Longitudinal Effects of Acculturation on Alcohol Use Among Vietnamese and Cambodian Immigrant Families in the United States

Background: Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial population in the United States. Rates of alcohol use are increasing among several Asian nationalities, however, Asians are often treated as a singular group in research studies masking potential differences in alcohol use prevalence or risk factors. Two such risk factors are acculturation and intergenerational cultural dissonance (ICD). This dissertation aimed to investigate: 1) the longitudinal impact of acculturation on alcohol use among Vietnamese and Cambodian women in the U.S.; 2) the impact of ICD on alcohol use among their adolescents; and 3) whether the effect of ICD on alcohol use was mediated by adolescent depressive symptomatology. Methods: Data came from the Cross Cultural Families Project (CCF), a five-year longitudinal study of 327 Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families in Washington State. Data were collected annually from an adult caregiver in the family (all women) and an adolescent. Linear mixed effects models were estimated to establish the longitudinal relationship of acculturation and alcohol use among the adult caregivers. Multiple logistic regression models were estimated to assess the impact of ICD on depression and alcohol use among the adolescents. Results: Acculturation was not associated with alcohol use in the overall sample of adults, however, there were significant associations among a sub-sample of only those who reported any drinking. This suggests that acculturation did not impact alcohol use prevalence, but that it did impact the drinking pattern among those who consumed alcohol. Among alcohol consumers, higher degrees of biculturalism and traditional cultural identification were associated with lower levels of alcohol use, suggesting that retention of traditional Vietnamese and Cambodian culture is a protective factor for alcohol use problems. Among the adolescents, higher levels of ICD significantly predicted alcohol use, a relationship that was partially mediated by depression symptoms. Conclusions: Clinicians should be cognizant that aspects of cultural identification are important contributors to drinking patterns among alcohol consumers from Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families. Family interventions should be targeted towards reducing conflicts caused by ICD and bicultural effectiveness training. Targeting ICD has the potential to reduce both alcohol use risk and depressive symptomatology among this population

UAS Literary & Arts Journal

Proof copy provided by Tidal Echoes.Tidal Echoes is an annual showcase of writers and artists with one thing in common: a life surrounded by the rainforests and waterways of Southeast Alaska.Davy Josh’s Note -- A Note from Chalise -- A Note from Emily Wall -- Brain Bucket -- Cephalic index -- A Gift of Fat for the Fire -- Our heroes have always been... -- Colorful Clouds -- Role Model -- Anchors -- Out My Window -- Adaptation -- Bookshelves -- In the Flow -- It’s a Small World Parade Float -- Sexy -- Death by Algebra -- Friend -- mirabile visu -- Exchange II -- F A D E -- Borne Alone -- Continuum -- The Week Before St. Valentine’s -- Bottled Up -- Untitled -- Early Morning Conspiracy Theory -- Westport -- Boulder Creek -- Jumping Off Rooftops -- Staying in the Room With Ernestine Hayes -- Blueberry -- After Neruda By Way of Bly (Tenure) -- Magic of Water -- Old Tom Steals the Light -- Old Tom Finds a Whale -- Research Project -- Guppy (boat) -- Arizona Spyder -- From Anthropomorphism to Zoomorphism -- Bus Stop -- December 1, 1955 -- Between Tides at Twilight -- Dementia -- Winter Ferry -- Coming into Auke Bay -- The Search for Jane Rogers -- Inlaid Tea Cups -- The Big Melt -- Kingsmill Reef -- Despite Man’s Best Efforts to Ruin It -- Roberts from Flume -- India Scarf -- Painted and Petrified -- Medicine Bag -- Merrill Field -- Deadly Kites -- Brazilian Ghetto -- Seattle Riff -- The Gospel Truth of My Gay Bird -- Signing the Divorce Papers -- Red Shades -- Holey Cow -- Untitled -- Series of Cedar Baskets -- A Conversation With Ranunculus -- Deconstruction -- Sandy Beach -- Threshold -- Oil and Honesty: An Interview with Artist and Professor David Woodie -- Mitkof #3 -- Still Life -- First Day of Fall -- Falling in the Garden -- After Finishing an Activities Report for the Dean -- Homage to Po Chü-I -- Nunc Dimittis -- Do Wise Men Have Bad Days? -- To the Plain Land -- Flood of ‘69 -- How a woman makes her own wine -- Untitled (translation from Russian) -- Existential Sestina -- It’s the knowing -- Blood and Guts -- Sometime Walking on the Beach -- Untitled -- Connecting the Pieces -- Hemlock -- Klawock Island -- Driven By the Tides -- Lunch -- The People -- Howling Dog -- Winter Cabin Lullaby -- Chain Gang -- A Review of Social Groups in Female Homo Sapiens as Exemplified by Mammary Restraint -- Apparatuses -- Douglas Island Bridge -- Going Home -- Author and Artist Biographie

UAS Literary & Arts Journal

Proof copy provided by Tidal Echoes.The 2016 edition of Tidal Echoes presents an annual showcase of writers and artists who share one thing in common: a life surrounded by the rainforests and waterways of Southeast Alaska.a heart is a heavy burden -- Editor’s Note -- Acknowledgements -- Always a Pause -- Untitled -- Mishima Teabowls -- Mint Tea and Red Wine -- The Dry Winter Scent of Prairies -- Northern Sunrise -- Musical Theory in a Falling Tree -- Jumbo Lookout -- The Shape of an Echo -- Wonderwall -- It’s Difficult [excerpt from the poem “Marissa”] -- Yéil x’us.eetí Raven Footprints -- táakw winter -- King Fisher -- Bear -- A Dandelion by its own Name -- Migrations -- Untitled -- They Named Her Driftwood -- Kissing in the Rain -- Waltz of the Flowers: Anna and Company -- Sun Catcher -- Porcelain Curtains -- The River -- Kathleen Lake -- A Living Tapestry -- Red Cedar Tlingit Haida Weave -- Skinned -- Survivor -- Auke Lake Lights -- Aurora Chasers -- Emma Afloat -- I Can’t Sleep -- The Ghost I’m Left With -- Framed Memories -- Tequila, Sweat, and Prayers -- The Alchemical Marriage -- A New New Hope -- each dream practice -- Clouds -- Seasons Change and the Waters Run On -- John Muir -- Salmon Speaks -- A Place That Holds Names -- Untitled -- Salmon Spirit Chest, Connected (box) -- The Language of Weaving: Featured Artist Dr. Teri Rofkar -- Nome, Alaska -- Drained -- I’m From -- Srevlla—The state of things where the spring snow is so soft that one sinks into it. -- Reflections -- Txamsem -- Post-Glacial Rebound -- Dressed in Garlands -- Learning the Dance -- Shamrocks -- When You See Me -- Water Spirit -- To Speak for Restraint, for Wildness, for Beauty: Featured Writer Aleria Jensen -- Young Eagle -- Untitled (detail) -- Baula -- Airport Dike Trail Evening -- Ninja Meatballs -- Untitled -- In the Wild Without Child: One Mother’s Invitation to Self -- Whale Tail Vista -- Questions for Anemones -- Yellow Cedarbark Wool on Starfish Pot -- Gleaming Orange and Pissed -- Through the Sky She Comes -- Love for the Honeybee -- The Last Speaker -- Juneau Fireweed -- Judy Plays the Tuba -- Illuminated Juneau -- Airport Dike Trail Moonlight -- Escape -- A Wooden Mother -- Black and Whites -- an excuse for staying indoors (a working title for a work in progress) -- Insecurities -- Lake Farm -- Yew Bear -- Rupture -- Mendenhall Glacier -- The Rookery -- Transient -- Laminaria -- Untitled -- Querencia -- Hoard -- Untitled -- Small Birds Sign -- Selfie at Two -- Entropy -- Goodbye -- Sitka Bridge -- My Remedy -- S1 -- Delta Symbols Static -- Falling -- Breathe Deeply -- Drum, drum away -- Eaglefest Dancer -- Wasichana -- Writer & Artist Biographie

Detection of Planetary and Stellar Companions to Neighboring Stars via a Combination of Radial Velocity and Direct Imaging Techniques

13 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal (submitted 25 Feb 2019; accepted 28 April 2019). Machine readable tables and Posteriors from the RadVel fits are available here: http://stephenkane.net/rvfits.tarThe sensitivities of radial velocity (RV) surveys for exoplanet detection are extending to increasingly longer orbital periods, where companions with periods of several years are now being regularly discovered. Companions with orbital periods that exceed the duration of the survey manifest in the data as an incomplete orbit or linear trend, a feature that can either present as the sole detectable companion to the host star, or as an additional signal overlain on the signatures of previously discovered companion(s). A diagnostic that can confirm or constrain scenarios in which the trend is caused by an unseen stellar rather than planetary companion is the use of high-contrast imaging observations. Here, we present RV data from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search (AAPS) for 20 stars that show evidence of orbiting companions. Of these, six companions have resolved orbits, with three that lie in the planetary regime. Two of these (HD 92987b and HD 221420b) are new discoveries. Follow-up observations using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI) on the Gemini South telescope revealed that 5 of the 20 monitored companions are likely stellar in nature. We use the sensitivity of the AAPS and DSSI data to place constraints on the mass of the companions for the remaining systems. Our analysis shows that a planetary-mass companion provides the most likely self-consistent explanation of the data for many of the remaining systems.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Alcohol reduction outcomes following brief counseling among adults with HIV in Zambia: A sequential mixed methods study

Data from sub-Saharan Africa on the impact of alcohol on the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. In this region, it is not well understood how people with HIV (PLWHA) respond to alcohol reduction counseling while they are linked to HIV clinical care. We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study to understand patterns of alcohol use among adults (18+ years) within a prospective HIV cohort at two urban public-sector clinics in Zambia. At antiretroviral therapy (ART) start and one year later, we measured alcohol use with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and those reporting any alcohol use were provided brief counseling. We conducted focus groups at 1 year with participants who had any alcohol use and 20 in-depth interviews among the subgroup with unhealthy use pre-ART and who either reduced or did not reduce their use by 1 year to moderate levels or abstinence. Focus group Discussions (FGDs) (n = 2) were also held with HIV clinic staff. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The data obtained from 693 participants was analyzed (median age 34 years, 45% men), it revealed that unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-C >3 for men; >2 for women) was reported among 280 (40.4%) at baseline and 205 (29.6%) at 1 year on ART. Reduction from unhealthy to moderate use or abstinence was more common with older age, female, non-smoking, and at Clinic B (all P<0.05). Qualitative data revealed ineffective alcohol support at clinics, social pressures in the community to consume alcohol, and unaddressed drivers of alcohol use including poverty, poor health status, depression, and HIV stigma. Healthcare workers reported a lack of training in alcohol screening and treatment, which led to mixed messages provided to patients ('reduce to safe levels' versus 'abstain'). In summary, interventions to reduce unhealthy alcohol use are needed within HIV clinics in Zambia as a substantial population have persistent unhealthy use despite current HIV clinical care. A better understanding is needed regarding the implementation challenges related to screening for unhealthy alcohol use integrated with HIV services

An HP1 isoform-specific feedback mechanism regulates Suv39h1 activity under stress conditions.

The presence of H3K9me3 and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are hallmarks of heterochromatin conserved in eukaryotes. The spreading and maintenance of H3K9me3 is effected by the functional interplay between the H3K9me3-specific histone methyltransferase Suv39h1 and HP1. This interplay is complex in mammals because the three HP1 isoforms, HP1α, β, and γ, are thought to play a redundant role in Suv39h1-dependent deposition of H3K9me3 in pericentric heterochromatin (PCH). Here, we demonstrate that despite this redundancy, HP1α and, to a lesser extent, HP1γ have a closer functional link to Suv39h1, compared to HP1β. HP1α and γ preferentially interact in vivo with Suv39h1, regulate its dynamics in heterochromatin, and increase Suv39h1 protein stability through an inhibition of MDM2-dependent Suv39h1-K87 polyubiquitination. The reverse is also observed, where Suv39h1 increases HP1α stability compared HP1β and γ. The interplay between Suv39h1 and HP1 isoforms appears to be relevant under genotoxic stress. Specifically, loss of HP1α and γ isoforms inhibits the upregulation of Suv39h1 and H3K9me3 that is observed under stress conditions. Reciprocally, Suv39h1 deficiency abrogates stress-dependent upregulation of HP1α and γ,  and enhances HP1β levels. Our work defines a specific role for HP1 isoforms in regulating Suv39h1 function under stress via a feedback mechanism that likely regulates heterochromatin formation

Quantum Information Processing with Ferroelectrically Coupled Quantum Dots

I describe a proposal to construct a quantum information processor using ferroelectrically coupled Ge/Si quantum dots. The spin of single electrons form the fundamental qubits. Small (<10 nm diameter) Ge quantum dots are optically excited to create spin polarized electrons in Si. The static polarization of an epitaxial ferroelectric thin film confines electrons laterally in the semiconductor; spin interactions between nearest neighbor electrons are mediated by the nonlinear process of optical rectification. Single qubit operations are achieved through "g-factor engineering" in the Ge/Si structures; spin-spin interactions occur through Heisenberg exchange, controlled by ferroelectric gates. A method for reading out the final state, while required for quantum computing, is not described; electronic approaches involving single electron transistors may prove fruitful in satisfying this requirement.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Developmental programming of cardiovascular dysfunction by prenatal hypoxia and oxidative stress.

Fetal hypoxia is a common complication of pregnancy. It has been shown to programme cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in the offspring in adult life. However, the mechanisms via which this occurs remain elusive, precluding the identification of potential therapy. Using an integrative approach at the isolated organ, cellular and molecular levels, we tested the hypothesis that oxidative stress in the fetal heart and vasculature underlies the molecular basis via which prenatal hypoxia programmes cardiovascular dysfunction in later life. In a longitudinal study, the effects of maternal treatment of hypoxic (13% O(2)) pregnancy with an antioxidant on the cardiovascular system of the offspring at the end of gestation and at adulthood were studied. On day 6 of pregnancy, rats (n = 20 per group) were exposed to normoxia or hypoxia ± vitamin C. At gestational day 20, tissues were collected from 1 male fetus per litter per group (n = 10). The remaining 10 litters per group were allowed to deliver. At 4 months, tissues from 1 male adult offspring per litter per group were either perfusion fixed, frozen, or dissected for isolated organ preparations. In the fetus, hypoxic pregnancy promoted aortic thickening with enhanced nitrotyrosine staining and an increase in cardiac HSP70 expression. By adulthood, offspring of hypoxic pregnancy had markedly impaired NO-dependent relaxation in femoral resistance arteries, and increased myocardial contractility with sympathetic dominance. Maternal vitamin C prevented these effects in fetal and adult offspring of hypoxic pregnancy. The data offer insight to mechanism and thereby possible targets for intervention against developmental origins of cardiac and peripheral vascular dysfunction in offspring of risky pregnancy

Quantum computing with antiferromagnetic spin clusters

We show that a wide range of spin clusters with antiferromagnetic intracluster exchange interaction allows one to define a qubit. For these spin cluster qubits, initialization, quantum gate operation, and readout are possible using the same techniques as for single spins. Quantum gate operation for the spin cluster qubit does not require control over the intracluster exchange interaction. Electric and magnetic fields necessary to effect quantum gates need only be controlled on the length scale of the spin cluster rather than the scale for a single spin. Here, we calculate the energy gap separating the logical qubit states from the next excited state and the matrix elements which determine quantum gate operation times. We discuss spin cluster qubits formed by one- and two-dimensional arrays of s=1/2 spins as well as clusters formed by spins s>1/2. We illustrate the advantages of spin cluster qubits for various suggested implementations of spin qubits and analyze the scaling of decoherence time with spin cluster size.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; minor change