The Portrayal of Force, Fraud, and Coercion Within Northern Ohio Federal Sex Trafficking Trials -- 2010-2013

Human trafficking is often considered to be one of the three largest criminal enterprises worldwide, ranking beside the sale of illegal drugs and illicit firearms (Bales, 2004, 2007 Bales & Doodalter, 2009 Hussein, 2011 Schauer & Wheaton, 2006 Skinner, 2008). National estimates suggest that 100,000-300,000 American, school-aged children are at-risk for sex trafficking (Department of Homeland Security, 2014) while there is only a one percent arrest and conviction record for traffickers (Bales, 2007). This dissertation explored the portrayal of force, fraud, and coercion within federal domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) trials of Northern Ohio from 2010-2013 so as to gain a greater understanding of the contributing factors that make individuals vulnerable to the phenomenon. DMST occurs when a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Data were examined via qualitative means by conducting a narrative analysis of existing court documentation of fifteen confirmed DMST cases, guided by critical theory and feminist epistemology. Findings revealed dimensions of individual agency in tension with structural and cultural conditions as well as a complex set of factors contributing to the persistence and legal response to sex trafficking. The examined episodes of DMST were initiated via factors that included fraudulent documents, economic instability, emotional dependency, drug addiction, reliance on an informal/underground economy, and lack of educational attainment. DMST continued through factors including physical force, coercion, indebtedness, feelings of belonging, the leveraging of an intimate relationship, financial arrangements, and the reliance on an informal/underground economy. The episode of DMST was terminated via law enforcement involvement, voluntary departure, familial involvement, ending the use of illegal drugs, and coming into a period of economic stabil

Identification of protein-protein interaction bridges for multiple sclerosis

Motivation: Identifying and prioritizing disease-related proteins is an important scientific problem to develop proper treatments. Network science has become an important discipline to prioritize such proteins. Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease for which there is still no cure, is characterized by a damaging process called demyelination. Demyelination is the destruction of myelin, a structure facilitating fast transmission of neuron impulses, and oligodendrocytes, the cells producing myelin, by immune cells. Identifying the proteins that have special features on the network formed by the proteins of oligodendrocyte and immune cells can reveal useful information about the disease.Results: We investigated the most significant protein pairs that we define as bridges among the proteins providing the interaction between the two cells in demyelination, in the networks formed by the oligodendrocyte and each type of two immune cells (i.e. macrophage and T-cell) using network analysis techniques and integer programming. The reason, we investigated these specialized hubs was that a problem related to these proteins might impose a bigger damage in the system. We showed that 61%-100% of the proteins our model detected, depending on parameterization, have already been associated with multiple sclerosis. We further observed the mRNA expression levels of several proteins we prioritized significantly decreased in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells of multiple sclerosis patients. We therefore present a model, BriFin, which can be used for analyzing processes where interactions of two cell types play an important role

Evaluation of Nutritional Status in Cancer Patients Underwent Radiotherapy: The Results of Biochemical, Body Composition with Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, Anthropometric Measurements, and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the nutritional status and the effect of radiotherapy (RT) on nutrition in all ambulatory cancer patients. Material and Method: In this prospective observational study 105 cancer patients with various diagnoses treated between 2013 and 2014 were evaluated. All patients were ≥18 years old and had Karnofsky Performance Status ≥70. Anthropometric measurements, body composition with bioelectric impedance, and patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) tools were used. The height, weight, body mass index (BMI), triceps skin fold thickness, mid-upper arm circumference, hemoglobin, and serum albumin levels were determined twice before and after RT. Additionally, nutrition-related symptoms and short-term weight loss results were determined by PG-SGA questionnaires. Results: The patients’ median age was 53 years (range, 18-82 years). At initial evaluation 74 patients were well nourished using the PG-SGA global rating. Malnutrition developed in totally 33 of these 74 patients after RT. The PG-SGA results after RT were significantly worse than before treatment. PG-SGA revealed no significant relationship between nutritional status prior to RT and the parameters including gender, age, mean weight, BMI, disease duration, pre-RT hemoglobin and albumin levels. Post-RT evaluation showed a significant relationship between deterioration (PG-SGA B-C) and mean weight, BMI, serum albumin, hemoglobin levels, and concomitant chemotherapy. Gastrointestinal and head and neck cancer patients had the most deterioration after RT. The patients' weight, BMI, fat-free mass, total body water, and the percentage weight loss at the end of RT were significantly lower than the initial assessment. Conclusion: It is considerable to use multiple tools for nutritional monitoring. Patients who received RT to the head and neck and upper abdomen region had a high risk of deterioration after treatment. These patients should be monitored carefully during all treatment periods

DEVELOPING GUIDED MATERIAL FOR SUBJECT OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Bu çalışma, lise öğrencilerinin, fotosentez konusu ile ilgili kavram yanılgılarını tespit etmek ve gelişltirilen rehber materyal ile düz anlatım yönteminin kavram yanılgıları nın giderilmesine etkisini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmışltır. Çalışılmaya deney grubu olarak liseyi bitirmiş, sayısal bölüm çıkışlı 40 ve kontrol grubu olarak aynı flartlarda 35 dershane ö¤rencisi katılmışltır. Öğrencilerdeki kavram yanılgılarını tespit etmek üzere 20 soruluk kısa cevaplı, açık uçlu sorulardan oluflan fotosentez bafları testi hazırlanmıfltır. Bu test her iki gruba ön test olarak uygulanmışltır. Alınan yanıtlar de¤erlendirilerek doğru cevap verme yüzdeleri belirlenmişltir. Deney grubuna rehber materyal olarak gelişltirilen deneylerden beşli yapılmışltır. Bir hafta sonra ayn sorular son test olarak tekrar uygulanmışltır. Kontrol grubunda ise ön testten sonra fotosentez konusu geleneksel yöntem olan düz anlatım yöntemi ile anlatılmışltır. Yine bir hafta sonra aynı fotosentez baflar testi son test olarak uygulanmı şltır. Her iki grubun da son testteki doğru cevap yüzdeleri oluflturulmufltur. Fotosentez bafları testi ön test sonuçları ile karflılaşltırılmışltır. Elde edilen verilerin analizi sonucunda, ÖSS'ye hazırlanan ö¤rencilerin fotosentez konusunda kavram yanılgılarına sahip oldukları belirlenmişltir. Bu kavram yanılgılarının özellikle fotosentezin moleküler düzeydeki kısmında olduğu tespit edilmifltir. Ayrıca deney grubu ö¤rencilerinde kontrol grubu ö¤rencilerine göre kavram yanlglarnda belirgin bir azalma görülmüfltür. Arafltırmanın sonuçları rehber materyal olarak gelifltirilen deneylerin sunufl yönteminden daha etkili olduğunu ve biyoloji derslerinin deneysel yöntemle ifllenmesine ağırlık verilmesi gerektiğini göstermektedir. Bu ba¤lamda, özelde Fotosentez olmak üzere biyoloji konularında deneyler gelifltirilerek daha etkili ve kalıcı eğitim öğretim yapılabilecektir.This study has been carried out to determine high school students\' misconceptions on photosynthesis. 40 high school graduates (specialized on maths and science) participated in this survey as experimental group and 32 students (current students) participated in the same survey as control group. 20 questions based on comments with short answers were prepared to find out conceptions of the students. Students of both groups were asked to answer these questions. The answers were evaluated and the percentage of correct answers were determined. Five experiments were used as resource/guide material for the experimental group as demonstration. After a week, the same questions were repeated. The subject of photosynthesis was explained using lecturing method to the control group after a pretest. After a week the open ended questions were repeated. Both groups\' percentages of correct answers to the last test were determined. Analyses of the data, has shown that students in the experimental group (who have been preparing to university entrance exam) had misconceptions and these misconceptions were particulary at the molecular level. It was also shown that the experimental group had a significant decline in misconceptions when compared with the control group. v The results of the study have shown that the experiments which were developed as a resource/guide material were more effective than the lecturing method and that it is highly recommended to carry out experiments when using lecturing as the teaching method. Thus, to be more specific, developing experiments on photosynthesis makes education more effective and permanent

Investigation of sulfate resistance and alkali silica reaction in polymer-incorporating mortars

Bu çalışmada, polimer ilaveli harçların sülfat etkisine ve alkali silika reaksiyonuna karşı direnci incelenmiştir. Bu amaçla, bağlayıcı olarak normal portland çimentosu ve stiren-akrilik polimer emülsiyonu kullanılmıştır. Polimer ağırlıkça %0, 5, 10 ve 15 oranlarında çimento yerine ikame edilerek harç karışımları hazırlanmıştır. Hazırlanan harç örneklerinin 28 günlük basınç ve eğilme dayanımları, kılcal yolla su emme, porozite, birim ağırlık gibi özellikleri belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca harç karışımlarının ASTM C1012 standardına göre sülfat direnci, ASTM C1260 standardına göre alkali silis reaksiyonuna karşı direnci saptanmıştır. Polimer ilaveli harçlarda elde edilen sonuçlar kontrol harcı ile kıyaslamalı olarak değerlendirilmiştir.In this study, sulfate resistance and alkali silica reaction in mortars incorporating polymer were investigated. In this aim, normal portland cement and styrene-acrylic polymer emulsion were used. Mortar mixtures were prepared by replacing cement, with 0, 5, 10 and 15% polymer, by weight. 28-days compressive and flexural strength, water absorption and water sorptivity, porosity and unit weight of prepared mortar specimens were determined. Besides, sulfate resistance and alkali silica reaction resistance of prepared mortar mixtures were determined according to ASTM C1012 and ASTM C1260, respectively. Results obtained in polymeric mortar mixtures were comparatively evaluated with control mortar mixture