5,778,658 research outputs found
Amount of Knowledge about Sex Trafficking in the United States among Valparaiso University Students
This research proposal will address awareness among students, concentrating on males, at Valparaiso University. Little research has been conducted on awareness alone, let alone awareness of college students. Therefore, this research will be filling a gap. It’s important for low awareness levels to increase because awareness is the first step toward change. The researchers will develop an online survey to be administered to a sample of the students attending Valparaiso University to gauge their awareness. After the results are collected, they will be analyzed, and reported upon. Sex trafficking is a major problem for the United States. Finding out college students’ awareness will help identify how much the educated future generation knows about sex trafficking so that they will be able to combat it. Education is key. This study will be useful for nonprofit and government organizations seeking to educate the general population about sex trafficking. This study will show whether men or women know more about sex trafficking and at what year in college they know more and less. The study can pinpoint the at risk groups who are the most unaware and target them specifically
Evidence of a metal-rich surface for the asteroid (16) Psyche from interferometric observations in the thermal infrared
We describe the first determination of thermal properties and size of the
M-type asteroid (16) Psyche from interferometric observations obtained with the
Mid-Infrared Interferometric Instrument (MIDI) of the Very Large Telescope
Interferometer. We used a thermophysical model to interpret our interferometric
data. Our analysis shows that Psyche has a low macroscopic surface roughness.
Using a convex 3-D shape model obtained by Kaasalainen et al. (2002, Icarus
159, 369-395), we derived a volume-equivalent diameter for (16) Psyche of 247
+- 25 km or 238 +- 24 km, depending on the possible values of surface
roughness. Our corresponding thermal inertia estimates are 133 or 114
J.m-2.s-0.5.K-1, with a total uncertainty estimated to 40 J.m-2.s-0.5.K-1. They
are among the highest thermal inertia values ever measured for an asteroid of
this size. We consider this as a new evidence of a metal-rich surface for the
asteroid (16) Psyche.Comment: 45 pages (in referee and preprint format), 6 figure
Identification of MarvelD3 as a tight junction-associated transmembrane protein of the occludin family
Background: Tight junctions are an intercellular adhesion complex of epithelial and endothelial cells, and form a paracellular barrier that restricts the diffusion of solutes on the basis of size and charge. Tight junctions are formed by multiprotein complexes containing cytosolic and transmembrane proteins. How these components work together to form functional tight junctions is still not well understood and will require a complete understanding of the molecular composition of the junction.
Results: Here we identify a new transmembrane component of tight junctions: MarvelD3, a four-span transmembrane protein. Its predicted transmembrane helices form a Marvel (MAL and related proteins for vesicle traffic and membrane link) domain, a structural motif originally discovered in proteins involved in membrane apposition and fusion events, such as the tight junction proteins occludin and tricellulin. In mammals, MarvelD3 is expressed as two alternatively spliced isoforms. Both isoforms exhibit a broad tissue distribution and are expressed by different types of epithelial as well as endothelial cells. MarvelD3 co-localises with occludin at tight junctions in intestinal and corneal epithelial cells. RNA interference experiments in Caco-2 cells indicate that normal MarvelD3 expression is not required for the formation of functional tight junctions but depletion results in monolayers with increased transepithelial electrical resistance.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that MarvelD3 is a third member of the tight junction-associated occludin family of transmembrane proteins. Similar to occludin, normal expression of MarvelD3 is not essential for the formation of functional tight junctions. However, MarvelD3 functions as a determinant of epithelial paracellular permeability properties
Schreier graphs of the Basilica group
With any self-similar action of a finitely generated group of
automorphisms of a regular rooted tree can be naturally associated an
infinite sequence of finite graphs , where
is the Schreier graph of the action of on the -th level of .
Moreover, the action of on gives rise to orbital Schreier
graphs , . Denoting by the prefix of
length of the infinite ray , the rooted graph is
then the limit of the sequence of finite rooted graphs
in the sense of pointed Gromov-Hausdorff
convergence. In this paper, we give a complete classification (up to
isomorphism) of the limit graphs associated with the
Basilica group acting on the binary tree, in terms of the infinite binary
sequence .Comment: 32 page
Determination of physical properties of the asteroid (41) Daphne from interferometric observations in the thermal infrared
We describe interferometric observations of the asteroid (41) Daphne in the
thermal infrared obtained with the Mid-Infrared Interferometric Instrument
(MIDI) of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). We derived the size
and the surface thermal properties of (41) Daphne by means of a thermophysical
model (TPM), which is used for the interpretation of interferometric data for
the first time. From our TPM analysis, we derived a volume equivalent diameter
for (41) Daphne of 189 km, using a non-convex 3-D shape model derived from
optical lightcurves and adaptive optics images (B. Carry, private
communication). On the other hand, when using the convex shape of Kaasalainen
et al. (2002. Icarus 159, 369-395) in our TPM analysis, the resulting volume
equivalent diameter of (41) Daphne is between 194 and 209 km, depending on the
surface roughness. The shape of the asteroid is used as an a priori information
in our TPM analysis. No attempt is made to adjust the shape to the data. Only
the size of the asteroid and its thermal parameters (albedo, thermal inertia
and roughness) are adjusted to the data. We estimated our model systematic
uncertainty to be of 4% and of 7% on the determination of the asteroid volume
equivalent diameter depending on whether the non-convex or the convex shape is
used, respectively. In terms of thermal properties, we derived a value of the
surface thermal inertia smaller than 50 J m-2 s-0.5 K-1 and preferably in the
range between 0 and 30 J m-2 s-0.5 K-1. Our TPM analysis also shows that Daphne
has a moderate macroscopic surface roughness.Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, 3 table
“It’s a matter of building bridges…” – feasibility of a carer involvement intervention for inpatients with severe mental illness
Background
Family and friends (carer) involvement in the treatment of people with mental illness is widely recommended. However, the implementation remains poor, especially during hospital treatment, where carers report being excluded from care decisions.
Methods
We developed structured clinical procedures to maximise carer involvement in inpatient treatment. The aim of this study was to test their feasibility across four inpatient wards in East London and explore experiences of the participants. The intervention was delivered by clinicians (social therapists, nurses and psychiatrists) who were trained by the research team. Thirty patients and thirty carers received the intervention and completed research assessments and qualitative interviews after the intervention. 80% of the patients were followed up after six weeks of admission to complete quantitative questionnaires. Six clinicians were interviewed to explore their views on the intervention. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.
Results
The intervention was found to be feasible to be delivered within the first week of admission in more than a half of the patients (53%) who provided consent. The main reasons why the interventions was not delivered in the remaining 47% of patients included staff or carers not being available, withdrawal of consent from the patient or patient being discharged prior to the intervention. Two themes were identified through thematic analysis. The first captured participant experiences of the intervention as facilitating a three-way collaborative approach to treatment. The second covered how patients’ mental states and practicalities of inpatient care acted as barriers and facilitators to the intervention being implemented.
Conclusions
Carer involvement in hospital treatment for mental illness is more difficult to implement than is commonly thought. This study has shown that a simple structured approach can facilitate a trialogue and that patients, clinicians and carers appreciate this approach to care. Our intervention provides clear and simple manualised clinical procedures that clinicians can follow. However, even the implementation of such procedures may be challenging in the absence of wider organisational support. The involvement of senior managers and clinical leaders might play a key role in overcoming barriers and support front-line clinicians to prioritise and implement carer involvement
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