamic integration is performed using smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with Newtonian gravity, and the gravitational radiation is calculated using the quadrupole approximation. We have run several simulations, varying both the neutron star radius and the equation of state. The resulting gravitational wave energy spectra $dE/df$ are rich in information about the hydrodynamics of merger and coalescence. In particular, our results demonstrate that detailed information on both $GM/Rc^2$ and the equation of state can in principle be extracted from the spectrum.Comment: 33 pages, LaTex with RevTex macros; 21 figures available in compressed PostScript format via anonymous ftp to ftp://zonker.drexel.edu/papers/ns_coll_1 ; in press, Phys. Rev. D (Nov 15, 1994 issue

Post-Newtonian SPH calculations of binary neutron star coalescence. I. Method and first results

We present the first results from our Post-Newtonian (PN) Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code, which has been used to study the coalescence of binary neutron star (NS) systems. The Lagrangian particle-based code incorporates consistently all lowest-order (1PN) relativistic effects, as well as gravitational radiation reaction, the lowest-order dissipative term in general relativity. We test our code on sequences of single NS models of varying compactness, and we discuss ways to make PN simulations more relevant to realistic NS models. We also present a PN SPH relaxation procedure for constructing equilibrium models of synchronized binaries, and we use these equilibrium models as initial conditions for our dynamical calculations of binary coalescence. Though unphysical, since tidal synchronization is not expected in NS binaries, these initial conditions allow us to compare our PN work with previous Newtonian results. We compare calculations with and without 1PN effects, for NS with stiff equations of state, modeled as polytropes with $\Gamma=3$. We find that 1PN effects can play a major role in the coalescence, accelerating the final inspiral and causing a significant misalignment in the binary just prior to final merging. In addition, the character of the gravitational wave signal is altered dramatically, showing strong modulation of the exponentially decaying waveform near the end of the merger. We also discuss briefly the implications of our results for models of gamma-ray bursts at cosmological distances.Comment: RevTeX, 37 pages, 17 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. D, minor corrections onl

Gravitational Radiation from the Coalescence of Binary Neutron Stars: Effects Due to the Equation of State, Spin, and Mass Ratio

We calculate the gravitational radiation produced by the coalescence of inspiraling binary neutron stars in the Newtonian regime using 3-dimensional numerical simulations. The stars are modeled as polytropes and start out in the point-mass regime at wide separation. The hydrodynamic integration is performed using smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with Newtonian gravity, and the gravitational radiation is calculated using the quadrupole approximation. We have run a number of simulations varying the neutron star radii, equations of state, spins, and mass ratio. The resulting gravitational waveforms and spectra are rich in information about the hydrodynamics of coalescence, and show characteristic dependence on GM/Rc^2, the equation of state, and the mass ratio.Comment: 39 pages, uses Latex 2.09. To be published in the Dec. 15, 1996 issue of Physical Review D. 16 Figures (bitmapped). Originals available in compressed Postscript format at ftp://zonker.drexel.edu/papers/PAPER2

Discovery of the most luminous quasar of the last 9 Gyr

We report the discovery of a bright (g = 14.5 mag (AB), K = 11.9 mag (Vega)) quasar at redshift z = 0.83 -- the optically brightest (unbeamed) quasar at z > 0.4. SMSS J114447.77-430859.3, at a Galactic latitude of b = +18.1deg, was identified by its optical colours from the SkyMapper Southern Survey (SMSS) during a search for symbiotic binary stars. Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy reveals broad MgII, H-beta, H-alpha, and Pa-beta emission lines, from which we measure a black hole mass of log10(M_BH/M_Sun) = 9.4 +/- 0.5. With its high luminosity, L_bol = (4.7 +/- 1.0) * 10^47 erg/s or M_i(z=2) = -29.74 mag (AB), we estimate an Eddington ratio of ~1.4. As the most luminous quasar known over the last ~9 Gyr of cosmic history, having a luminosity 8 times greater than 3C 273, the source offers a range of potential follow-up opportunities.Comment: 13 pages. Accepted for publication in PAS

Gravitational Radiation from Rotational Instabilities in Compact Stellar Cores with Stiff Equations of State

We carry out 3-D numerical simulations of the dynamical instability in rapidly rotating stars initially modeled as polytropes with n = 1.5, 1.0, and 0.5. The calculations are done with a SPH code using Newtonian gravity, and the gravitational radiation is calculated in the quadrupole limit. All models develop the global m=2 bar mode, with mass and angular momentum being shed from the ends of the bar in two trailing spiral arms. The models then undergo successive episodes of core recontraction and spiral arm ejection, with the number of these episodes increasing as n decreases: this results in longer-lived gravitational wave signals for stiffer models. This instability may operate in a stellar core that has expended its nuclear fuel and is prevented from further collapse due to centrifugal forces. The actual values of the gravitational radiation amplitudes and frequencies depend sensitively on the radius of the star R_{eq} at which the instability develops.Comment: 39 pages, uses Latex 2.09. To be published in the Dec. 15, 1996 issue of Physical Review D. 21 figures (bitmapped). Originals available in compressed Postscript format at ftp://zonker.drexel.edu/papers/bars

Modelling Collision Products of Triple-Star Mergers

In dense stellar clusters, binary-single and binary-binary encounters can ultimately lead to collisions involving two or more stars. A comprehensive survey of multi-star collisions would need to explore an enormous amount of parameter space, but here we focus on a number of representative cases involving low-mass main-sequence stars. Using both Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) calculations and a much faster fluid sorting software package (MMAS), we study scenarios in which a newly formed product from an initial collision collides with a third parent star. By varying the order in which the parent stars collide, as well as the orbital parameters of the collision trajectories, we investigate how factors such as shock heating affect the chemical composition and structure profiles of the collision product. Our simulations and models indicate that the distribution of most chemical elements within the final product is not significantly affected by the order in which the stars collide, the direction of approach of the third parent star, or the periastron separations of the collisions. We find that the sizes of the products, and hence their collisional cross sections for subsequent encounters, are sensitive to the order and geometry of the collisions. For the cases that we consider, the radius of the product formed in the first (single-single star) collision ranges anywhere from roughly 2 to 30 times the sum of the radii of its parent stars. The final product formed in our triple-star collisions can easily be as large or larger than a typical red giant. We therefore expect the collisional cross section of a newly formed product to be greatly enhanced over that of a thermally relaxed star of the same mass.Comment: 20 pages, submitted to MNRA

Volunteering and well-being : do self-esteem, optimism, and perceived control mediate the relationship?

Volunteers play a vital role in modern societies by boosting the labor force within both the public and private sectors. While the factors that may lead people to volunteer have been investigated in a number of studies, the means by which volunteering contributes to the well-being of such volunteers is poorly understood. It has been suggested through studies that focus on the absence of depression in volunteers that self-esteem and sense of control may be major determinants of the increased well-being reported by volunteers. This is consistent with the homeostatic model of subjective well-being, which proposes that self-esteem, optimism, and perceived control act as buffers that mediate the relationship between environmental experience and subjective well-being (SWB). Using personal well-being as a more positive measure of well-being than absence of depression, this study further explored the possible mediating role of self-esteem, optimism, and perceived control in the relationship between volunteer status and well-being. Participants (N = 1,219) completed a 97-item survey as part of the Australian Unity Wellbeing project. Variables measured included personal well-being, self-esteem, optimism, and a number of personality and psychological adjustment factors. Analyses revealed that perceived control and optimism, but not self-esteem, mediated the relationship between volunteer status and personal well-being.<br /

The synthesis of trifluoromethylated N-nitroaryl-2-amino-1,3-dichloropropane derivatives and their evaluation as potential anti-cancer agents

Six N-nitroaryl-2-amino-1,3-dichloropropane derivatives have been prepared and evaluated against 18 cancer cell lines and two non-cancerous cell lines. Analysis of cell viability data and IC50 values indicated that the presence of a trifluoromethyl group in the nitroaryl moiety is an important structural feature associated with the compounds’ cytotoxicities