The predominant relationship between sexual environment characteristics and HIV-serodiscordant condomless anal sex among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM)

In some studies, situational factors have been shown to be stronger predictors of condomless sex than individual risk factors. Cross-sectional relationships between condomless anal sex (CAS) with HIV-serodiscordant partners and risk factors across ecological levels (individual, sexual environment) were examined using a sample (N = 60) of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) who reported multiple recent episodes of CAS. Negative binomial regressions were used to evaluate the association of contextual risk factors (e.g., substance use during sex, transactional sex, public sex, sex at a sex party) with recent condomless sex, controlling for demographics and mental health. Results demonstrated that sexual environment factors, particularly sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol (B = .019, p < .05), transactional sex (B = .035, p < .01), and public sex (B = .039, p < .01) explained a large proportion of the variance in CAS. Only sex at a sex party was not related to CAS (p = .39). For each additional sexual environment in which men engaged, their rates of CAS increased (B = .39, p < .01). Secondary prevention interventions that are tailored to the proximal sexual environment could be maximally effective, particularly if they address substance use and other challenging sexual situations.We are very grateful to the participants for their time and efforts in the study. Support for the current study came from a feasibility grant (PI: Conall O'Cleirigh) from the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (Parent Grant: P30AI060354, PI: Bruce Walker, MD) awarded to Dr. Conall O'Cleirigh. Investigator support for Dr. Steven Safren also came from NIH Grant K24MH094214. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. (P30AI060354 - Harvard University Center for AIDS Research; K24MH094214 - NIH)Accepted manuscrip

Online prevention of disordered eating in at-risk young-adult women: A two-country pragmatic randomized controlled trial

This article has been published in a revised form in Psychological Medicine. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press 2017. This author accepted manuscript is made available following 6 month embargo from date of publication (Dec 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s copyright policyDisordered eating (DE) is a widespread, serious problem. Efficacious prevention programs that can be delivered at-scale are needed. A pragmatic randomized controlled trial of two online programs was conducted. Participants were young-adult women from Australia and New Zealand seeking to improve their body image. Media Smart-Targeted (MS-T) and Student Bodies (SB) were both 9-module interventions released weekly, whilst control participants received positive body image information. Primary [Eating Disorder Examination–Questionnaire (EDE-Q) Global], secondary (DE risk factors) and tertiary (DE) outcome measures were completed at baseline, post-program, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Baseline was completed by 608 women (M age = 20.71 years); 33 were excluded leaving 575 randomized to: MS-T (N = 191); SB (N = 190) or control (N = 194). Only 66% of those randomized to MS-T or SB accessed the intervention and were included in analyses with controls; 78% of this sample completed measures subsequent to baseline. Primary intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses revealed no differences between groups, while measure completer analyses found MS-T had significantly lower EDE-Q Global than controls at 12-month follow-up. Secondary ITT analyses found MS-T participants reported significantly higher quality of life–mental relative to both SB and controls (6-month follow-up), while MS-T and controls had lower clinical impairment relative to SB (post-program). Amongst measure completers, MS-T scored significantly lower than controls and SB on 5 variables. Of those with baseline DE, MS-T participants were significantly less likely than controls to have DE at 12-month follow-up. Given both programs were not therapist-moderated, MS-T has potential to achieve reductions in DE risk at low implementation costs

Sediment Management for Southern California Mountians, Coastal Plains and Shoreline. Part D: Special Inland Studies

In southern California the natural environmental system involves the continual relocation of sedimentary materials. Particles are eroded from inland areas where there is sufficient relief and, precipitation. Then, with reductions in hydraulic gradient along the stream course and at the shoreline, the velocity of surface runoff is reduced and there is deposition. Generally, coarse sand, gravel and larger particles are deposited near the base of the eroding surfaces (mountains and hills) and the finer sediments are deposited on floodplains, in bays or lagoons, and at the shoreline as delta deposits. Very fine silt and clay particles, which make up a significant part of the eroded material, are carried offshore where they eventually deposit in deeper areas. Sand deposited at the shoreline is gradually moved along the coast by waves and currents, and provides nourishment for local beaches. However, eventually much of this littoral material is also lost to offshore areas. Human developments in the coastal region have substantially altered the natural sedimentary processes, through changes in land use, the harvesting of natural resources (logging, grazing, and sand and gravel mining); the construction and operation of water conservation facilities and flood control structures; and coastal developments. In almost all cases these developments have grown out of recognized needs and have well served their primary purpose. At the time possible deleterious effects on the local or regional sediment balance were generally unforeseen or were felt to be of secondary importance. In 1975 a large-scale study of inland and coastal sedimentation processes in southern California was initiated by the Environmental Quality Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology and the Center for Coastal Studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This volume is one of a series of reports from this study. Using existing data bases, this series attempts to define quantitatively inland and coastal sedimentation processes and identify the effects man has had on these processes. To resolve some issues related to long-term sediment management, additional research and data will be needed. In the series there are four Caltech reports that provide supporting studies for the summary report (EQL Report No. 17). These reports include: EQL Report 17-A Regional Geological History EQL Report 17-B Inland Sediment Movements by Natural Processes EQL Report 17-C Coastal Sediment Delivery by Major Rivers in Southern California EQL Report 17-D -- Special Inland Studies Additional supporting reports on coastal studies (shoreline sedimentation processes, control structures, dredging, etc.) are being published by the Center for Coastal Studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

Cognitive behavioral therapy for body image and self-care (CBT-BISC) in sexual minority men living with HIV: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Body image disturbance is a distressing and interfering problem among many sexual minority men living with HIV, and is associated with elevated depressive symptoms and poor HIV self-care (e.g., antiretroviral therapy [ART] nonadherence). The current study tested the preliminary efficacy of a newly created intervention: cognitive–behavioral therapy for body image and self-care (CBT-BISC) for this population. METHOD: The current study entailed a 2-arm randomized controlled trial (N = 44) comparing CBT-BISC to an enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) condition. Analyses were conducted at 3 and 6 months after baseline. The primary outcome was body image disturbance (BDD-YBOCS), and secondary outcomes were ART adherence (electronically monitored via Wisepill), depressive symptoms (MADRS), and global functioning (GAF). RESULTS: At 3 months, the CBT-BISC condition showed substantial improvement in BDD-YBOCS (b = −13.6, SE = 2.7, 95% CI [−19.0, −8.3], p < .001; dppc2 = 2.39); MADRS (b = −4.9, SE = 2.8, 95% CI [−10.6, .70], p = .086; dppc2 = .87); ART adherence (b = 8.8, SE = 3.3, 95% CI [2.0, 15.6], p = .01; dppc2 = .94); and GAF (b = 12.3, SE = 3.2, 95% CI [6.1, 18.6], p < .001; dppc2 = 2.91) compared with the ETAU condition. Results were generally maintained, or improved, at 6 months; although, adherence findings were mixed depending on the calculation method. CONCLUSIONS: CBT-BISC shows preliminary efficacy in the integrated treatment of body image disturbance and HIV self-care behaviors among sexual minority men living with HIV. (APA PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)Funding from this project came from K23MH096647. Author time for Steven A. Safren was supported by K24DA040489 (formally K24MH094214). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health. (K23MH096647; K24DA040489; K24MH094214)Accepted manuscrip

Optimal Grazing Termination Date for Dual-Purpose Winter Wheat Production

Dual-purpose winter wheat (fall-winter forage plus grain) production is an important economic enterprise in the southern Great Plains. Grazing termination to enable grain production is a critical decision. The objective is to determine the optimal grazing termination date for dual-purpose wheat. The value of knowing the occurrence of first hollow stem (FHS), a wheat growth threshold for grazing termination, is also determined. Results indicate that for most price situations grazing should be terminated at or before FHS. Marginal wheat returns from extended grazing were negative and the value of FHS information ranges from $1.50 to$10 per acre.dual-purpose, first hollow stem, plateau function, stocker cattle, value of information, wheat, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Q12, Q16,

Replicability of nitrogen recommendations from ramped calibration strips in winter wheat

Ramped calibration strips have been suggested as a way for grain producers to determine nitrogen needs more accurately. The strips use incrementally increasing levels of nitrogen and enable producers to conduct an experiment in each field to determine nitrogen needs. This study determines whether predictions from the program Ramp Analyzer 1.2 are replicable in Oklahoma hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Predictions are derived from 36 individual strips from on-farm experiments—two pairs of adjacent strips at each of nine winter wheat fields in Canadian County, OK. The two pairs of strips within each field were between 120 and 155 m apart. Each strip was analyzed three times during the 2006–2007 growing season. Nitrogen recommendations from Ramp Analyzer 1.2 are not correlated even for strips that were placed side by side, and recommendations from strips in the same field show no more homogeneity than randomly selected strips throughout the county. The results indicate that ramped calibration strips are unlikely to produce accurate nitrogen requirement predictions at any spatial scale, whether at the county level or for subsections of a single field. In contrast, a procedure that uses only measures from the plot with no nitrogen and the plot with the highest level of nitrogen applied does show replicability. Thus, improvements in the ramped calibration strip technology are needed if it is to become viable.Fertilizer; Nitrogen; Precision agriculture; Ramped calibration strip; Winter wheat

A Vibrio cholerae Classical TcpA Amino Acid Sequence Induces Protective Antibody That Binds an Area Hypothesized To Be Important for Toxin-Coregulated Pilus Structure

Vibrio cholerae is a gram-negative bacterium that has been associated with cholera pandemics since the early 1800s. Whole-cell, killed, and live-attenuated oral cholera vaccines are in use. We and others have focused on the development of a subunit cholera vaccine that features standardized epitopes from various V. cholerae macromolecules that are known to induce protective antibody responses. TcpA protein is assembled into toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), a type IVb pilus required for V. cholerae colonization, and thus is a strong candidate for a cholera subunit vaccine. Polypeptides (24 to 26 amino acids) in TcpA that can induce protective antibody responses have been reported, but further characterization of their amino acid targets relative to tertiary or quaternary TCP structures has not been done. We report a refinement of the TcpA sequences that can induce protective antibody. One sequence, TcpA 15 (residues 170 to 183), induces antibodies that bind linear TcpA in a Western blot as well as weakly bind soluble TcpA in solution. These antibodies bind assembled pili at high density and provide 80 to 100% protection in the infant mouse protection assay. This is in sharp contrast to other anti-TcpA peptide sera (TcpA 11, TcpA 13, and TcpA 17) that bind very strongly in Western blot and solution assays yet do not provide protection or effectively bind TCP, as evidenced by immunoelectron microscopy. The sequences of TcpA 15 that induce protective antibody were localized on a model of assembled TCP. These sequences are centered on a site that is predicted to be important for TCP structure

Abstracts and Citations

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138936/1/head13152.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138936/2/head13152_am.pd

Engaging in Very Risky Sexual HIV Transmission Behavior: a Qualitative Description of HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex with Men

Thesis advisor: Kevin J. MahoneyRecent empirical epidemiological and behavioral research has indicated that some secondary intervention preventions (e.g., condom use, HIV-disclosure, serosorting, etc.) might not be suitable for all HIV-infected gay and bisexual men, particularly for those who engage in multiple episodes of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). The purpose of this dissertation was to answer the primary research question: What are the psychological, behavioral and contextual factors associated with HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) who engage in risky sexual behavior? A qualitative descriptive approach was used to conduct a content analysis of 14 in-depth, semi-structured interviews and to provide a description of the lives of MSM who do not consistently use traditional secondary risk behavior strategies (e.g., safer-sex negotiation, condom use, etc.) to reduce HIV transmission among sexual partners, particularly those partners who are HIV-uninfected or whose HIV status is unknown. Risky sexual behavior was defined by HIV-infected MSM who had engaged in multiple episodes of UAI in the past three months. These interviews gathered preliminary data on the feasibility and acceptability of secondary HIV behavioral prevention strategies for MSM who engage in very risky sexual behavior. In addition, these data have identified descriptive themes that could be used to augment traditional secondary HIV invention preventions, creating new and specific risk-reduction strategies for this very high-risk group.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work.Discipline: Social Work