Assertiveness, family history of hypertension and other psychological and biophysical variables as predictors of cardiovascular reactivity to social stress

This study was conducted to assess whether certain personality characteristics and a positive family history of hypertension are associated with excessive cardiovascular reactivity. Subjects (M = 28, F = 37) engaged in a laboratory task designed to serve as a social stressor. Subjects were separated into three groups based on their self-reports of assertiveness in social situations. It was hypothesized that high and low assertiveness groups would exhibit greater heart rate and cardiovascular reactivity than subjects with average assertiveness tendencies. This relationship was not supported although significant correlations were found between low assertiveness scores and increased systolic and diastolic reactivity measures. In addition, hostile assertive tendencies were significantly correlated to heart rate reactivity. Subjects with hypertensive parents exhibited significantly higher task anticipation reactivity than did children of normotensive parents. However, subjects with no family history of hypertension exhibited greater task performance reactivity than subjects with a family history of hypertension. The strongest predictors of resting blood pressure were biophysical variables while the best predictors of cardiovascular reactivity were psychological variables

Interactive Whiteboards: Impact on Fifth-Grade Writing Skills

Given current societal emphasis on technology mixed with the community pressures to succeed in an increasingly technological world, teachers and school districts find themselves focusing efforts on integrating technology and instruction more readily in their classrooms; their goal - to improve instructional practices and keep up with the developing, tech-savvy world. This thesis project discusses several clarifying questions - How much technology should schools be expected to provide? What types of instruction would most benefit students? The research study addresses the influence of the SMART board on students’ academic development, specifically in writing with regard to motivation and literacy. The project’s central question was: What effect does students\u27 use of interactive electronic white boards have on fifth-grade writing skills? This six week study was conducted in a suburban school district in Western New York. It included nine fifth grade students as well as teaching staff at the school. Data was collected using student and teacher surveys and observations. Teacher surveys included not only the four participant classrooms but an additional 22 instructors with SMART Board technology in their own classrooms. Student activities provided were literacy enriched and centered around writing. The activities included: whole group instruction, small group instruction, independent usage, games, and mini-lessons while using the SMART board. These learning practices were directly related to the writing process, organizational formats, grammar, and editing. Research conclusions support the use of SMART Board technology as a resource to enhance and improve writing literacy and student engagement

A role for CBFβ in mammary gland development and breast carcinogenesis

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a high survival rate when localised but a very poor prognosis in the metastatic stage of the disease. Recent whole genome/exon sequencing studies using human breast tumours have identified Cbf, for the first time, as a gene that is significantly mutated in breast cancer, alongside well-documented key players including TP53, GATA3, MAP3KI and PIK3CA. With Cbfβ mutated in ~5% of luminal breast cancers, it is one of the most frequently mutated genes but has not been previously linked to breast cancer. Cbfβ is the binding partner of the osteogenic transcription factor Runx2, for which a novel role as a regulator of mammary gland development and tumourigenesis has recently been shown. All members of the Runx family form heterodimeric complexes with the same co-transcription factor, core binding factor (Cbf). This complex can either activate or repress transcription of key regulators of growth, survival and differentiation pathways. This thesis describes a novel and exciting role for Cbfb in the regulation of normal mammary gland development, breast cancer progression and distal metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. This indicates a potential new definition for Cbfb as transcriptional master regulator capable of directing breast cancer pathogenesis

Setanta: a university-school collaboration project

This article reports on a collaborative project between the school of Computer Applications, Dublin City University (DCU) and St. Aidan's Secondary school. The project involves the development of courseware, which takes the form of a Virtual Art Museum (VAM), for use in Irish Secondary schools. It suggests that a partnership between Second and Third level institutions is one way of facilitating the creation of courseware and it highlights the organisational and technical challenges inherent in such a project. The paper traces the design and development of courseware, offers suggestions for improvements, and notes the pedagogical advantages of the courseware. The openness of the participants' to the learning of new skills is a key factor if this type of project is to succeed

Added value of a regional coupled model: the case study for marine heatwaves in the Caribbean

There is an urgent need to improve capacity to predict marine heatwaves given their substantial negative impacts on marine ecosystems. Here we present the added value of a regional climate simulation, performed with the regional Coupled-Ocean–Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport model COAWST, centered over the Caribbean – one of the first of its kind on a climatological scale. We show its added value with regards to temporal distribution of marine heatwaves, compared with state-of-the-art global models. In this region, global models tend to simulate too few heatwaves that last too long compared to the observation-based dataset of CoralTemp. The regional climate model agrees more favourably with the CoralTemp dataset, particularly in winter. While examining potential mechanisms behind the differences we find that the more realistic representation of marine heatwaves in the regional model arises from the sea surface temperatures ability to increase/decrease more quickly in the regional model than in the global model. The reason for this is two fold. Firstly, the regional model has a shallower mixed layer than the global model which results in a lower heat capacity that allows its sea surface temperatures to warm and cool more quickly. The second reason is found during days when marine heatwaves are increasing in intensity. During these days, reduced wind speeds leads to less latent heat release and a faster warming surface, more so in the regional model than in the global models.publishedVersio

Acoustic differentiation of Shiho- and Naisa-type short-finned pilot whales in the Pacific Ocean

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 114 (2017): 737–748, doi: 10.1121/1.4974858.Divergence in acoustic signals used by different populations of marine mammals can be caused by a variety of environmental, hereditary, or social factors, and can indicate isolation between those populations. Two types of genetically and morphologically distinct short-finned pilot whales, called the Naisa- and Shiho-types when first described off Japan, have been identified in the Pacific Ocean. Acoustic differentiation between these types would support their designation as sub-species or species, and improve the understanding of their distribution in areas where genetic samples are difficult to obtain. Calls from two regions representing the two types were analyzed using 24 recordings from Hawai‘i (Naisa-type) and 12 recordings from the eastern Pacific Ocean (Shiho-type). Calls from the two types were significantly differentiated in median start frequency, frequency range, and duration, and were significantly differentiated in the cumulative distribution of start frequency, frequency range, and duration. Gaussian mixture models were used to classify calls from the two different regions with 74% accuracy, which was significantly greater than chance. The results of these analyses indicate that the two types are acoustically distinct, which supports the hypothesis that the two types may be separate sub-species.Funding for Hawaiian data collection was provided by grants from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and Office of Naval Research, as well as Commander, Pacific Fleet. The SoundTrap was purchased with funding from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/National Science Foundation Interdisciplinary Graduate Education in Research Techniques fellowship program. DMON data collection and portions of the analysis were funded by the Office of Naval Research [Grant Nos. N000141110612 (T.A.M. and R.W.B.) and N00014-15-1-2299 (M.A.R.); Program Manager Michael J. Weise], and WHOI Marine Mammal Center and the Sawyer and Penzance Endowed Funds to T.A.M

Benefits, Facilitators, Barriers, and Strategies to Improve Pesticide Protective Behaviors: Insights from Farmworkers in North Carolina Tobacco Fields

Pesticide exposure is associated with deleterious health effects. Prior studies suggest Latino farmworkers perceive little control over their occupational health. Using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical guide, we explored the perceptions of Latino farmworkers working in tobacco in North Carolina (n = 72) about benefits and facilitators of pesticide protective behaviors as well as barriers, and strategies to overcome barriers to their use. Interviews were conducted with participants at farmworker housing during non-work time. Qualitative data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Farmworkers recognized pesticide protective behaviors as helping them to not get sick and stay healthy. Farmworkers perceived work experience as facilitating protective behaviors. Wetness in the field was the most commonly cited barrier to protective behavior use. To overcome this barrier, farmworkers suggested use of water-resistant outerwear, as well as packing a change of clothes for mid-day, with space and time to change provided by employers. Examination of the efficacy and feasibility of farmworkers’ suggestions for addressing barriers is warranted. Training and behavior modeling by experienced peers may improve behavior adoption and perceived control

Selling sex in unsafe spaces: sex work risk environments in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The risk environment framework provides a valuable but under-utilised heuristic for understanding environmental vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers. Brothels have been shown to be safer than street-based sex work, with higher rates of consistent condom use and lower HIV prevalence. While entertainment venues are also assumed to be safer than street-based sex work, few studies have examined environmental influences on vulnerability to HIV in this context.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>As part of the Young Women's Health Study, a prospective observational study of young women (15-29 years) engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh, we conducted in-depth interviews (n = 33) to explore vulnerability to HIV/STI and related harms. Interviews were conducted in Khmer by trained interviewers, transcribed and translated into English and analysed for thematic content.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The intensification of anti-prostitution and anti-trafficking efforts in Cambodia has increased the number of women working in entertainment venues and on the street. Our results confirm that street-based sex work places women at risk of HIV/STI infection and identify significant environmental risks related to entertainment-based sex work, including limited access to condoms and alcohol-related intoxication. Our data also indicate that exposure to violence and interactions with the police are mediated by the settings in which sex is sold. In particular, transacting sex in environments such as guest houses where there is little or no oversight in the form of peer or managerial support or protection, may increase vulnerability to HIV/STI.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Entertainment venues may also provide a high risk environment for sex work. Our results indicate that strategies designed to address HIV prevention among brothel-based FSWs in Cambodia have not translated well to street and entertainment-based sex work venues in which increasing numbers of women are working. There is an urgent need for targeted interventions, supported by legal and policy reforms, designed to reduce the environmental risks of sex work in these settings. Future research should seek to investigate sex work venues as risk environments, explore the role of different business models in mediating these environments, and identify and quantify exposure to risk in different occupational settings.</p

Sex work and HIV in Cambodia: trajectories of risk and disease in two cohorts of high-risk young women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Objectives HIV prevalence among Cambodian female sex workers (FSW) is among the highest in Southeast Asia. We describe HIV prevalence and associated risk exposures in FSW sampled serially in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Young Women's Health Study (YWHS)), before and after the implementation of a new law designed to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Design Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from two prospective cohorts. Setting Community-based study in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Participants Women aged 15–29 years, reporting ≥2 sexual partners in the last month and/or engaged in transactional sex in the last 3 months, were enrolled in the studies in 2007 (N=161; YWHS-1), and 2009 (N=220; YWHS-2) following information sessions where 285 and 345 women attended. Primary outcomes HIV prevalence, sexual risk behaviour, amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) and alcohol use, and work-related factors were compared in the two groups, enrolled before and after implementation of the new law. Results Participants in the two cohorts were similar in age (median 25 years), but YWHS-2 women reported fewer sex partners, more alcohol use and less ATS use. A higher proportion of YWHS-2 compared with YWHS-1 women worked in entertainment-based venues (68% vs 31%, respectively). HIV prevalence was significantly lower in the more recently sampled women: 9.2% (95% CI 4.5% to 13.8%) vs 23% (95% CI 16.5% to 29.7%). Conclusions Sex work context and risk have shifted among young FSW in Phnom Penh, following implementation of anti-prostitution and anti-trafficking laws. While both cohorts were recruited using the same eligibility criteria, more recently sampled women had lower prevalence of sexual risk and HIV infection. Women engaging more directly in transactional sex have become harder to sample and access. Future prevention research and programmes need to consider how new policies and demographic changes in FSW impact HIV transmission

Condom negotiation across different relationship types by young women engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia’s 100% Condom Use Programme is credited with an increase in consistent condom use in commercial sexual interactions and a decrease in HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs). There has been little improvement in condom use between FSWs and non-commercial partners, prompting calls for more innovative approaches to increasing condom use in these relationships. To understand why condoms are used or not used in sexual interactions involving FSWs we examined condom negotiation across different types of relationship. We conducted 33 in-depth interviews with young (15 to 29 years) women engaged in sex work in Phnom Penh. There was an important interplay between the meanings of condom use and the meanings of women’s relationships. Commercial relationships were characterised as inherently risky and necessitated condom use. Despite a similar lack of sexual fidelity, sweetheart relationships were rarely construed as risky and typically did not involve condom use. Husbands and wives constructed their sexual interactions with each other differently, making agreement on condom use difficult. The lack of improvements in condom use in FSWs’ non-commercial sexual relationships needs to be understood in relation to both sex work and the broader Cambodian sexual culture within which these relationships take place. Keywords: Female sex workers; condoms; sexually transmitted infections; HIV; Cambodia IntroductionNational Institutes of Health (NIH) grants: U01AI0154241, 1R21 DA025441, and 1R01NR01099