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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Treatment Within the Illinois Prison System and Its Effect on Recidivism
Get PDFThe present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of two specific substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs within the Illinois State prison system between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2015. This study utilizes a quasi-experimental research design to evaluate the corrections-based Therapeutic Community (TC) programs at the Sheridan and Southwestern Illinois Correctional Centers. These programs are evaluated based on the effects they have on reoffending, specifically highlighting their effect on young individuals. The final sample used in the present study was taken from a population of 72,906 men released from the Illinois state prison system between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2015. Participation in corrections-based SUD treatment, in the form of the TC modality, resulted in an approximate 15% reduction in the likelihood of violent recidivism, three years post-program participation. In addition, participation in corrections-based SUD treatment appeared to increase general recidivism rates, three years post-program participation
Neurogenomics of Competition and Parental Care in a Socially Polyandrous Shorebird
Get PDFDespite sharing largely similar genomes, females and males of the same species exhibit morphological, physiological, and behavioral differences. Sex-role reversal stems from a unique case of sexual selection in which females compete for mates and males conduct the majority of parental duties. We examined the extent to which aggression and parenting may be mediated by different neurogenomic mechanisms by comparing females versus males in the northern jacana (Jacana spinosa), a sex-role reversed shorebird. We hypothesized that sex differences in neural transcriptomic profiles explain sexual dimorphism in behavior. We conducted RNA-Seq in two brain regions within the social behavior network: the nucleus taeniae and the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. Several hundred genes were differentially expressed between females and males in both brain regions. These comparative transcriptomic analyses suggest that behavioral differences between female and male northern jacanas are reflected in their neurogenomic profiles at the candidate gene and gene network levels
Alternative Splicing of a Polyamine Metabolism Gene in Response to Cell Stress
No full textPolyamines play critical roles in normal cellular processes and aid in cell survival. An important regulatory protein of polyamines is spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1), which catalyzes the acetylation of polyamines, leading to their depletion through peroxisomal degradation. A mechanism of regulating SAT1 levels is a process called regulated unproductive splicing and translation (RUST), which generates an alternative mRNA splice variant, termed truncated SAT1 (tSAT1). During viral infection, viruses require polyamines for different stages of the viral life cycle, and SAT1 acetylates polyamines, rendering them unavailable for the virus to use, in response to type I interferon signaling. We hypothesize that viruses block SAT1 activity by promoting the tSAT1 splice variant, which, in turn, prevents the acetylation of polyamines, allowing the virus to use them. Other cell stresses have been shown to modulate SAT1 alternative splicing, and this may be a mechanism to promote cell survival. This thesis considers the function of RUST in the regulation of polyamine levels for viral infection and cellular survival in response to chemical and biological stresses
“If They Can Help, They Will”: A Community Cultural Wealth Approach on Parent Support and Its Influence on the College Success of First-Generation Latinas
Get PDFThis study explores the parental support first-generation Latinas have received, and recognizes the skills, knowledge, and various forms of support that Latinx parents can and have provided their daughters when they seek a college education. Through a community cultural wealth framework, this study adds to the current literature on Latina and first-generation college students and specifically challenges the deficit approach that is often used when studying these student and parent populations. Furthermore, this study aids in better understanding the experiences of first-generation Latinas who receive parental support in ways that are outside of the traditional in-school presence and support. Through the participants\u27 testimonios, the findings respond to the study’s research question; How do first-generation Latina college students narrate the support they receive from their parents? Ultimately, confirming that the support that parents of first-generation Latinas provide is highly influential to their college and overall success
A Signal Injection Attack Against Zero Involvement Pairing and Authentication for the Internet of Things
Get PDFZero Involvement Pairing and Authentication (ZIPA) is a promising technique for auto-provisioning large networks of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. In this work, we present the first successful signal injection attack on a ZIPA system. Most existing ZIPA systems assume there is a negligible amount of influence from the unsecured outside space on the secured inside space. In reality, environmental signals do leak from adjacent unsecured spaces and influence the environment of the secured space. Our attack takes advantage of this fact to perform a signal injection attack on the popular Schurmann & Sigg algorithm. The keys generated by the adversary with a signal injection attack at 95 dBA is within the standard error of the legitimate device
Unveiling Scientic Articles from Paper Mills with Provenance Analysis
Get PDFThe increasing prevalence of fake publications created by paper mills poses a significant challenge to maintaining scientific integrity. While integrity analysts typically rely on textual and visual clues to identify fake articles, determining which papers merit further investigation can be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, as these fake publications have non-related authors and are published on non-related venues. To address this challenge, we developed a new methodology for provenance analysis, which automatically tracks and groups suspicious figures and documents. Our approach groups manuscripts from the same paper mill by analyzing their figures and identifying duplicated and manipulated regions. These regions are linked and organized in a provenance graph, providing evidence of systematic production. We tested our solution on a paper mill dataset of hundreds of documents and also on a larger version of the dataset that deliberately included thousands of documents intentionally selected to distract our method. Our approach successfully identified and linked systematically produced articles on both datasets by pinpointing the figures they reused and manipulated from one another. The technique herein proposed offers a promising solution to identify fraudulent manuscripts, and it could be a valuable tool for supporting scientific integrity
Exploring Communication Strategies: Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Organizations
No full textThis research project, conducted by student researcher Steven Zepeda under the mentorship of Professor Patty Lamberti, explores the divergence of communication strategies between nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Drawing on insights gained from Steven\u27s internship experience at Wellness House and guidance from external mentor Mery Vieria, the study investigates the distinct approaches employed by these sectors in engaging their respective audiences. Through a comparative analysis of communication practices observed at Wellness House and in for-profit companies, the research examines the nuanced dynamics of communication, highlighting differences in priorities, messaging tactics, and target audience considerations. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of strategic communication in diverse organizational contexts, with implications for informing communication practices and guiding future research endeavors
From Federal Policies to Social Work Practice: Examining Aging Services and Support
Get PDFThis presentation outlines my Social Work internship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u27 Administration for Community Living (ACL). I will examine ACL\u27s initiatives, shedding light on the impact of federal support on aging services. I will discuss the workings of State Units on Aging/Area Agencies on Aging and the strategic allocation of funding under the Older Americans Act. This discourse offers perspectives on the convergence of federal policy and Social Work practice. I will explain the integral role ACL plays in shaping impactful aging services, contributing to the dialogue on effective Macro-Level Social Work and community well-being