Peer Education to Promote HPV Vaccine Uptake in Philly Teens

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Almost half of HPV infections occur in teens and young adults and can lead to various types of cancers. As a result, the HPV vaccine was developed to target these HPV-related cancers. Even though the vaccine is capable in preventing most HPV-related cancers, the vaccination rate among teens and young adults has been low and disparities exist. Peer education, particularly using social media to disseminate messages, may be one way to improve HPV vaccination rates among young adults. The purpose of this project is to investigate the feasibility and desirability of a social media-based peer education campaign for young adults to increase HPV vaccination rates. One focus group consisting of nine high school students were used to gain insight on their knowledge of the HPV vaccine, their thoughts on being peer educators, and what an intervention will consist of using social media. The focus group discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed by a team member to find the important themes. Seven key themes emerged from the focus group. The participants showed limited knowledge of the HPV vaccine and had mixed responses on peer education and social media, which questions how effective peer education and social media would be in promoting the vaccine uptake. These results will be used to inform a future research grant proposal on this topic, with the goal of developing a peer education program about the HPV vaccine on social media

Radioactively driven colloids: A special case of anomalous diffusion

Citation: Wilson, G., Bahadori, A. A., & Bindra, H. (2019). Radioactively driven colloids: A special case of anomalous diffusion. Journal of Applied Physics, 126(12), 124308. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5116220A novel concept of self-propelled, radioactively driven colloids is introduced. The focus of this paper is on assessing the impact of alpha emissions on colloidal kinematics. Using Langevin dynamics and a random walk model, a theory has been developed to describe this motion. This theory shows a special case of anomalous diffusion. Numerical simulations have substantiated the theory. It is shown that alpha-particle emission can significantly affect the motion of colloidal particles, although a very short-lived radioisotope is required

Particle Swarm Optimization Framework for Low Power Testing of VLSI Circuits

Power dissipation in sequential circuits is due to increased toggling count of Circuit under Test, which depends upon test vectors applied. If successive test vectors sequences have more toggling nature then it is sure that toggling rate of flip flops is higher. Higher toggling for flip flops results more power dissipation. To overcome this problem, one method is to use GA to have test vectors of high fault coverage in short interval, followed by Hamming distance management on test patterns. This approach is time consuming and needs more efforts. Another method which is purposed in this paper is a PSO based Frame Work to optimize power dissipation. Here target is to set the entire test vector in a frame for time period 'T', so that the frame consists of all those vectors strings which not only provide high fault coverage but also arrange vectors in frame to produce minimum toggling

GBM radiosensitizers: dead in the water…or just the beginning?

The finding that most GBMs recur either near or within the primary site after radiotherapy has fueled great interest in the development of radiosensitizers to enhance local control. Unfortunately, decades of clinical trials testing a wide range of novel therapeutic approaches have failed to yield any clinically viable radiosensitizers. However, many of  the previous radiosensitizing strategies were not based on clear pre-clinical evidence, and in many cases blood-barrier penetration was not considered. Furthermore, DNA repair inhibitors have only recenly arrived in the clinic, and likely represent potent agents for glioma radiosensitization. Here, we present recent progress in the use of small molecule DNA damage response inhibitors as GBM radiosensitizers. In addition, we discuss the latest progress in targeting hypoxia and oxidative stress for GBM radiosensitization

Ontological Metaphor in Adele’s Selected Song Lyrics

This article discusses the ontological metaphor found in Adele’s songs. It aims to determine the types of ontological metaphor and their meanings. Lakoff and Johnson’s theory of conceptual metaphor is used in analyzing the data. From 21 data collected entity and substance metaphor (11 data) is the type of metaphor mostly used followed by container (6 data), 6 data belong to personification (6 data). And entity and substance metaphor (2). By using metaphor, the writer of those song lyrics wants to give deep impression and deeper meaning rather than to use literal language

Ontological Metaphor in Adele’s Selected Song Lyrics

This article discusses the ontological metaphor found in Adele’s songs. It aims to determine the types of ontological metaphor and their meanings. Lakoff and Johnson’s theory of conceptual metaphor is used in analyzing the data. From 21 data collected entity and substance metaphor (11 data) is the type of metaphor mostly used followed by container (6 data), 6 data belong to personification (6 data). And entity and substance metaphor (2). By using metaphor, the writer of those song lyrics wants to give deep impression and deeper meaning rather than to use literal language

Dental caries in the laboratory: developing a standard testing method for future research in caries prevention

Dental caries has affected humans for millions of years and even today is present in a large portion of the world’s population. There are several factors that can cause tooth decay, but one of the main reasons is sugar consumption. As bacteria inside our oral cavity break down the carbohydrates and sugars we eat, they produce acid that seeps into the grooves and pits of our teeth and cause demineralization of the enamel. Subsequently, the enamel structure and composition is compromised and if left untreated for long enough, caries develop and can affect the dentin and pulpal layers, which contain the nerves and blood vessels, underneath the enamel. Dentists restore dental caries by removing the decayed portions and filling the cavity with amalgam or composite material to mimic the dental anatomy that was present before. Fortunately, caries can be prevented with regular oral hygiene such as brushing and flossing as well as sealants, especially in children, that can prevent pit and fissure caries in the molars. Additionally, saliva acts as a pH buffer in our mouths to reduce the acidity caused by the bacteria and the fluoride in our drinking water and toothpastes assists in the remineralization process. With all the factors involved in dental caries, research is important in broadening our knowledge of the disease. In order to conduct a study on caries, a researcher can choose to create a caries simulation model in a laboratory setting or use patients in a clinic setting. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Choosing a model can also depend on the research question, budget, or time. The simplest model is the in vitro chemical demineralization model, in which researchers place teeth or slides of enamel or dentin into an acidic gel or solution for a specific time period before measuring the amount of demineralization that has occurred. The advantages of this model are that it is inexpensive, easily reproducible, and studies can be completed within a reasonably short time frame. The in vitro bacterial biofilm model uses several different species of bacteria that are commonly found during biofilm formation process in order to generate the type of acid that would be present in the oral environment. Although the biological in vitro model is more clinically relevant than the chemical in vitro model, one of its main disadvantages is that unlike the chemical in vitro model, there is no way for remineralization to occur because the biofilm cannot be removed and reapplied periodically. In vivo studies are typically conducted on teeth in living patients and are usually the last step used in product testing. In situ studies offer scientists a compromise between in vitro and in vivo studies in regards to its cost, duration, and clinical relevance. In this type of study, patients wear a dental appliance that contains test samples for a predetermined amount of time. The benefit of this design is that researchers have access to an active oral microcosm present in the oral cavity. Typically, clinical trials are carried out after extensive experimentation in the laboratory. In situ studies offer a middle ground between bench and clinical research models. The purpose of this study was to explore the existing models used for caries simulation and determine whether a standardized model can be developed that can be used for future research on dental caries. After reviewing the literature, there was no conclusive evidence that any one model would suffice for all types of experiments. Researchers should continue to use the most appropriate model for their particular study with the in situ model offering a compromise between in vitro and in vivo models

Schistosoma japonicum, and the problem of schistosomiasis in India

It may be stated in conclusion that the position with regard to this wide spread disease has improved considerably during the past few years. In spite of the profound pathological changes it produces in the bodies of hyper- infected people, thanks to the efforts of the various investigators, the future is definitely hopeful, and as the sanitary and educational conditions,in the endemic areas improve schistosomjasis should slowly disappear.In Nouadin we have a reliable and safe specific for the disease, but it falls short of being the ideal drug. It is hoped that before long a drug will be found which can be administered orally, and is cheap enough for employment on a large scale.From the data available, and the results of the author's investigations in Bombay, it would appear that this disease most probably does not affect the human beings in this country.It is possible that the snails found in this country, though Morphologically allied to those found in some of the endemic areas, are not suitable for the development of the larvae of the schistosome worms which attack man. Until such time, when this can be proved by experimental work in various parts of the country, the possibility of the introduction, and spread of schistcsomiasis can not be ignored.In the event of the disease making its appearance in any part of the country, active prophylactic measures, on the lines laid down, will have to be employed to pret vent its spread. If, on the other hand, the disease is 234, once allowed to establish itself to any extent in this . country, the problem of control may assume a greater magnitude than it does in countries like China and Egypt. It is therefore the duty of the State, and the medical profession in general to see that schistosomiasis does not add itself to the already long list of the public health problems of India

Matryoshka Inspired Statistical Surrogate for Turbulent Mixing

Thermalhydraulics of reactor plena is often the most challenging problem due to turbulent mixing, role of jets and stratified flows. Due to which, the safety analysis of the overall reactor vessel or reactor system become complex. Inability of the system level analysis codes to accurately model the role of tur- bulent mixing in scalar transport leads to a major source of uncertainties. The computational cost of accurate CFD models renders the sensitivity studies using those for reactor safety ineffective. Reduced order models are needed which can effectively capture the effects of turbulent mixing and can be used for parametric studies important for safety analysis. Turbulent flows compose of many energetic scales which are hidden inside one another in a ‘Matryoshka’ like fashion and exhibit non-trivial interactions. These multi-scale interactions can be accurately captured by Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of Navier Stokes equations or high fidelity experimental data. Hence, if a data learning model can be trained to capture the energetic interactions it can serve as a statistical surrogate. For this study, DNS data for a channel flow problem is used to obtain statistical surrogates. A lagrangian description of the field is developed by removing the long time correlations or the fine scale structures of the turbulent system. To obtain this, Kramers-Moyal analysis [1, 2] of the measured time series was performed and parameters of the Itô’s equation (or the Eulerian Fokker-Planck equation) were calculated directly from the data. This data driven coarse-grained stochastic differential equation surrogate of the turbulent system which can be coupled to the Lagrangian- Lagrangian type of simulations for the transport of passive scalar quantity. References [1] R. Friedrich and J. Peinke, “Description of a turbulent cascade by a fokker- planck equation,” Physical Review Letters, vol. 78, no. 5, p. 863, 1997. [2] H. Risken, “Fokker-planck equation,” in The Fokker-Planck Equation, pp. 63–95, Springer, 1996