Current Sexual Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Women

The incidence of HIV among women of childbearing age in the United States continues to rise. Literature and statistics show that the number of new HIV infections continue to increase, despite the fact that the transmission of the disease is preventable. The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe the current sexual practices on HIV-positive women and to determine whether these behaviors had changed since the diagnosis of HIV. A convenience sample (N = 13) of HIV-positive women was obtained from a support group for HIV-positive women in a metropolitan city in the Southeastern United States. Albert Bandura\u27s Social Learning Theory guided the research study. The participants completed a researcher- devised questionnaire with demographic information and questions regarding previous and current sexual practices. The responses were entered onto a spreadsheet and analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that although the sample had a decrease in the frequency of sexual activity since the diagnosis of HIV, they 1 1 1 continued to engage in sexual behavior without the use of barrier protection. HIV-positive women expressed fear, lack of interest, and lack of a sexual partner as reasons for sexual behavior changes. Recommendations for further researcher included replication of this study with grounded theory, working with HIV-positive women who are not in a support group, conduction of a study looking at the motivation for changing risk behaviors, and the conduction of a qualitative study exploring the meaning of the experience of being HIV positive

Communities In Conflict: A Critical Look Into Police And Deaf Interactions In Central Kentucky

The purpose of this study is to examine historical and social patterns of audism, as expressed through criminal justice institutions, within local communities in central Kentucky. Previous research has pointed to patterns of discrimination by surveying either police or deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people. By conducting research with members of both populations, the present study is able to explore the respective experiences and opinions on various topics, including knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), criminal justice policy and procedure, and the interaction techniques utilized by law enforcement. Themes and patterns emerge showing the disconnect between a marginalized group and those who are sworn to protect them. By providing a rich foundation of Deaf History, this study emerges as a Deaf-focused project intent on compiling evidence of society\u27s deeply rooted audism and its expressions through the acts of the police. By offering a unique perspective rarely seen in criminology, the study also aims to contribute to necessary academic, cultural, and policy change

Postcard: John Long, Cowboy Clown, Larned, Kansas

This black and white photographic postcard features two men. The man on the left has the name John Long written on the card with an arrow pointing to him. He is holding a lasso and leaning back comically. The man on the right has the name Cowboy Clown written on the card and an arrow pointing to him. The lasso is around his ankle and he leans forward with his foot in the air behind him. The men stand in an open space with prairie grass. There is hand written text at the bottom of the card. There is handwriting on the back of the card.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_postcards/1427/thumbnail.jp

Theory and Praxis of the Barbara Drake Memorial Library at the Robert Redford Conservancy in Claremont, California

The Barbara Drake Memorial Library project applies theoretical and practical elements of intercultural, decolonial, and social-justice frameworks in order to provide a space for Tongva cultural revitalization, education, and serve as a research tool for visitors. The project’s location at the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability optimizes the collaborative potential between Pitzer College and the Tongva community. The contents of the library, which center locality and Tongva relationships to the land, are classified and analyzed with respect to relevant theories and practices of place-specific Indigenous ontologies of classification that center Tongva terminology and worldviews. Whether for a student at the Claremont Colleges, a native Californian, a scholar or an activist, the Library reflects the importance of how individuals engage with written material, and how libraries reflect cultural values. The process of creating the Library and outlining how the books can be classified is the groundwork for future projects of cultural revitalization and for assessing the success of libraries at serving user population groups

Predictors of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among African American HIV-positive Women

This descriptive correlation study had four purposes: describe depressive and anxiety symptom levels in pregnant and non-pregnant African American (AA) HIV-positive women, examine the association between underlying vulnerabilities and depressive symptoms in HIV-positive AA women, determine the association between underlying vulnerabilities and anxiety symptoms in AA HIV-positive women, and determine the predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among African American HIV-positive women. A convenience sample of 80 African American HIV-positive women was recruited from university-based obstetrics/-gynecology and infectious disease practices in a large metropolitan city in the Mid-South. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Edinburgh Postnatal depression Scale (EPDS). Anxiety symptoms were measured with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). An investigator-developed demographic data form was used to obtain patient characteristics including data about inherited and acquired vulnerabilities. Inherited vulnerabilities included family history of mood disorders and family history of alcohol and/or drug use. Acquired vulnerabilities included educational level, income level, alcohol and/or use, HIV disclosure status, sleep quality, and history of sexual assault. The stress diathesis theory provided the conceptual basis for the study. The sample consisted of both pregnant (n = 20) and non-pregnant (n = 60) women. Participants were typically single (57.5%), middle-aged (33.21 ± 10.7 years), and had completed high school (30%) or some college (35%). Poverty was prevalent in the sample, with 70.5% reporting annual household incomes below $10,000. Most women (92.5%) had disclosed their HIV status. Almost half of the sample (42%) reported a history of sexual assault. Substance abuse was higher in the non-pregnant group of women (40%) than the non-pregnant group (5%) of women. Median depressive symptom scores for the total sample were mildly elevated. Median anxiety symptom scores for the total sample illustrated little or no anxiety symptoms. Poor sleep quality was prevalent in both groups and was associated with elevated CES-D, EPDS, and BAI scores in both groups of women. Family history of mood disorders was associated with elevated CES-D scores in the group of pregnant women, and elevated BAI scores in both groups. HIV disclosure was associated with elevated CES-D scores in the pregnant group, and substance use with elevated CES-D scores, in the non-pregnant group. Non-pregnant HIV-positive women had higher depressive symptom scores on both the CES-D and EPDS when compared to pregnant HIV-positive women. Regression analyses were performed to determine which independent variables predicted elevated depressive and anxiety symptom scores. Substance use and poor sleep quality were statistically significant predictors, accounting for 55 % of the variance in CES-D scores, 43% of the variance in EPDS scores, and 53% of the variance in BAI scores. Future studies should include testing interventions that improve sleep quality. Untreated mood disorders are problematic in HIV-positive patients, as depression is associated with decreased adherence to highly active antiretroviral medications. Ongoing assessments of depressive and anxiety symptoms are necessary, as clinically significant levels resulting in referrals were warranted

USABILITY IS NOT \u3cem\u3eJUST\u3c/em\u3e USABILITY: DISCOVERING THE STRATEGIES USED BY NON-EXPERTS IN MAKING USABILITY PREDICTIONS

Much of the research on metacognition in human factors has focused on prescriptive, normative strategy training. That is, many researchers have concentrated their efforts on finding ways to improve system users’ prediction, planning, monitoring and evaluation strategies for tasks. However little research has focused on the strategies and heuristics users employ on their own to make usability predictions. Understanding usability prediction methods is critical because users’ predictions inform their expectations about whether they will make errors using a product, how much effort they will need to expend to be successful in using the product, whether they can perform two tasks successfully at the same time, whether the costs of learning to use a device are worth the benefits of using it, which tools will assist in accomplishing goals and which tools will make performing the same task more difficult. The following study aims to identify the specific strategies people use to make usability predictions about product designs. From these strategies a set of guidelines, for designers who wish to ensure users’ expectations meet post hoc usability assessments, were proposed. The study was completed in two phases. During the first phase of this study, prediction strategies were elicited by 1) asking participants to make routine product usability judgments, from which implicit strategies can be inferred, and by 2) using explicit free-response methods. Judgments were analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) methods to establish the number of dimensions that are implicitly used to predict usability. Subject matter experts (SMEs) coded free-response strategies using coding schemes developed in a pilot study. SMEs will also matched user strategies to formal, professional usability standards. The outcome of Phase 1 was usability taxonomy for classifying usability strategies that includes both expert and user language. The procedure was repeated with three different product design classes to determine how strategies differ as a function of the to-be-judged product. During the second phase of the study, a new group of participants rated specific usability attributes of designs to validate the strategies collected from users’ free-responses in Phase 1. Attributes were selected based on the strategies discovered in Phase 1. These usability attribute ratings helped to inform interpretations of the dimensions of the MDS model generated in Phase 1 and provided input into defining the usability attributes that influenced usability predictions. Results of this study reveal that the type design class participants evaluated had a significant effect on the type of strategy participants used to make their a priori usability assessments (UAs). Participants reported using “complexity” or “organization” most often to predict the usability of cookbooks. Participants reported using “mental simulation” or “typicality/familiarity” most often for predicting the usability of drinking glasses. Participants reported using “complexity,” “organization,” and to a lesser extent “typicality/familiarity,” and “mental simulation” as strategies for predicting the usability of cooktops. MDS methods were used to uncover the underlying dimension of the UA space. For drinking glasses, the “fanciness” and “holdability” were associated with UAs. For cooktops, “the number of controls” and whether participants believed “it was easy to understand how each burner was controlled” were associated with making UAs. And for cookbooks, “the length of the instructions” and “poor contrast of the text with the background” were associated with UAs. Overall, there is evidence that at least some participants in Phase 2 used terminology that was consistent with the terminology people used to describe the designs during Phase 1 and that these were congruent with the uncovered strategies

The (co-)occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use, and psychosocial problems in adolescents

Aims. The current study explored the nature of problematic (addictive) video gaming and the association with game type, psychosocial health, and substance use. Methods. Data were collected using a paper and pencil survey in the classroom setting. Three samples were aggregated to achieve a total sample of 8478 unique adolescents. Scales included measures of game use, game type, the Video game Addiction Test (VAT), depressive mood, negative self-esteem, loneliness, social anxiety, education performance, and use of cannabis, alcohol and nicotine (smoking). Results. Findings confirmed problematic gaming is most common amongst adolescent gamers who play multiplayer online games. Boys (60%) were more likely to play online games than girls (14%) and problematic gamers were more likely to be boys (5%) than girls (1%). High problematic gamers showed higher scores on depressive mood, loneliness, social anxiety, negative self-esteem, and self-reported lower school performance. Nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis using boys were almost twice more likely to report high PVG than non-users. Conclusions. It appears that online gaming in general is not necessarily associated with problems. However, problematic gamers do seem to play online games more often, and a small subgroup of gamers – specifically boys – showed lower psychosocial functioning and lower grades. Moreover, associations with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use are found. It would appear that problematic gaming is an undesirable problem for a small subgroup of gamers. The findings encourage further exploration of the role of psychoactive substance use in problematic gaming

Autotrophic deodorization of hydrogen sulfide in a biotrickling filter

The removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from airstreams was studied in a biotrickling filter (BTF) packed with plastic Pall rings operating with counter-current flows of the air and liquid streams. Experiments were performed at different inlet H2S concentrations, air and/or liquid volumetric flow rates, and sulfate concentrations in the recirculating liquid to check their effect on the performance of the BTF. Conversion of H2S never dropped below 80% at the highest concentration and reached 100% at low concentrations. A maximum removal rate of 22.5 g H2S m−3 reactor h−1 was observed with 100% removal efficiency. The shortest empty bed retention time studied at which complete H2S removal was observed was around 11 s. Conversion of H2S was found to slightly increase as the liquid flow rate decreased and as the air flow rate increased

How lipids may affect risk for suicidal behavior

Suicide and nonfatal suicidal behaviors are major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Variability in rates of suicide and suicidal behaviors within and between countries has been attributed to population and individual risk factors, including economic status and cultural differences, both of which can have suicide risk effects mediated through a variety of factors, of which perhaps the least understood is the role of diet. We therefore review the scientific literature concerning two major dietary lipid classes, cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), that have been associated with higher risk of suicide attempts and suicide. We consider potential mechanistic intermediates including serotonin transporters and receptors, toll-like receptors (TLRs), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB), and peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs). Based on this review, we describe a theoretical model linking cholesterol and PUFA status to suicide risk, taking into account the effects of cholesterol-lowering interventions on PUFA balance, membrane lipid microdomains (rafts) as a nexus of interaction between cholesterol and omega-3 PUFAs, and downstream effects on serotonergic neurotransmission and specific inflammatory pathways.Fil: Daray, Federico Manuel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Mann, John. Columbia University. Department of Psychiatry. New York State Psychiatric Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Sublette, M. Elizabeth. Columbia University. Department of Psychiatry. New York State Psychiatric Institute; Estados Unido

A “cold path” for the Gulf Stream–troposphere connection

The mechanism by which the Gulf Stream sea surface temperature (SST) front anchors a band of precipitation on its warm edge is still a matter of debate, and little is known about how synoptic activity contributes to the mean state. In the present study, the influence of the SST front on precipitation is investigated during the course of a single extratropical cyclone using a regional configuration of the Met Office Unified Model. The comparison of a control run with a simulation in which SST gradients were smoothed brought the following conclusions: a band of precipitation is reproduced for a single extratropical cyclone, and the response to the SST gradient is dominated by a change of convective precipitation in the cold sector of the storm. Several climatological features described by previous studies, such as surface wind convergence on the warm edge or a meridional circulation cell across the SST front, are also reproduced at synoptic time scales in the cold sector. Based on these results, a simple boundary layer model is proposed to explain the convective and dynamical response to the SST gradient in the cold sector. In this model, cold and dry air parcels acquire more buoyancy over a sharp SST gradient and become more convectively unstable. The convection sets a pressure anomaly over the entire depth of the boundary layer that drives wind convergence. This case study offers a new pathway by which the SST gradient can anchor a climatological band of precipitation