¡Yo no estoy loco/a! Improving Treatment Engagement for Latinos using an E-E Video

Purpose/Background: Approximately 30% of Latinos experience some form of psychiatric illness in their lifetime. Despite the high prevalence rate of mood disorders among Latinos and the availability of empirically supported treatments that target anxiety and depression, Latinos underutilize behavioral health services. Perceived stigma associated with the pursuit of behavioral health services disproportionately restricts mental health care in Latinos. The research team created an Entertainment- Education (E-E) telenovela-style video (in Spanish), which acted as the experimental intervention in the proposed project. The experimental intervention is based on the E-E model which incorporates health and educational messages in an entertaining, story-telling narrative using characters who have characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are similar to those of the targeted audience to maximize social validity. The video chronicles the story of Ana who while having pan y café (sweet bread and coffee) with two family members, shares her challenges with depression and her successful outcome with therapy. The video utilizes the genre of the telenovela which creates an entertaining environment where the audience is captivated by the content and absorbs the messages portrayed. Materials & Methods: Study Site. Community Health Alliance (CHA) is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides integrated medical services. CHA annually sees 33,000 patients over the course of 92,000 visits a year. Of the thousands of visits made by patients each year, 58% of the patients seen at CHA identify as being Latino and Spanish-speaking. The study was be conducted at the main clinic, which is located in a Latino neighborhood. Participants: Participants consisted of Spanish-speaking, Latino adults who endorsed symptoms of depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment as usual (TAU) or the intervention condition. Treatment as usual included a brochure on depression and referral information to a behavioral health clinic. In the intervention condition participants received TAU + the E-E video. In both conditions the participants completed a basic demographic form and both before and after TAU or the intervention condition participants completed the Depression Stigma Scale (DSS); the Depression Literacy Scale (D-Lit); and the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Help (ATSPH) questionnaire. Results: Data collection is currently underway. A preliminary review of the data indicates that the Latinos in our sample have low levels of mental health literacy, high levels of stigma, and moderate attittudes towards seeking professional help. The E-E video appears to reduce stigma, increase mental health literacy, and improve attitudes towards seeking professional help. We plan to utilize Hotelling\u27s T 2 test to to examine differences in scores on the DSS, D-lT, and ATSPH for the TAU vs. TAU + the E-E video condition. Discussion/Conclusion: Given the high rates of mood disorders among Latinos, the availability of empirically supported treatments for mood disorders, the low treatment-seeking rates of Latinos who have a mood disorder, and the evidence that indicates that stigma and mental health literacy mediate the relationship between ethnicity and behavioral health service use, it is necessary to develop interventions aimed at reducing stigma and increasing mental health literacy. Such interventions have the potential to improve attitudes towards help-seeking and ultimately improve treatment seeking rates among Latinos. The results from this study suggest that utilizing a culturally-specific intervention (a telenovela-style video) targeted at reducing stigma and increasing mental health literacy may be an effective way of reducing the behavioral health service use disparity between Latinos and non-Latino Whites. This is a low-cost and easily disseminable intervention and as such holds promise for behavioral health service use disparity between Latinos and non-Latino Whites. Future researchers should examine similar interventions with other ethnic groups

SU(2) Chiral Sigma Model Study of Phase Transition in Hybrid Stars

We use a modified SU(2) chiral sigma model to study nuclear matter component and simple bag model for quark matter constituting a neutron star. We also study the phase transition of nuclear matter to quark matter with the mixed phase characterized by two conserved charges in the interior of highly dense neutron stars. Stable solutions of Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations representing hybrid stars are obtained with a maximum mass of 1.67$M_{\odot}$ and radius around 8.9 km.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

“A Change is Gonna Come:” Developing a Liability Framework for Social Media Algorithmic Amplification

From the moment social media companies like Facebook were created, they have been largely immune to suit for the actions they take with respect to user content. This is thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. § 230, which offers broad immunity to sites for content posted by users. But seemingly the only thing a deeply divided legislature can agree on is that Section 230 must be amended, and soon. Once that immunity is altered, either by Congress or the courts, these companies may be liable for the decisions and actions of their algorithmic recommendation systems, artificial intelligence models that sometimes amplify the worst in our society, as Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen explained to Congress in her testimony. But what, exactly, will it look like to sue a company for the actions of an algorithm? Whether through torts like defamation or under certain statutes, such as those aimed at curbing terrorism, the mechanics of bringing such a claim will surely occupy academics and practitioners in the wake of changes to Section 230. To that end, this Article is the first to examine how the issue of algorithmic amplification might be addressed by agency principles of direct and vicarious liability, specifically within the context of holding social media companies accountable. As such, this Article covers the basics of algorithmic recommendation systems, discussing them in layman’s terms and explaining why Section 230 reform may spur claims that have a profound impact on traditional tort law. The Article looks to sex trafficking claims made against social media companies—an area already exempted from Section 230’s shield—as an early model of how courts might address other claims against these companies. It also examines the potential hurdles, such as causation, that will remain even when Section 230 is amended. It concludes by offering certain policy considerations for both lawmakers and jurists

Using Experiential Learning to Enhance Student Outcomes in a Didactic Program in Dietetics Foodservice Management Course

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe student perceptions of their learning following experiential learning (EL) activities in a foodservice management course. Nutrition and dietetics education programs have a range of competencies students must learn and demonstrate throughout their curriculum. Learning styles differ amongst students and research has demonstrated they prefer to engage in EL (direct experience) activities to develop their knowledge. Foodservice management is one area of the curriculum that teaches students the basic functions of management; planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and staffing related to food, materials, facilities, and human resources. While this can be taught didactically, engaging in EL for this content may be a more valuable form of pedagogy to improve student understanding and use of content. Methods: After undergoing review and gaining approval from the Institutional Review Board, 196 nutrition and dietetic students from a regional comprehensive institution with an accredited undergraduate didactic program in dietetics were invited to participate in two experiential learning activities. At the conclusion of the activities, students completed an 8-question survey of their experiences. Results: Over 88% of students agreed EL activities promote better understanding of course content and 90% of students were in agreement that EL activities create an environment conducive to applying theory. Additionally, over 81% of students agreed that the activities encouraged the utilization of critical thinking skills, and 76% believed the activities promoted the value of teamwork and working independently. Finally, students were asked to respond to how the EL activity helped them understand course content and objectives. Two predominate themes emerged in the review of the open-ended responses. The first, EL helped connect and reinforce didactic theory to the real world ultimately assisting students to better prepare themselves for their career. The second focused on learning styles and students’ appreciation for the non-traditional way of learning, outside the classroom, with hands-on application. Conclusions: The results of the study provide support for the use of EL activities in foodservice management courses in a dietetics program. Participation in EL activities helped students close the loop between theoretical and applied learning. EL helped the development and utilization of skills employers are seeking such as critical thinking, teamwork, and independence. EL allows students to be hands-on in their learning and engage in activities aligned with theory and content necessary to meet competencies for entry-level practice in the field. Future research should include other types of foodservice establishments where a registered dietitian nutritionist is employed to determine if those environments have a positive impact on student learning

Phase transition and hybrid star in a SU(2) chiral sigma model

We use a modified SU(2) chiral sigma model to study nuclear matter at high density using mean field approach. We also study the phase transition of nuclear matter to quark matter in the interior of highly dense neutron stars. Stable solutions of Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations representing hybrid stars are obtained with a maximum mass of 1.69 $M_{\odot}$, radii around 9.3 kms and a quark matter core constituting nearly 55-85 % of the star radii.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, accepted for Mod. Phys. Letts.

Friction force on slow charges moving over supported graphene

We provide a theoretical model that describes the dielectric coupling of a 2D layer of graphene, represented by a polarization function in the Random Phase Approximation, and a semi-infinite 3D substrate, represented by a surface response function in a non-local formulation. We concentrate on the role of the dynamic response of the substrate for low-frequency excitations of the combined graphene-substrate system, which give rise to the stopping force on slowly moving charges above graphene. A comparison of the dielectric loss function with experimental HREELS data for graphene on a SiC substrate is used to estimate the damping rate in graphene and to reveal the importance of phonon excitations in an insulating substrate. A signature of the hybridization between graphene's pi plasmon and the substrate's phonon is found in the stopping force. A friction coefficient that is calculated for slow charges moving above graphene on a metallic substrate shows an interplay between the low-energy single-particle excitations in both systems.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Nanotechnology for a special issue related to the NGC 2009 conference (http://asdn.net/ngc2009/index.shtml