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Radial velocity (RV) searches for exoplanets have surveyed many of the nearest and brightest stars for long-term velocity variations indicative of a companion body. Such surveys often detect high-amplitude velocity signatures of objects that lie outside the planetary mass regime, most commonly those of a low-mass star. Such stellar companions are frequently discarded as false-alarms to the main science goals of the survey, but high-resolution imaging techniques can be employed to either directly detect or place significant constraints on the nature of the companion object. Here, we present the discovery of a compact companion to the nearby star HD 118475. Our Anglo-Australian Telescope RV data allow the extraction of the full Keplerian orbit of the companion, which is found to have a minimum mass of 0.445 M o. Follow-up speckle imaging observations at the predicted time of maximum angular separation rule out a main-sequence star as the source of the RV signature at the 3.3σ significance level, implying that the companion must be a low-luminosity compact object, most likely a white dwarf. We provide an isochrone analysis combined with our data that constrain the possible inclinations of the binary orbit. We discuss the eccentric orbit of the companion in the context of tidal circularization timescales and show that non-circular orbit was likely inherited from the progenitor. Finally, we emphasize the need for utilizing such an observation method to further understand the demographics of white dwarf companions around nearby stars. © 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Growing nonmedical use of prescription opioids is a global problem, motivating research on ways to reduce use and combat addiction. Medical cannabis (“medical marijuana”) legalization has been associated epidemiologically with reduced opioid harms and cannabinoids have been shown to modulate effects of opioids in animal models. This study was conducted to determine if Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) enhances the behavioral effects of oxycodone. Male rats were trained to intravenously self-administer (IVSA) oxycodone (0.15 mg/kg/infusion) during 1 h, 4 h or 8 h sessions. Following acquisition rats were exposed to THC by vapor inhalation (1 h and 8 h groups) or injection (0–10 mg/kg, i.p.; all groups) prior to IVSA sessions. Fewer oxycodone infusions were obtained by rats following vaporized or injected THC compared with vehicle treatment prior to the session. Follow-up studies demonstrated parallel dose-dependent effects of THC, i.p., on self-administration of different per-infusion doses of oxycodone and a preserved loading dose early in the session. These patterns are inconsistent with behavioral suppression. Additional groups of male and female Wistar rats were assessed for nociception following inhalation of vaporized THC (50 mg/mL), oxycodone (100 mg/mL) or the combination. Tail withdrawal latency was increased more by the THC/oxycodone combination compared to either drug alone. Similar additive antinociceptive effects were produced by injection of THC (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and oxycodone (2.0 mg/kg, s.c.). Together these data demonstrate additive effects of THC and oxycodone and suggest the potential use of THC to enhance therapeutic efficacy, and to reduce the abuse, of opioids. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

The flipped classroom, with its focus on student-centered learning and active student engagement, is a growing trend in social work education. This article presents an innovative way of delivering practice content through the flipped classroom model, which can be adapted for any level of social work education. It walks readers through the steps of developing the course and the successes and challenges of the flip, particularly with an incorporated skills lab component. Additionally, this article shares student reflections on the development and execution of the course, with specific feedback on the experiential learning environment, discussions surrounding instructor workload and preparation, and implications for future iterations of the course from students who had very little prior technologically centered learning experiences.

This qualitative analysis explores older adults’ lived experiences of incarceration. As part of a larger mixed-methods longitudinal study, 23 older adults were interviewed about their prison and reentry experiences. Findings describe experiences of loss, lack of medical attention, abuse by staff and other inmates, and the uncertainties and danger of prison life. After release, participants reported experiencing anxiety and stress related to their prison experiences. While participants reported that the ability to manage prison life deteriorated with age, some benefits of their senior status were also described. Maturity may allow older prisoners to remove themselves from volatile situations. Participants described experiences of rest and recovery, reflecting coping mechanism and resilience that could improve psychosocial outcomes during and after prison. This descriptive analysis centers the voices of older prisoners and informs interventions to support this vulnerable community.

This paper examines the appointment of male versus female career diplomats to ambassadorial posts. We assess the role played by ambassadors' individual characteristics, including education, marital status, and number of children, and host countries' characteristics, such as quality of life and regime type, in determining if a male or female is appointed to ambassadorial positions to represent the United States in foreign countries. The time frame of this study is the entire presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (1993-2008), during which 603 career diplomats were appointed as ambassadors. The study provides empirical evidence that there remain significant differences between women and men serving as ambassadors. Female ambassadors are more likely to be single and have no children and are less likely to be Ivy League graduates than male ambassadors. Furthermore, they are more likely to be appointed to countries with lower quality of life and better human rights records. Finally, time plays a role in the likelihood of a woman being appointed as ambassador.

The significance of nursing competence in the care of pediatric trauma patients has been well documented. Continuing education for trauma nurses is a critical component of maintaining competence in pediatric trauma care; yet, there is significant variability in the programs and resources used to support this goal. The purpose of this current study was to describe the educational activities that practicing registered nurses engage in to inform their care of injured children. A quantitative, descriptive nonexperimental research design was utilized to describe the educational programs that members of the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) must complete to work in verified and designated trauma centers. Participants completed a survey instrument that included demographic questions, pediatric trauma educational programs required/offered by their employer, and feedback about pediatric trauma nursing education. A total of 266 STN members completed the electronic survey, reflecting a 9% response rate. Most of the participants reported that the verifying body required trauma nursing education hours (n = 187, 70.3%). The number of required courses ranged from 1 to 6, with 33 (12.4%) reporting this 3-course combination-emergency nursing pediatric course (ENPC), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), and trauma nursing core course (TNCC). The second most common combination of courses (n = 30; 11.3%) was required to take both PALS and TNCC. No significant relationship was found between verifying agency type and continuing education program required (p¿ .05). Trauma nursing core course was the most popular course (n = 208; 79%), followed by PALS (n = 194; 73%) and ENPC (n = 103; 38%). Participants also shared barriers to continuing education activities. It has been 10 years since pediatric trauma nursing course utilization was first explored in the literature. There continue to be significant opportunities to support nurses in continuing education activities related to the care of injured children. While barriers to accessing these types of activities sometimes exist, it is the responsibility of the pediatric trauma community to explore these challenges even further and collaborate with others interested in improving the care of injured children.

This book was written to help social work educators make pedagogically sound, rational, practical, and ethical decisions about integrating technology into their social work programs and across the curriculum. It covers a range of essential topics, from understanding digital literacy skills to ethical implications for technology in social work practice, from using technology in the traditional classroom to fully online teaching environments. Case studies, practical examples, and technology tips are integrated into each chapter, and checklists show how technology is integrated with the Council on Social Work Education s EPAS competencies, the NASW s Code of Ethics, and other social work practice standards and guidelines. Appendices provide a wealth of practical materials.

This book was written to help social work educators make pedagogically sound, rational, practical, and ethical decisions about integrating technology into their social work programs and across the curriculum. It covers a range of essential topics, from understanding digital literacy skills to ethical implications for technology in social work practice, from using technology in the traditional classroom to fully online teaching environments. Case studies, practical examples, and technology tips are integrated into each chapter, and checklists show how technology is integrated with the Council on Social Work Education s EPAS competencies, the NASW s Code of Ethics, and other social work practice standards and guidelines. Appendices provide a wealth of practical materials.

This book was written to help social work educators make pedagogically sound, rational, practical, and ethical decisions about integrating technology into their social work programs and across the curriculum. It covers a range of essential topics, from understanding digital literacy skills to ethical implications for technology in social work practice, from using technology in the traditional classroom to fully online teaching environments. Case studies, practical examples, and technology tips are integrated into each chapter, and checklists show how technology is integrated with the Council on Social Work Education s EPAS competencies, the NASW s Code of Ethics, and other social work practice standards and guidelines. Appendices provide a wealth of practical materials.

Active interviewing approaches can exploit the verbal differences between truthtellers and liars, thus improving detecting deception. One such method is the Reality Interview (RI) aimed to facilitate recall from truthtellers, while increasing the difficulty for liars. This study investigated whether the RI could improve the diagnostic accuracy of the Reality Monitoring and the Criteria-Based Content Analysis. Liars and truthtellers were either asked to freely recall an event or interviewed with the RI. As hypothesized, the RI improved the discriminability of Reality Monitoring and Criteria-Based Content Analysis over Free Recall. Honest responses were longer, and the RI increased the word count difference between honest and false statements. However, after correcting for word count, results were no longer significant, showing its importance for deception detection. Nonetheless, the RI increased verbal differences between truthtellers and liars, demonstrating that using the RI with verbal credibility assessment tools is a powerful combination for investigative interviewing. © 2019 The Authors Applied Cognitive Psychology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Approximately 34% of residents from New Haven’s six lowest-income neighborhoods are food insecure, significantly higher than the rest of Connecticut and country (both approximately 12%). To understand the availability, accessibility, and utility of emergency food programs, we conducted 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 food insecure residents and 14 emergency food providers. Many depend on food programs as a long-term strategy of supplementing groceries rather than a temporary solution in emergency situations; providers are struggling to meet this demand. Transportation and time are barriers to accessing food from programs. Policies and food programs should focus on disseminating accurate information, streamlining policies and practices, and supporting and expanding food programs to meet population need.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) are a class of machine learning model that are especially well suited for imagebased tasks. In this study, we design and train a CNN on tissue samples imaged using Multi-Photon Microscopy (MPM) and show that the model can distinguish between chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) and oncocytoma. We demonstrate the method to train a model using simple max-pooling vote fusion, and use the model to highlight regions of the input that cause a positive classification. The model can be tuned for higher sensitivity at the cost of specificity with a constant threshold and little impact to accuracy overall. Several numerical experiments were run to measure the model’s accuracy on both image and patient level analysis. Our models were designed with a dropout parameter that biases the model towards higher sensitivity or specificity. Our best performance model, as measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC of ROC, or AUROC) on patient level classification, is measured with a 94% AUROC and 88% accuracy, along with 100% sensitivity and 75% specificity.

Incidence and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to increase among young heterosexual men and women in the United States. Although research studies examine the reasons why these young people are not engaging in safe sex behavior, many have not explored factors beyond individual behaviors. Much of the current research focuses on young women, for the most part leaving men out of the equation. In this study, a Photovoice methodology was used to examine social norms, media messaging and perceptions of responsibility surrounding safe sex practices, specifically condom use, among male heterosexual undergraduate students. Results showed that college-aged men are still prioritizing pregnancy prevention over disease prevention, which leads to assumptions that their female partners are on birth control and they do not need to use condoms. Participants pointed to media messages and condom placement that supports women’s responsibility for safer sex and condom negotiation. Future health promotion research and practice should focus on including men in the design and implementation process to address social norms and increase their sense of responsibility.

In this study, nanoparticles of pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and ZnO doped with iron of various doping concentrations (Zn_{1- x}Fe_xO) are analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy. Excitation and emission spectra using various operating wavelengths were collected. Individual spectra and excitation emission matrix were analyzed. Various peaks including strong ultraviolet (UV) emission peaks and strong blue emission peaks that are corresponding to the near-band-edge emission (NBE) and defect emission (DE) peaks were studied based on the peak intensities, peak wavelengths, and NBE peak to defect peak ratios. The Zn_1-xFe_xO materials were also analyzed using X-ray diffraction and optical absorption spectroscopy. The variation in the band gap energy and in the NBE emission energy with dopant concentration was analyzed. A red-shift was observed with the NBE emission peak. The NBE to DE ratio initially increases from pure ZnO to Zn_0.97Fe_0.03O and then decreases as the dopant concentration increases.

We present three-particle mixed-harmonic correlations 〈cos⁡(mϕa+nϕb−(m+n)ϕc)〉 for harmonics m,n=1−3 for charged particles in sNN=200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. These measurements provide information on the three-dimensional structure of the initial collision zone and are important for constraining models of a subsequent low-viscosity quark–gluon plasma expansion phase. We investigate correlations between the first, second and third harmonics predicted as a consequence of fluctuations in the initial state. The dependence of the correlations on the pseudorapidity separation between particles show hints of a breaking of longitudinal invariance. We compare our results to a number of state-of-the art hydrodynamic calculations with different initial states and temperature dependent viscosities. These measurements provide important steps towards constraining the temperature dependent viscosity and longitudinal structure of the initial state at RHIC. © 2018 The Author

We present the first measurement of the proton correlation function in heavy-ion collisions for the central (0–40%) and peripheral (40–80%) Au + Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). Predictions for the ratio of peripheral collisions to central collisions for the proton correlation function are sensitive to the presence of a nucleon bound state. These predictions are based on the proton interaction extracted from (2+1)-flavor lattice QCD calculations at the physical point. The measured ratio of the proton correlation function between the peripheral (small system) and central (large system) collisions is less than unity for relative momentum smaller than 40 MeV/c. Comparison of our measured correlation ratio with theoretical calculation slightly favors a proton bound system with a binding energy of ∼ 27 MeV.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately 1 in 59 children, but there are currently no biomedical treatments available that target the core symptoms (1). Preliminary evidence suggests that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may have the potential to alleviate difficulties experienced by individuals with ASD (2). The evidence supporting the use of rTMS for ASD has led researchers in the field to form a consensus group that has met annually since 2014. Here we summarize discussions from the most recent meeting in May 2017, including recommendations for future research directions.