Mental Illnesses and Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Care in the Vietnamese Community in Austin, Texas from The Perspectives of Community Leaders and Providers

Vietnamese Americans are often grouped into the model minority category; however, national demographics show that Vietnamese Americans may experience greater disadvantages compared to other Asian-American groups. Furthermore, Vietnamese Americans have a unique immigration history due to many seeking refuge from the Vietnam War. A history of fleeing war and attempting to adapt to a new culture in the United States have greatly influenced Vietnamese Americans’ way of life and mental health. Despite the rapid growth of the Vietnamese population in Austin, Texas, few studies have focused on this group in the city, especially in the context of mental health. In this study, I explored factors influencing Vietnamese Americans’ mental illnesses and barriers to seeking mental health assistance in Austin, Texas. A total of 12 community leaders and providers who are familiar with the Vietnamese population in Austin were interviewed to gather diverse narratives of experiences within the community. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, then qualitatively analyzed for common themes. The findings from the study provide a summary of mental illnesses and mental health access in the Vietnamese community. More importantly, the findings bring attention to the critical need of culturally specific mental health resources that take into account factors discussed by the participants, such as Asian family dynamics and differences between western and eastern mental health ideologies. This study will help agencies and non-profit organizations establish appropriate mental health initiatives for the Vietnamese community in Austin, Texas.Kinesiology and Health EducationDell Medical Schoo

Experimental validation of computer simulations of ceramic core injection processes

In this study, a computer simulation of a three-dimensional transient ceramic injection molding (CIM) process, developed by the Advanced Casting Laboratory at the University of Tennessee for Howmet Research Corporation, was experimentally validated. Experiments were designed and conducted to measure temperature of ceramic core material as a function of time for both filling and packing stages of the injection molding process. In addition to fluid temperature, die wall temperature data were also collected for this analysis. The results were used to validate the CIM model to insure that ProCAST simulation is realistic and accurate. The experiments were conducted under production conditions at Howmet Casting Support manufacturing facility in Morristown, Tennessee. The temperature data were taken at both 30-milliseconds and 60-milliseconds sampling rates. A total of twenty experimental runs for each sampling rate were conducted. An error band was developed from the results of the experiments. The temperature data are presented here in non- dimensionalized form so that they can be used for validation of computer modeling simulations under various initial and ambient conditions. The results indicate that the average heat transfer coefficients (h) in the range of 1,800 W/m² K to 2,200 W/m² K best represent experimentally observed thermal characteristics of the filling and solidifying process. The flow patterns observed from short shot pictures are best approximated by flow simulation patterns using isothermal wall boundary conditionAlso, the computer model accurately predicts the high shear heating observed at specific locations in the cavity during the filling process

Real time monitoring of Cell-Nanoparticles interaction and tracking internalization process by mechanical probing using Atomic Force Microscopy

With extensive development of nanotechnology in last few years, scientists have discovered that nanoparticles (NPs) can be used as an efficient Drug Delivery System (DOS). In order to develop better NPs based drug delivery tool, it is imperative to understand the interaction between the NPs and the cell membrane. In our earlier studies, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) have been reported to have therapeutic properties, specifically against abnormalities associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, CNPs with different sizes and morphology were selected to understand the interaction with cell. We analyzed the mechanical property of human nasal septum tumor cells membranes using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) with and without CNPs. In particular, Force-Distance spectroscopy mode was used to estimate the elasticity of cells membrane. Different concentrations (0, 50, 125 and 250 µM) of CNPs were added to the cells (squamous cells; CCL30) and incubated for different time periods (0, 15, 30 and 60 minutes). Cell membrane elasticity/Young\u27s modulus was calculated using a modified Hertz model. Changes in the cell elasticity were observed in high concentration of CNPs when treated with one hour. Significant changes in cell elasticity were observed at high concentration of CNPs for one hour of incubation. No significant change in cell elasticity was observed over one hour time period for 50 µM of CNPs. Moreover, by using selected inhibitors to block different cell mediated internalization pathways, we also investigated the correlation between the cellular uptake and the tracking of NPs with their size. Specifically, similar change in cell elasticity was observed after blocking the cell energy production for CNPs with smaller diameter (3-5 nm). On the other hand, bigger size NPs (20-30 nm) showed no change in cell elasticity after blocking the cell energy production. These results indicate that 3-5 nm particles internalize cell by non-energy dependent pathway i.e. passive diffusion whereas 20-30 nm particles entered in cell by energy dependent pathways i.e. endocytosis of particles. Further, we have also identified the cellular uptake of 20-30 nm particles is by enclosing those CNPs in membrane vesicles in caveolae-mediated endocytosis mechanism. In summary, these results indicate that the nanoparticles-cell interaction has pronounced influence on the shape and size of the nanoparticles. These interactions can be further monitored by real time mechanical property measurement of cell membrane

A Study on Small Vehicle Structure in Rear Under-Ride Impact by Using A CAE Based Methodology

This study simulated and evaluated the safety of a small car structure in a collision with the rear of a truck. The parameters of bumpers currently used in Vietnam were employed to build a model of the rear truck bumper. The setting of simulation conditions was based on the NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) crash test. According to actual crash conditions, a collision simulation was performed with different vehicle speeds from 40 to 60 km/h, corresponding to the case of a passenger vehicle moving in a city colliding with a truck standing still. In addition, the percentage of rear-end collision was also taken into account, just like in real-world collisions, at 25%, 50%, and full rear impact. The simulation results were analyzed and evaluated according to the IIHS rating (Institute Insurance for Highway Safety). The results from different case studies showed that the rear bumper typically used on trucks is only safe for passenger cars in a collision at a low speed of 40 km/h and that in a collision at a higher speed will affect the passenger’s safe space and cause high injuries and casualties. Therefore, it is necessary to improve safety by optimizing the rear bumper design and the frontal structure of the small car chassis

A Study on Small Vehicle Structure in Rear Under-Ride Impact by Using A CAE Based Methodology

This study simulated and evaluated the safety of a small car structure in a collision with the rear of a truck. The parameters of bumpers currently used in Vietnam were employed to build a model of the rear truck bumper. The setting of simulation conditions was based on the NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) crash test. According to actual crash conditions, a collision simulation was performed with different vehicle speeds from 40 to 60 km/h, corresponding to the case of a passenger vehicle moving in a city colliding with a truck standing still. In addition, the percentage of rear-end collision was also taken into account, just like in real-world collisions, at 25%, 50%, and full rear impact. The simulation results were analyzed and evaluated according to the IIHS rating (Institute Insurance for Highway Safety). The results from different case studies showed that the rear bumper typically used on trucks is only safe for passenger cars in a collision at a low speed of 40 km/h and that in a collision at a higher speed will affect the passenger’s safe space and cause high injuries and casualties. Therefore, it is necessary to improve safety by optimizing the rear bumper design and the frontal structure of the small car chassis

Weighted estimates for powers and smoothing estimates of Schrödinger operators with inverse-square potentials

Let \La be a Schr\"odinger operator with inverse square potential $a|x|^{-2}$ on \Rd, d\geq 3. The main aim of this paper is to prove weighted estimates for fractional powers of \La. The proof is based on weighted Hardy inequalities and weighted inequalities for square functions associated to \La. As an application, we obtain smoothing estimates regarding the propagator e^{it\La}

Weighted estimates for powers and smoothing estimates of Schrödinger operators with inverse-square potentials

Let \La be a Schr\"odinger operator with inverse square potential $a|x|^{-2}$ on \Rd, d\geq 3. The main aim of this paper is to prove weighted estimates for fractional powers of \La. The proof is based on weighted Hardy inequalities and weighted inequalities for square functions associated to \La. As an application, we obtain smoothing estimates regarding the propagator e^{it\La}