Apartment Rental Prices in Dallas

There are many questions in a graduating students mind such as “Will I get that job?” and “Where will I live?” We wanted to predict apartment rental prices in Dallas to give students an idea of what their living expenses could be. We found that an apartment\u27s distance from downtown Dallas and if the apartment has a pool are two factors that decrease the apartment\u27s overall rental price

Connecting of Disconnecting? Adoptive Parents’ Experiences of Post Adoption Contact and their Support Needs

In recent years adoption has increasingly been used to secure alternative permanent families for children in state care who cannot return home to their birth parents or other birth kin. This is referred to as public adoption or adoption from care, and is the main route to adoption in the UK. Alongside this, adoption has become increasingly more open. Many children adopted from care in Northern Ireland continue to have contact with members of their birth family after adoption. Often this contact involves face-to-face meetings, and/or letter-based contact with birth parents, siblings and other birth relatives. Supporting their children in maintaining contact with birth families, either directly or indirectly, can present a range of challenges and rewards for adoptive families. This study aimed to find out more about the extent of post-adoption contact in Northern Ireland, what form that contact takes, and the associated challenges and benefits for adoptive families. We wanted to understand more about what contact is like for adoptive families, what assistance is currently available to them, and how they might best be supported. The invitation to take part was open to all members of Adoption UK in Northern Ireland, but we specifically wanted to hear from those who have birth family contact.93 adoptive parents completed a web-based survey questionnaire and all indicated that they or their child had had some form of post-adoption contact with birth relatives. We also held four focus group interviews and a total of 26 adoptive parents took part in these discussions. The adoptive parents had a variety of arrangements for contact with a range of different birth relatives. The quality of relationships with birth relatives and their evaluation of the support they received were variable. It was clear, however, that contact involved complex relationship dynamics, and elicited strong emotions in parents and children. The study was funded by the Health and Social Care Board for Northern Ireland and facilitated by Adoption UK. The findings from the study are intended to inform the Health and Social Care Board in it’s commissioning of post-adoption support services and the Health and Social Care Trusts, and Adoption UK’s ongoing work with adoptive families.<br/

Differential response of primary alveolar type I and type II cells to LPS stimulation.

The alveolar epithelium serves as a barrier between organism and environment and functions as the first line of protection against potential respiratory pathogens. Alveolar type II (TII) cells have traditionally been considered the immune cells of the alveolar epithelium, as they possess immunomodulatory functions; however, the precise role of alveolar type I (TI) cells, which comprise ∼95% of the alveolar epithelial surface area, in lung immunity is not clear. We sought to determine if there was a difference in the response of TI and TII cells to lung injury and if TI cells could actively participate in the alveolar immune response. TI cells isolated via fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) from LPS-injured rats demonstrated greater fold-induction of multiple inflammatory mediators than TII cells isolated in the same manner from the same animals. Levels of the cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β from cultured primary rat TI cells after LPS stimulation were significantly increased compared to similarly studied primary rat TII cells. We found that contrary to published reports, cultured TII cells produce relatively small amounts of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β after LPS treatment; the higher levels of cytokine expression from cultured TII cells reported in the literature were likely from macrophage contamination due to traditional non-FACS TII cell isolation methods. Co-culture of TII cells with macrophages prior to LPS stimulation increased TNF-α and IL-6 production to levels reported by other investigators for TII cells, however, co-culture of TI cells and macrophages prior to LPS treatment resulted in marked increases in TNF-α and IL-6 production. Finally, exogenous surfactant blunted the IL-6 response to LPS in cultured TI cells. Taken together, these findings advocate a role for TI cells in the innate immune response and suggest that both TI and TII cells are active players in host defense mechanisms in the lung

Dental Anxiety: The Effects on Oral Health and Dental Treatment.

PosterObjective: The objective of this case presentation is to educate the dental professional on the management of a patient with dental anxiety. Assessment: A 20 year old Caucasian male presented to the dental hygiene clinic for a cleaning at the request of his grandmother. The patient reported a negative medical history with the exception of anxiety to dental care. Due to this anxiety, consent was obtained from the patient to speak with the grandmother in regards to his medical history. At this time, the grandmother disclosed that the patient had a traumatic dental experience as a child and has not been to the dentist since that event occurred. Clinically, the patient presented with generalized severe gingivitis as evidenced by red, rolled, spongy tissue with bleeding upon probing due to the presence of heavy calculus. Despite the inflammation present, bones levels are healthy. The patient reported never brushing his teeth due to pain and fear of causing pain to himself. DH Care plan: Patient received full mouth debridement, modified adult prophylaxis, and extensive oral hygiene instruction. Treatment: Experimental techniques were utilized throughout the course of treatment in order to ease anxiety while providing effective treatment. Results: Experimental methods that were used throughout treatment proved effective for the completion of full mouth debridement and adult prophylaxis. Conclusions: The patient presented with extensive gingivitis and heavy calculus deposits. For optimal success in the future, a short recall is necessary for the patient to receive continued extensive dental hygiene therapy

Anxiety, Uncertainty, Distress Tolerance, and Eating Disorder Symptoms as Related to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults

Adolescents and college-aged individuals are particularly at risk for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorders. Research is lacking regarding the cognitive and emotional factors behind the formation and maintenance of both types of pathology. This study examines anxiety, intolerance to uncertainty (IU), and distress tolerance in relation to both constructs in two separate samples (Sample 1: n=364, 58.5% freshmen, 75.8% female; Sample 2: n=156, 52.6% freshman, 66.0% female) with 32.4% and 40% reporting any history of NSSI, respectively. Participants completed a packet of questionnaires regarding the variables of interest and were debriefed and referred as necessary. In the first sample, it was hypothesized that anxiety, distress tolerance, and eating disorder symptoms would predict NSSI lifetime frequency and that distress tolerance would mediate the relationship between anxiety and NSSI. In the second sample, it was hypothesized that IU would be positively correlated with both NSSI and disordered eating. Results indicated that distress tolerance did mediate the relationship between anxiety and NSSI. Disordered eating was not significantly related to NSSI in either sample. IU was significantly related to both NSSI and disordered eating. Considering the impact uncertainty can have on young adults and adolescents and the increased rates in both groups, these results provide important implications for future research and treatment