Computer Mediated Communication: Providing Pastoral Care to Youth in “A High Tech” World

This study used a hermeneutical methodology to explore how Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) can be used to provide pastoral care to youth in a high tech world. The research was motivated by the writers desire to find ways to be in communication with youth and provide pastoral care to them during their adolescent years. The thesis will explore computer mediated communication and its usefulness in providing pastoral care to youth by exploring the benefits and limitations, how it can be abused, namely cyber bullying, how it can provide an opportunity for mentoring and a theological reflection on how it can work in the church. The hermeneutical research leads the reader through information on CMC, the hazards of using this type of technology and the benefits that this technology lends for providing pastoral care in the parish

Virtual-crystal approximation that works: Locating a composition phase boundary in Pb(Zr_{1-x}Ti_3)O_3

We present a new method for modeling disordered solid solutions, based on the virtual crystal approximation (VCA). The VCA is a tractable way of studying configurationally disordered systems; traditionally, the potentials which represent atoms of two or more elements are averaged into a composite atomic potential. We have overcome significant shortcomings of the standard VCA by developing a potential which yields averaged atomic properties. We perform the VCA on a ferroelectric oxide, determining the energy differences between the high-temperature rhombohedral, low-temperature rhombohedral and tetragonal phases of Pb(Zr_{1-x}Ti_x)O_3 at x=0.5 and comparing these results to superlattice calculations and experiment. We then use our new method to determine the preferred structural phase at x=0.4. We find that the low-temperature rhombohedral phase becomes the ground state at x=0.4, in agreement with experimental findings.Comment: 5 pages, no figure

Amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles stabilize bacillus anthracis protective antigen

Advancements toward an improved vaccine against Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, have focused on formulations composed of the protective antigen (PA) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide. However, due to the labile nature of PA, antigen stability is a primary concern for vaccine development. Thus, there is a need for a delivery system capable of preserving the immunogenicity of PA through all the steps of vaccine fabrication, storage, and administration. In this work, we demonstrate that biodegradable amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles, which have previously been shown to provide controlled antigen delivery, antigen stability, immune modulation, and protection in a single dose against a pathogenic challenge, can stabilize and release functional PA. These nanoparticles demonstrated polymer hydrophobicity-dependent preservation of the biological function of PA upon encapsulation, storage (over extended times and elevated temperatures), and release. Specifically, fabrication of amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles composed of 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane and 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6- dioxaoctane best preserved PA functionality. These studies demonstrate the versatility and superiority of amphiphilic nanoparticles as vaccine delivery vehicles suitable for long-term storage

Amphiphilic Polyanhydride Nanoparticles Stabilize \u3ci\u3eBacillus anthracis\u3c/i\u3e Protective Antigen

Advancements towards an improved vaccine against Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, have focused on formulations composed of the protective antigen (PA) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide. However, due to the labile nature of PA, antigen stability is a primary concern for vaccine development. Thus, there is a need for a delivery system capable of preserving the immunogenicity of PA through all the steps of vaccine fabrication, storage, and administration. In this work, we demonstrate that biodegradable amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles, which have previously been shown to provide controlled antigen delivery, antigen stability, immune modulation, and protection in a single dose against a pathogenic challenge, can stabilize and release functional PA. These nanoparticles demonstrated polymer hydrophobicity-dependent preservation of the biological function of PA upon encapsulation, storage (over extended times and elevated temperatures), and release. Specifically, fabrication of amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticles composed of 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane and 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6- dioxaoctane best preserved PA functionality. These studies demonstrate the versatility and superiority of amphiphilic nanoparticles as vaccine delivery vehicles suitable for long-term storage

First-principles study of (BiScO3){1-x}-(PbTiO3){x} piezoelectric alloys

We report a first-principles study of a class of (BiScO3)_{1-x}-(PbTiO3)_x (BS-PT) alloys recently proposed by Eitel et al. as promising materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. We show that (i) BS-PT displays very large structural distortions and polarizations at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) (we obtain a c/a of ~1.05-1.08 and P_tet of ~1.1 C/m^2); (ii) the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of BS-PT are dominated by the onset of hybridization between Bi/Pb-6p and O-2p orbitals, a mechanism that is enhanced upon substitution of Pb by Bi; and (iii) the piezoelectric responses of BS-PT and Pb(Zr_{1-x}Ti_x)O3 (PZT) at the MPB are comparable, at least as far as the computed values of the piezoelectric coefficient d_15 are concerned. While our results are generally consistent with experiment, they also suggest that certain intrinsic properties of BS-PT may be even better than has been indicated by experiments to date. We also discuss results for PZT that demonstrate the prominent role played by Pb displacements in its piezoelectric properties.Comment: 6 pages, with 3 postscript figures embedded. Uses REVTEX and epsf macros. Also available at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~dhv/preprints/ji_bi/index.htm

Variance Decomposition of the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID) system: Assessing sources of influence and reliability of observations of parent-teen interactions

The Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID) is an observational tool that measures warmth and dominance dynamics in real time and is sensitive to individual, dyadic, and contextual influences. Parent-adolescent interpersonal dynamics, which conceptually map onto parenting styles, are an integral part of positive adolescent adjustment and protect against risky outcomes. The current study’s goal was to test the degree to which sources of influence on CAID data observed in a previous study of married couples generalize to a sample of parent-adolescent dyads. We examined data from ten raters who rated moment-to-moment warmth and dominance using CAID in a sample of 61 parent-adolescent dyads (N = 122) who were largely non-Hispanic White (62%) or African American (30%) based on parent report (adolescent M age = 14; 57% female). Dyads interacted in four different discussion segments (situations). We applied Generalizability Theory to delineate several sources of variance in CAID parameters and estimated within and between-person reliability. Results revealed a number of different influences, including the person, kinsperson (adolescent versus parent), dyad, rater, situation, and interactions among these factors, on ratings of parent-adolescent interpersonal behavior. These results largely replicate results from married couples, suggesting that the factors that influence ratings of interpersonal interactions largely generalize across sample types

Retention of structure, antigenicity, and biological function of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) released from polyanhydride nanoparticles

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a choline-binding protein which is a virulence factor found on the surface of all Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Vaccination with PspA has been shown to be protective against a lethal challenge with S. pneumoniae, making it a promising immunogen for use in vaccines. Herein, the design of a PspA-based subunit vaccine using polyanhydride nanoparticles as a delivery platform is described. Nanoparticles based on sebacic acid (SA), 1,6-bis-(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane (CPH) and 1,8-bis-(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6- dioxaoctane (CPTEG), specifically 50:50 CPTEG:CPH and 20:80 CPH:SA, were used to encapsulate and release PspA. The protein released from the nanoparticle formulations retained its primary and secondary structure as well as its antigenicity. The released PspA was also biologically functional based on its ability to bind to apolactoferrin and prevent its bactericidal activity towards Escherichia coli. When the PspA nanoparticle formulations were administered subcutaneously to mice, the animals elicited a high titer and high avidity anti-PspA antibody response. Together, these studies provide a framework for the rational design of a vaccine against S. pneumoniae based on polyanhydride nanoparticles

Role of whole grains versus fruits and vegetables in reducing subclinical inflammation and promoting gastrointestinal health in individuals affected by overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Whole grains (WG) and fruits and vegetables (FV) have been shown to reduce the risk of metabolic disease, possibly via modulation of the gut microbiota. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of increasing intake of either WG or FV on inflammatory markers and gut microbiota composition. Methods: A randomized parallel arm feeding trial was completed on forty-nine subjects with overweight or obesity and low intakes of FV and WG. Individuals were randomized into three groups (3 servings/d provided): WG, FV, and a control (refined grains). Stool and blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study and after 6 weeks. Inflammatory markers [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)] were measured. Stool sample analysis included short/branched chain fatty acids (S/BCFA) and microbiota composition. Results: There was a significant decrease in LBP for participants on the WG (− 0.2 μg/mL, p = 0.02) and FV (− 0.2 μg/mL, p = 0.005) diets, with no change in those on the control diet (0.1 μg/mL, p = 0.08). The FV diet induced a significant change in IL-6 (− 1.5 pg/mL, p = 0.006), but no significant change was observed for the other treatments (control, − 0.009 pg/mL, p = 0.99; WG, − 0.29, p = 0.68). The WG diet resulted in a significant decrease in TNF-α (− 3.7 pg/mL; p \u3c 0.001), whereas no significant effects were found for those on the other diets (control, − 0.6 pg/mL, p =0.6; FV, − 1.4 pg/mL, p = 0.2). The treatments induced individualized changes in microbiota composition such that treatment group differences were not identified, except for a significant increase in α-diversity in the FV group. The proportions of Clostridiales (Firmicutes phylum) at baseline were correlated with the magnitude of change in LBP during the study Conclusions: These data demonstrate that WG and FV intake can have positive effects on metabolic health; however, different markers of inflammation were reduced on each diet suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effects were facilitated via different mechanisms. The anti-inflammatory effects were not related to changes in gut microbiota composition during the intervention, but were correlated with microbiota composition at baseline

Lattice instabilities of PbZrO3/PbTiO3 [1:1] superlattices from first principles

Ab initio phonon calculations for the nonpolar reference structures of the (001), (110), and (111) PbZrO_3/PbTiO_3 [1:1] superlattices are presented. The unstable polar modes in the tetragonal (001) and (110) structures are confined in either the Ti- or the Zr-centered layers and display two-mode behavior, while in the cubic (111) case one-mode behavior is observed. Instabilities with pure oxygen character are observed in all three structures. The implications for the ferroelectric behavior and related properties are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, 7 tables, submitted to PR

A Geometric Formulation of Quantum Stress Fields

We present a derivation of the stress field for an interacting quantum system within the framework of local density functional theory. The formulation is geometric in nature and exploits the relationship between the strain tensor field and Riemannian metric tensor field. Within this formulation, we demonstrate that the stress field is unique up to a single ambiguous parameter. The ambiguity is due to the non-unique dependence of the kinetic energy on the metric tensor. To illustrate this formalism, we compute the pressure field for two phases of solid molecular hydrogen. Furthermore, we demonstrate that qualitative results obtained by interpreting the hydrogen pressure field are not influenced by the presence of the kinetic ambiguity.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Physical Review B. This paper supersedes cond-mat/000627