Sextually Active Youth: A Nationally Representative Study of Youth Sexting and Peer Influence in the United States

Purpose: This study aims to better understand adolescent sexting and peer influence in the United States. Sexting is defined as the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or suggestive photos and videos of oneself (Bianchi et al. 2019; Bragard and Fisher 2021; Döring 2014). This study builds upon current adolescent sexting literature by analyzing the impact of gender identity, sexual orientation, pornography consumption frequency, and peer sexting on youth sexting frequency. Methods: Data for this study came from the Technology Facilitated Abuse Survey from the Crimes Against Children Research Center. Respondents were ages 18-28 (N=1982); the sample was slightly older and more female than the national average. Survey weights allow for nationally representative estimates. I used Pearson chi-square tests to assess the association between predictor variables and youth sexting frequency. I then performed ordered logistic regressions to analyze the differences between sexting frequency outcomes among my predictor variables, controlling for all other factors. Results: Less than 30% of youth engaged in sexting (17% rarely and 12% often). Over 60% reported their friends were sexting. Those more likely to sext included females, non-heterosexuals, those who watched pornography often, and those with any friends who sexted. Those with any friends sexting were 3.6 times more likely to sext often compared to those with no friends sexting. Conclusions: Socioeconomic status and high Adverse Childhood Experiences did not predict sexting frequency, indicating that certain groups of at-risk youth are no more likely to engage in sexting than their less risk-prone peers. As school offers the primary source of adolescent socialization, sex education curricula should include sexting education and digital literacy. These forms of education can provide youth with accurate information and address risks associated with sexting and pornography consumption. Having accurate information on sexting may minimize the association of peer influence on youth sexting frequency

Characterization of Pro-inflammatory and Anti-inflammatory Microglia in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with functional abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain area that mediates social behavior. Given evidence of a role of inflammation in ASD, markers of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory microglia were studied using postmortem ACC tissues from ASD and age-matched typically developed control donors. Gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory (CD68, HLA-DRA, IL1B, NOS2, PTGS2) and anti-inflammatory (ARG1, IGF1, MRC1, PPARG) microglial genes were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, brain sections were immunohistochemically stained for a microglial marker. Expression levels of IGF1 were modestly higher, while the expression of MRC1 was modestly lower in ASD donors when compared to control donors. No other differences in gene expression levels between the two groups of donors were observed. Statistical significance for changes in expression levels IGF1 and MRC1 did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Further research on anti-inflammatory microglial involvement in ASD is warranted

Evaluating Progress toward SB375 Implementation: A Long‐term View

Consideration of progress toward SB 375’s goals must take into account the governance paradox that underpins SB375.  There is a notable disconnect between the law’s unequivocal affirmation of local land use authority and the importance it places on regional visions for future land use and transportation.  This is a central challenge facing implementation of the law. Over the long term, local governments and the land use and development policies they pursue will decisively influence progress on SB375.  General Plans produced by California cities are thus a key component of SB375’s success. They articulate city by city how the state will grow.  My review of a 31‐city sample of General Plans suggests that many cities could improve their plans in key dimensions to provide for greater alignment with SB 375 principles

Survey of Local Sustainability Practices in California

This report conveys the Round I results of the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) sponsored survey of local governments’ sustainability practices in California. The report is organized in two sections. Part I discusses the development and administration of the survey. Part II reports and examines the survey results. The SGC has an important interest in measuring local government activity to improve environmental sustainability. Captured in Spring 2012, these measurements establish a baseline snapshot of city- and county-level efforts to increase the resource efficiency of both local governments and the communities they serve. These baseline data provide a view of local government sustainability activity across various sectors and the factors that may encourage local governments to enhance their efforts further. When paired with future survey measurements, the data will allow the Council to identify trends in local sustainability efforts over time, as well as to assess the impact on local sustainability of the SGC sponsored Sustainable Communities Learning Network

Cultivating Cooperation without Control: A Study of California’s MPO-Driven Smart Growth Programs

California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB375) establishes a new framework for the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that plan and allocate federal funding for regional transportation investments in California. MPOs must plan for transportation investments that would support land use and development patterns to reduce automobile reliance and transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions; this plan is called the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). MPOs themselves have no direct control, however, over land use and development patterns. SB375 anticipates that they will instead leverage the federal transportation funds at their disposal to incentivize local land use decisions compatible with their SCS (and ultimately SB 375 GHG reduction goals). Four longstanding MPO-driven programs to encourage smart growth in the state’s four largest metropolitan regions are examined to determine whether such incentives are likely to achieve the desired results

Universality of Schmidt decomposition and particle identity

Schmidt decomposition is a widely employed tool of quantum theory which plays a key role for distinguishable particles in scenarios such as entanglement characterization, theory of measurement and state purification. Yet, its formulation for identical particles remains controversial, jeopardizing its application to analyze general many-body quantum systems. Here we prove, using a newly developed approach, a universal Schmidt decomposition which allows faithful quantification of the physical entanglement due to the identity of particles. We find that it is affected by single-particle measurement localization and state overlap. We study paradigmatic two-particle systems where identical qubits and qutrits are located in the same place or in separated places. For the case of two qutrits in the same place, we show that their entanglement behavior, whose physical interpretation is given, differs from that obtained before by different methods. Our results are generalizable to multiparticle systems and open the way for further developments in quantum information processing exploiting particle identity as a resource

Moringa Oleifera Phytochemical Composition And The Influence Of Environmental Growing Conditions

Moringa oleifera is an important plant as it contains a large amount of necessary nutrients for humans including protein, vitamins, and minerals. It also could useful for other purposes such as biofuel, animal fodder, and as a water clarifier. In this work a M. oleifera ethanolic extract reconstituted in borate buffer was analyzed using absorbance, fluorescence, and capillary electrophoresis for the presumptive and quantitative measurement of the phytochemical isoquercetin. The absorbance and fluorescence data presumptively indicated that isoquercetin was present in the extract along with other phytochemicals. Capillary electrophoresis electropherogram data with the neutral marker mesityl oxide indicated that the species of interest on the electropherogram were anionic. A standard addition of isoquercetin using capillary electrophoresis separation resulted in a calculated extract concentration of 312 ± 42 µM isoquercetin. A repeat standard addition is necessary to increase precision of the isoquercetin concentration. Another aspect of this project was creating a UV supplemented, hydroponic growing model for M. oleifera in order to stimulate more phytochemical production. Prototype results were promising, however, the completed model grew plants with an abnormal morphology. Further testing is needed to determine the cause before plants grown with the model can be analyzed using the aforementioned techniques

Madame de Staël e la scrittura come militanza politica: il pamphlet in difesa di Maria Antonietta

During the years of the French Revolution, writing was Madame de Staël's main weapon to influence political events. Although theoretical and practical intentions are inextricably linked in her production, the work Réflexions sur le procès de la reine, composed in 1793, a few weeks before the trial that would lead to Marie Antoinette's death sentence, constitutes a perfect example of a pamphlet due to its polemical, sometimes aggressive and, in any case, denunciatory character. Identifying a target audience of women only, the work aims on the one hand to defend and to redefine the queen's image in the face of public opinion, and on the other hand to condemn the Terror, to unmask the mechanisms through which the Jacobins are able to mobilise and manipulate the people by appealing to their passions, first and foremost envy and partisan spirit

Sociedades de economía mixta: análisis del sistema de gestión contable y de control interno de la agencia Córdoba deportes SEM

Trabajo final de posgrado (Especialización en Contabilidad Superior y Auditoría)El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar el Sistema de Gestión Contable y de Control Interno de la Agencia Córdoba Deportes; para determinar su eficacia y proponer lineamientos para lograr mejoras. Del análisis de los resultados, surge que el sistema de gestión contable contiene todas las previsiones que permiten llevar una contabilidad privada y una contabilidad pública. En este último caso, permite cumplir con las disposiciones de Ley de Administración financiera Nro. 9086 de la Provincia de Córdoba. Por lo expuesto, en dicho sistema contable se entrelazan todos los conceptos y particularidades de Contabilidad pública y privada. Respecto al sistema de control interno, mediante entrevistas y observaciones, se logró relevar los controles existentes, los cuales requieren intervenciones para mejorar su efectividad. Partiendo de ello, se realizó un análisis de riesgos y con la metodología del Informe COSO, se proponen lineamientos para el rediseño del sistema de control interno existente.Fil: Sciara, Federico. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina

Emotional Expression of #body on Instagram

Our aim was to explore emotions in Instagram images marked with hashtags referring to body image–related components using an artificial intelligence–based discrete emotional analysis. A total of 500 Instagram photos marked by specific hashtags related to body image components were analyzed and specific discrete emotions expressed in each picture were detected using the Emotion application program interface API from Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service. Results showed that happiness and neutrality were the most intense and recognizable emotions expressed in all images. Happiness intensity was significantly higher in images with #bodyimage and #bodyconfidence and higher levels of neutral emotion were found in images tagged with #body, #bodyfitness, and #thininspirational. This study integrated a discrete emotional model with the conventional dimensional one, and offered a higher degree of granularity in the analysis of emotions–body link on Instagram through an artificial intelligence technology. Future research should deepen the use of discrete emotions on Instagram and the role of neutrality in body image representation