Webcam Child Sex Tourism: An Emerging Global Issue

Increased globalization through access to the internet has made it easier than ever for child perpetrators to exploit children overseas from the comfort of their couches. Webcam Child Sex Tourism (WCST) occurs when an adult pays to direct and view live-streaming video footage of a child in another country preforming sexual acts in front of a webcam. Currently this issue resides mainly in the Philippines where there are tens of thousands of child victims. According to a study conducted by Terre des Hommes, an advocacy organization based in the Netherlands, many child victims of WCST suffer psychological symptoms consistent with sexual trauma. There are international legislations and policies that indirectly prohibit WCST, yet only six perpetrators have been convicted for this crime. This presentation is a review of literature and research on the emerging global issue of Webcam Child Sex Tourism and will focus specifically on defining the issue, the trauma experienced by WCST victims, international policies, and what can be done to prevent the spread of WCST

Are different reading problems associated with different anxiety types?

There is a reliable association between poor reading and anxiety, but we do not completely understand the specifics of this relationship. The current study included a sample of children (N = 284; Mage = 9.30, SDage = 1.31) who completed a reading (word, nonword, and text reading accuracy, word, nonword, and text reading fluency, passage reading comprehension) and anxiety (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, physical injury fears/phobias, panic, obsessive compulsive symptoms) assessment. Analyses included bivariate and partial correlations, principal components analysis, and hierarchical clustering. We found a very tentative suggestion in the data that there may be a specific yet weak association between reading accuracy and social anxiety. The clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed

ADAPTATION OF LEAN METHODOLOGIES FOR HEALTHCARE APPLICATIONS

Lean and Six Sigma quality concepts and terminology have been applied in the manufacturing arena since the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It has only been in recent years that healthcare administrators have identified these methods as being adaptable to their organizations so that they may realize organizational improvements for continuing success and delighting customers. Unfortunately, this is not an application that is widely taught in typical Industrial Engineering curriculum and therefore there are few educated professionals coming right out of college that are able to apply these principles to healthcare. There are however, many experienced professionals knowledgeable in the basic Lean and Six Sigma principles as applied to manufacturing. This paper presents research conducted by the IUPUI School of Engineering and Technology in partnership with Sister of St. Francis Health Services (SSFHS) which was focused on the development and implementation of a Lean Six Sigma Training Program specifically for healthcare. Through the development of this training program, Purdue faculty have adapted traditional manufacturing Lean methodologies for healthcare specific applications. This paper will present multiple examples of successfully adapted Lean manufacturing training for Healthcare organizations. The authors will then present their findings and recommendations concerning Lean training specifically for Healthcare professionals. They will also present in-depth explanations of hands-on exercises used to demonstrate application of lean tools such as value stream mapping, 5S and visual controls that can be used to effectively train employees in most any healthcare organization

Multi-Level Considerations for Optimal Implementation of Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy to Treat People Living with HIV: Perspectives of Health Care Providers Participating in Phase 3 Trials

BACKGROUND: Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LA ART) has been shown to be non-inferior to daily oral ART, with high patient satisfaction and preference to oral standard of care in research to date, and has recently been approved for use in the United States and Europe. This study examined the perspectives of health care providers participating in LA ART clinical trials on potential barriers and solutions to LA ART roll-out into real world settings. METHODS: This analysis draws on two data sources: (1) open-ended questions embedded in a structured online survey of 329 health care providers participating in the ATLAS-2 M trial across 13 countries; and (2) in-depth interviews with 14 providers participating in FLAIR/ ATLAS/ATLAS-2 M trials in the United States and Spain. Both assessments explored provider views and clinic dynamics related to the introduction of LA ART and were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was drawn on as the conceptual framework underpinning development of a model depicting study findings. RESULTS: Barriers and proposed solutions to LA ART implementation were identified at the individual, clinic and health system levels. Provider perceptions of patient level barriers included challenges with adhering to frequent injection appointments and injection tolerability. Proposed solutions included patient education, having designated staff for clinic visit retention, and clinic flexibility with appointment scheduling. The main provider concern was identifying appropriate candidates for LA ART; proposed solutions focused on patient provider communication and decision making. Clinic level barriers included the need for additional skilled individuals to administer injections, shifts in workflow as demand increases and the logistics of cold-chain storage. Proposed solutions included staff hiring and training, strategic planning around workflow and logistics, and the possibility of offering injections in other settings, including the home. Health system level barriers included cost and approvals from national regulatory bodies. Potential solutions included governments subsidizing treatment, ensuring cost is competitive with oral ART, and offering co-pay assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of multi-level support systems to optimize patient-provider communication and treatment decision-making; clinic staffing, workflow, logistics protocols and infrastructure; and cost-related factors within a given health system

CYP24A1 variant modifies the association between use of oestrogen plus progestogen therapy and colorectal cancer risk

BACKGROUND: Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use has been consistently associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in women. Our aim was to use a genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis to identify genetic modifiers of CRC risk associated with use of MHT. METHODS: We included 10 835 postmenopausal women (5419 cases and 5416 controls) from 10 studies. We evaluated use of any MHT, oestrogen-only (E-only) and combined oestrogen-progestogen (E+P) hormone preparations. To test for multiplicative interactions, we applied the empirical Bayes (EB) test as well as the Wald test in conventional case-control logistic regression as primary tests. The Cocktail test was used as secondary test. RESULTS: The EB test identified a significant interaction between rs964293 at 20q13.2/CYP24A1 and E+P (interaction OR (95% CIs)=0.61 (0.52-0.72), P=4.8 × 10(-9)). The secondary analysis also identified this interaction (Cocktail test OR=0.64 (0.52-0.78), P=1.2 × 10(-5) (alpha threshold=3.1 × 10(-4)). The ORs for association between E+P and CRC risk by rs964293 genotype were as follows: C/C, 0.96 (0.61-1.50); A/C, 0.61 (0.39-0.95) and A/A, 0.40 (0.22-0.73), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that rs964293 modifies the association between E+P and CRC risk. The variant is located near CYP24A1, which encodes an enzyme involved in vitamin D metabolism. This novel finding offers additional insight into downstream pathways of CRC etiopathogenesis

Genetic Variation in the Proximal Promoter of ABC and SLC Superfamilies: Liver and Kidney Specific Expression and Promoter Activity Predict Variation

Membrane transporters play crucial roles in the cellular uptake and efflux of an array of small molecules including nutrients, environmental toxins, and many clinically used drugs. We hypothesized that common genetic variation in the proximal promoter regions of transporter genes contribute to observed variation in drug response. A total of 579 polymorphisms were identified in the proximal promoters (−250 to +50 bp) and flanking 5′ sequence of 107 transporters in the ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) and Solute Carrier (SLC) superfamilies in 272 DNA samples from ethnically diverse populations. Many transporter promoters contained multiple common polymorphisms. Using a sliding window analysis, we observed that, on average, nucleotide diversity (π) was lowest at approximately 300 bp upstream of the transcription start site, suggesting that this region may harbor important functional elements. The proximal promoters of transporters that were highly expressed in the liver had greater nucleotide diversity than those that were highly expressed in the kidney consistent with greater negative selective pressure on the promoters of kidney transporters. Twenty-one promoters were evaluated for activity using reporter assays. Greater nucleotide diversity was observed in promoters with strong activity compared to promoters with weak activity, suggesting that weak promoters are under more negative selective pressure than promoters with high activity. Collectively, these results suggest that the proximal promoter region of membrane transporters is rich in variation and that variants in these regions may play a role in interindividual variation in drug disposition and response

Lineage-Specific Biology Revealed by a Finished Genome Assembly of the Mouse

A finished clone-based assembly of the mouse genome reveals extensive recent sequence duplication during recent evolution and rodent-specific expansion of certain gene families. Newly assembled duplications contain protein-coding genes that are mostly involved in reproductive function

Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Volume 9, 1974 (Book Review)

published or submitted for publicatio

Data set supporting the paper by Deanna Rose, Malcolm D Hudson, Sargent Bray, Pawel Gaca: "Assessment of the estuarine shoreline microplastics of the River Itchen, Southampton (UK) for contaminants and for their ingestion by invertebrate fauna".

Data set supporting the paper by Deanna Rose, Malcolm D Hudson, Sargent Bray, Pawel Gaca: &quot;Assessment of the estuarine shoreline microplastics of the River Itchen, Southampton (UK) for contaminants and for their ingestion by invertebrate fauna&quot;. The dataset relates to the field and laboratory work assessing microplastic contamination and impacts on the Itchen Estuary, Hampshire UK, 2021</span

Assessment of the estuarine shoreline microplastics and mesoplastics of the River Itchen, Southampton (UK) for contaminants and for their interaction with invertebrate fauna

The presence of shoreline microplastics (1–5 mm) and mesoplastics (5–25 mm) in estuarine ecosystems is ubiquitous, but there remains little data on their composition, contamination status and ecological impacts. Chessel Bay Nature Reserve, situated in the internationally protected Itchen Estuary in Southampton, UK, has serious issues with shoreline plastic accumulation. In evaluating potentially adverse ecological impacts, the influence of quantities of shoreline microplastic (mp) and mesoplastic (MeP) material and adsorbed contaminants (PAHs and trace metals) on the biometrics and population dynamics of the burrowing supralittoral amphipod, Orchestia gammarellus, was assessed in this study. mp/MeP concentrations were variable in surface (0–42%: 0–422,640 mg/kg dry sediment) and subsurface horizons (0.001–10%: 11—97,797 mg/kg dry sediment). Secondary microplastics accounted for 77% of the total microplastic load (dominated by fragments and foams), but also comprised 23% nurdles/pellets (primary microplastics). Sorption mechanisms between contaminants and natural sediments were proposed to be the main contributor to the retention of PAHs and trace metal contaminants and less so, by mp/MeP. O. gammarellus populations showed a positive correlation with microplastic concentrations (Spearman correlation, R = 0.665, p = 0.036). Some reported toxicological thresholds were exceeded in sediments, but no impacts related to chemical contaminant concentrations were demonstrated. This study highlights a protected site with the severe plastic contamination, and the difficulty in demonstrating in situ ecotoxicological impacts