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Correlates of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Association with HPV-16 and HPV-18 DNA Detection in Young Women
No full textBackground: Despite a reduction in the prevalence of vaccine-preventable types of human papillomavirus (HPV), attributed to increased HPV vaccine uptake, HPV continues to be a major cause of cancer in the United States. Methods: We assessed factors associated with self-reported HPV vaccine uptake, HPV vaccination effectiveness, using DNA testing to assess HPV types 16 and/or 18 (HPV 16/18) positivity, and patterns of HPV vaccination in 375 women aged 21–29 years who were eligible to receive catch-up vaccination, using baseline data collected from March 2012 to December 2014 from a randomized controlled trial evaluating a novel approach to cervical cancer screening. Results: More than half (n = 228, 60.8%) of participants reported receipt of at least one HPV vaccine dose and 16 (4.3%) tested positive for HPV 16/18 at baseline. College-educated participants were four times more likely to have been vaccinated than those reporting high school education or less. 56.5% of HPV-vaccinated participants reported first dose after age 18 and 68.4% after first vaginal intercourse. Women vaccinated after age 18 and women vaccinated after first vaginal intercourse were somewhat more likely to be infected with HPV 16/18 infection compared with women vaccinated earlier, but these associations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: HPV vaccination is common among college-educated women in the catch-up population but less common among those without college education. Contrary to current guidelines, catch-up females frequently obtain HPV vaccination after age 18 and first vaginal intercourse. Women without a college education represent an ideal population for targeted HPV vaccination efforts that emphasize vaccination before sexual debut
Simulating surface energy fluxes using the variable-resolution Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM)
No full textRecent advances in variable-resolution (VR) global models provide the tools necessary to investigate local and global impacts of land cover by embedding a high-resolution grid over areas of interest in a seamless and computationally efficient manner. We used two eddy covariance tower clusters in the Eastern USA to evaluate surface energy fluxes (latent heat, ; sensible heat, ; net radiation, ; and ground heat, ) and surface properties (aerodynamic resistance to heat transfer, ; Bowen ratio, ; and albedo, ) by uncoupled point simulations of the land-only Community Land Model (PTCLM4.5) and two coupled land–atmosphere Community Earth System Model (CESM1.3) simulations. The CESM simulations included a 1° uniform grid global simulation and global 1° simulation with a 0.25° refined VR grid over the Eastern USA. Tower clusters included the following plant functional types—broadleaf deciduous temperate (hardwood) forest, C3 non-Arctic grass (grass), a cropland, and needleleaf evergreen temperate (pine) forest. During the growing season, diurnal cycles of and for grass and the cropland were simulated well by PTCLM4.5 and VR-CESM1.3; however, () was biased low (high) at the hardwood and pine forested sites, contributing to biases in . Growing season was generally well simulated by CLM4.5 and VR-CESM1.3; however, modeled elevated albedo (indicative of snow cover) persisted longer in winter and spring leading to large biases in and . The introduction of a VR grid does not adversely impact surface energy fluxes compared to 1° uniform grids and highlights the usefulness of this approach for future efforts to predict land–atmosphere fluxes across heterogeneous landscapes
Integrable model of a p-wave bosonic superfluid
No full textWe present an exactly solvable -wave pairing model for two bosonic species. The model is solvable in any spatial dimension and shares some commonalities with the + Richardson-Gaudin fermionic model, such as a third-order quantum phase transition. However, contrary to the fermionic case, in the bosonic model the transition separates a gapless fragmented singlet pair condensate from a pair Bose superfluid, and the exact eigenstate at the quantum critical point is a pair condensate analogous to the fermionic Moore-Read state
Applying network analysis to the social media communication of the Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic Games
Get PDFThis study examined the social media interactions between online stakeholders and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the Olympic Games (OG). The investigation observed what type of users exist as network members within the organisations’ social networks (i.e., Twitter), analysed the network structures as they relate to the users engaged with the organisations, and mapped the network members and their online relationships to reveal how the network formations facilitate the social media interactions. Python was used to mine the data and create adjacency metrics and UCINET 6.627 and NetDraw were utilised for analytical procedures and visual representations of the networks. Key findings revealed that for the YOG there has been an evolution with regard to the structure and complexity of the network and that national sport organisations made up one of the key stakeholders for the YOG in comparison to other key stakeholders (e.g., media, Olympians, celebrities) for the OG
Visualizing learner engagement, performance, and trajectories to evaluate and optimize online course design
No full textLearning analytics and visualizations make it possible to examine and communicate learners’ engagement, performance, and trajectories in online courses to evaluate and optimize course design for learners. This is particularly valuable for workforce training involving employees who need to acquire new knowledge in the most effective manner. This paper introduces a set of metrics and visualizations that aim to capture key dynamical aspects of learner engagement, performance, and course trajectories. The metrics are applied to identify prototypical behavior and learning pathways through and interactions with course content, activities, and assessments. The approach is exemplified and empirically validated using more than 30 million separate logged events that capture activities of 1,608 Boeing engineers taking the MITxPro Course, “Architecture of Complex Systems,” delivered in Fall 2016. Visualization results show course structure and patterns of learner interactions with course material, activities, and assessments. Tree visualizations are used to represent course hierarchical structures and explicit sequence of content modules. Learner trajectory networks represent pathways and interactions of individual learners through course modules, revealing patterns of learner engagement, content access strategies, and performance. Results provide evidence for instructors and course designers for evaluating the usage and effectiveness of course materials and intervention strategies
A State-of-the-Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution
No full textIndigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision‐making regarding pollution control
Differences in Nominal Significance (DINS) Error leads to invalid conclusions: Letter regarding, "Diet enriched with fresh coconut decreases blood glucose levels and body weight in normal adults"
No full textChange in study randomization allocation needs to be included in statistical analysis: comment on 'Randomized controlled trial of weight loss versus usual care on telomere length in women with breast cancer: the lifestyle, exercise, and nutrition (LEAN) study'
No full textData are often combined across multiple studies, sites, strata or phases of data collection, for a variety of reasons. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), employing proper methods when combining data collected in separate contexts ensures unbiased estimates of the combined treatment effect. Collapsing (or “lumping”) data across studies or strata without statistical adjustment can provide misleading results [1], such as occurs in Simpson’s paradox where treatment effects that are consistent across each strata separately are reversed when data are collapsed [2-4]. This paradox occurs specifically when there are differences between the two or more strata (or studies) in the ratio of people in each treatment group [3]. Altman wrote recently of dangers of bias in combining data across studies with varied randomization allocation ratios [5]
Conditioning on "study" is essential for valid inference when combining individual data from multiple randomized controlled trials: a comment on Reesor et al's School-based weight management program curbs summer weight gain among low-income Hispanic middle school students
No full textConsidering the need for examining summertime versus school year weight gain among children, we read with interest the paper, “School-based weight management program curbs summer weight gain among low-income Hispanic middle school students.” We were intrigued by the conclusion that “a school-based weight management program protected overweight/obese students against potentially greater summer weight gain.” We commend the authors for recognizing the importance of aggregating individual participant data (IPD) from several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to allow for stronger causal inferences and obtain an adequate sample size. We note, however, 2 critical concerns that raise doubts about the veracity of the results: the authors appear to have ignored “study” as a factor in their analysis, and the sample sizes do not appear to match those in the original studies
