Investigating the Discrimination That Members of the LGBTQ+ Community Face When Attempting to Receive Health Care

Key Words: LGBTQ+, Discrimination, Attitudes, Beliefs, Perceived Access to Care Background The LGBTQ+ community has historically faced marginalization and discrimination when attempting to receive medical care. Delayed medical care can lead to poor health outcomes and can increase prevalence of risk factors of behaviors such as drug use, higher STI and obesity rates, and other mental health issues such as depression (Quinn et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts that discrimination, attitudes, and beliefs have on members of the LGBTQ+ community when seeking medical care. Methodology The study uses primary data obtained through descriptive surveys. The GroupMe link will be emailed to professors at Kennesaw State University with the goal of gaining 45 participants. The survey will consist of three parts: perceived access to care, discrimination, attitudes and beliefs to access to care. Data is going to be collected using a questionnaire and will be analyzed through SPSS. Results Our expected results would be 90% response rate out of our goal of 45 participants. We expect 65% of the participants to report facing barriers when accessing healthcare. We also expect 65% to report facing discrimination when accessing healthcare. These are theorized percentages for what we expect the results to be. Conclusion This study aims to look at Kennesaw State University students ages 18 - 30 in the LGBTQ+ communities’ experiences in discrimination from medical professionals. This study also aims to assess the attitudes and beliefs of the community members towards medical professionals and how this may impact the community’s access to medical care

Job Duties and Turnover Rates for Paraprofessional Positions in Public Libraries

The role of paraprofessionals in public libraries is in flux, and is a source of debate among library and information professionals. The present study offers empirical illumination to this discussion by employing a web-based questionnaire survey inquiring into the relationship between job responsibility and turnover rate for paraprofessional positions. While this study was exploratory in nature, analysis of the results uncovered evidence for a negative correlation between the turnover rate for a given paraprofessional position and that position's level of resemblance to MLS-requiring positions. Implications of this finding and limitations of the survey are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.Master of Science in Library Scienc

Synthesis of novel boronic acid-decorated poly(2-oxazoline)s showing triple-stimuli responsive behavior

Boronic acid-functionalized (co)polymers have gained increasing attention in the field of responsive polymers and polymeric materials due to their unique characteristics and responsiveness towards both changes in pH and sugar concentrations. This makes these (co)polymers excellently suited for various applications including responsive membranes, drug delivery applications and sensor materials. Unfortunately, boronic acid-based polymer research is also notorious for its challenging monomer synthesis and polymerization and its overall difficult polymer purification and manipulation. In light of this, many research groups have focused their attention on the optimization of various polymerization techniques in order to expand the field of BA-research including previously unexplored monomers and polymerization techniques. In this paper, a new post-polymerization modification methodology was developed allowing for the synthesis of novel boronic acid-decorated poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) (PAOx) copolymers, utilizing the recently published PAOx methyl ester reaction platform. The developed synthetic pathway provides a straightforward method for the introduction of pH- and glucose-responsiveness, adding this to the already wide variety of possible responsive PAOx-based systems. The synthesized BA-decorated PAOx are based on the thermoresponsive poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) (PnPropOx). This introduces a pH and glucose dependence on both cloud and clearance point temperatures of the copolymer in aqueous and pH-buffered conditions, yielding a triply-responsive (co)polymer that highlights the wide variety of obtainable properties using this pathway

Kriteria Visibilitas Hilal Rukyatul Hilal Indonesia (Rhi) (Konsep, Kriteria, dan Implementasi)

Telah dilaksanakan observasi hilal dan hilal tua selama periode Zulhijjah 1427–Zulhijjah 1430 H (Januari 2007–Desember 2009) oleh jejaring titik observasi Rukyatul Hilal Indonesia (RHI) yang merentang dari lintang 5° LU hingga 31° LS, dengan ataupun tanpa bantuan alat bantu optik. Observasi menghasilkan 174 data visibilitas yang terdiri dari 107 visibilitas positif dan 67 visibilitas negatif. Analisis korelasi linier Lag dengan Best Time Bulan menghasilkan definisi baru tentang hilal, yaitu Bulan pasca konjungsi yang memiliki Lag ≤ 24 menit hingga Lag ≤ 40 menit saat Matahari terbenam. Hubungan Best Time dan Lag memenuhi persamaan linear Yallop hanya untuk Lag ≤ 40 menit. Analisis korelasi aD dan DAz dengan metode least–square menghasilkan persamaan kriteria RHI aD ≥ 0,099 DAz2–1,490 DAz + 10,382 yang bentuknya hampir sama dengan kriteria LAPAN, namun sangat berbeda dibanding kriteria Fotheringham–Maunder maupun Bruin. Analisa komparatif menyimpulkan asumsi yang dipergunakan “kriteria” Imkanur Rukyat versi MABIMS dan konsep wujudul hilal tidak terbukti. Sebaliknya, terdapat kesesuaian antara hasil observasi dengan kriteria Odeh

Hyperbranched Bisphosphonate‐Functional Polymers via Self‐Condensing Vinyl Polymerization and Postpolymerization Multicomponent Reactions

The synthesis of hyperbranched aminobisphosphonic acid polymers via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) self‐condensing vinyl polymerization is reported. A novel acrylamide‐functional chain transfer monomer is synthesized and characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry. The monomer is subsequently copolymerized with an acrylamide monomer bearing a pendent amine group to create hyperbranched amine‐functional polymers with degrees of branching dictated by changing the reaction stoichiometry. The aminobisphosphonate functional group is introduced via a 3‐component Kabachnik‐Fields reaction. An alternate functionalization of the amine polymers to create acid‐degradable imine hydrogels is also employed. This work demonstrates the application of multicomponent reactions to RAFT‐derived hyperbranched polymers and provides a new route to previously inaccessible polymers

Synthesis of poly(1-vinylimidazole)-block-poly(9-vinylcarbazole) copolymers via RAFT and their use in chemically responsive graphitic composites

This study reports the synthesis of novel poly(1-vinylimidazole)-b-poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVI-b-PVK) block copolymers with varying monomer ratios using reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and their incorporation in responsive composite materials. Specifically, non-covalent exfoliation of two different conductive fillers, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO), was studied. The percolation threshold of the synthesized nanocomposites was dependent on the polymer used for dispersion, showing a better affinity of the fillers for block copolymers with higher relative carbazole content. Resistivity measurements showed selective variation in the resistance signal when the materials were exposed to various organic solvents and acids, providing a good basis for the design of sensing devices

Polymerization-induced thermal self-assembly (PITSA)

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a versatile technique to achieve a wide range of polymeric nanoparticle morphologies. Most previous examples of self-assembled soft nanoparticle synthesis by PISA rely on a growing solvophobic polymer block that leads to changes in nanoparticle architecture during polymerization in a selective solvent. However, synthesis of block copolymers with a growing stimuli-responsive block to form various nanoparticle shapes has yet to be reported. This new concept using thermoresponsive polymers is termed polymerization-induced thermal self-assembly (PITSA). A reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide from a hydrophilic chain transfer agent composed of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and acrylic acid was carried out in water above the known lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm). After reaching a certain chain length, the growing PNIPAm self-assembled, as induced by the LCST, into block copolymer aggregates within which dispersion polymerization continued. To characterize the nanoparticles at ambient temperatures without their dissolution, the particles were crosslinked immediately following polymerization at elevated temperatures via the reaction of the acid groups with a diamine in the presence of a carbodiimide. Size exclusion chromatography was used to evaluate the unimer molecular weight distributions and reaction kinetics. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy provided insight into the size and morphologies of the nanoparticles. The resulting block copolymers formed polymeric nanoparticles with a range of morphologies (e.g., micelles, worms, and vesicles), which were a function of the PNIPAm block length

Long-term use of antibiotics and risk of type 2 diabetes in women:a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggested that long-term antibiotic use may alter the gut microbiome, which has, in turn, been linked to type 2 diabetes. We undertook this study to investigate whether antibiotic use was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included women free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS 2008–2014) and NHS II (2009–2017). We evaluated the overall duration of antibiotics use in the past 4 years and subsequent diabetes risk with Cox proportional-hazards regression adjusting for demography, family history of diabetes and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Pooled analyses of NHS and NHS II (2837 cases, 703 934 person-years) revealed that a longer duration of antibiotic use in the past 4 years was associated with higher risk of diabetes [Trend-coefficient = 0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 0.13]. Participants who received antibiotics treatment for a medium duration of 15 days to 2 months [hazard ratio (HR) 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.39] or long duration of >2 months (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.38) had higher risk of type 2 diabetes as compared with non-users. Subgroup analyses suggested that the associations were unlikely to be modified by age, family history of diabetes, obesity, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity and overall diet quality. CONCLUSIONS: A longer duration of antibiotic use in recent years was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Physicians should exercise caution when prescribing antibiotics, particularly for long-term use

Convocation

https://dc.ewu.edu/music_performances/1680/thumbnail.jp