9 results
Incidence and risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infection in 623 intensive care units throughout 37 Asian, African, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern nations: A multinational prospective research of INICC
- Victor Daniel Rosenthal, Ruijie Yin, Eric Christopher Brown, Brandon Hochahn Lee, Camilla Rodrigues, Sheila Nainan Myatra, Mohit Kharbanda, Prasad Rajhans, Yatin Mehta, Subhash Kumar Todi, Sushmita Basu, Suneeta Sahu, Shakti Bedanta Mishra, Rajesh Chawla, Pravin K. Nair, Rajalakshmi Arjun, Deepak Singla, Kavita Sandhu, Vijayanand Palaniswamy, Arpita Bhakta, Mohd-Basri Mat Nor, Tai Chian-Wern, Ider Bat-Erdene, Subhash P. Acharya, Aamer Ikram, Nellie Tumu, Lili Tao, Gustavo Andres Alvarez, Sandra Liliana Valderrama-Beltran, Luisa Fernanda Jiménez-Alvarez, Claudia Milena Henao-Rodas, Katherine Gomez, Lina Alejandra Aguilar-Moreno, Yuliana Andrea Cano-Medina, Maria Adelia Zuniga-Chavarria, Guadalupe Aguirre-Avalos, Alejandro Sassoe-Gonzalez, Mary Cruz Aleman-Bocanegra, Blanca Estela Hernandez-Chena, Maria Isabel Villegas-Mota, Daisy Aguilar-de-Moros, Alex Castañeda-Sabogal, Eduardo Alexandrino Medeiros, Lourdes Dueñas, Nilton Yhuri Carreazo, Estuardo Salgado, Safaa Abdulaziz-Alkhawaja, Hala Mounir Agha, Amani Ali El-Kholy, Mohammad Abdellatif Daboor, Ertugrul Guclu, Oguz Dursun, Iftihar Koksal, Merve Havan, Suna Secil Ozturk-Deniz, Dincer Yildizdas, Emel Okulu, Abeer Aly Omar, Ziad A. Memish, Jarosław Janc, Sona Hlinkova, Wieslawa Duszynska, George Horhat-Florin, Lul Raka, Michael M. Petrov, Zhilin Jin
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 45 / Issue 5 / May 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 January 2024, pp. 567-575
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- May 2024
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Objective:
To identify urinary catheter (UC)–associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors.
Design:A prospective cohort study.
Setting:The study was conducted across 623 ICUs of 224 hospitals in 114 cities in 37 African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.
Participants:The study included 169,036 patients, hospitalized for 1,166,593 patient days.
Methods:Data collection took place from January 1, 2014, to February 12, 2022. We identified CAUTI rates per 1,000 UC days and UC device utilization (DU) ratios stratified by country, by ICU type, by facility ownership type, by World Bank country classification by income level, and by UC type. To estimate CAUTI risk factors, we analyzed 11 variables using multiple logistic regression.
Results:Participant patients acquired 2,010 CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate was 2.83 per 1,000 UC days. The highest CAUTI rate was associated with the use of suprapubic catheters (3.93 CAUTIs per 1,000 UC days); with patients hospitalized in Eastern Europe (14.03) and in Asia (6.28); with patients hospitalized in trauma (7.97), neurologic (6.28), and neurosurgical ICUs (4.95); with patients hospitalized in lower–middle-income countries (3.05); and with patients in public hospitals (5.89).
The following variables were independently associated with CAUTI: Age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.01; P < .0001), female sex (aOR, 1.39; P < .0001), length of stay (LOS) before CAUTI-acquisition (aOR, 1.05; P < .0001), UC DU ratio (aOR, 1.09; P < .0001), public facilities (aOR, 2.24; P < .0001), and neurologic ICUs (aOR, 11.49; P < .0001).
Conclusions:CAUTI rates are higher in patients with suprapubic catheters, in middle-income countries, in public hospitals, in trauma and neurologic ICUs, and in Eastern European and Asian facilities.
Based on findings regarding risk factors for CAUTI, focus on reducing LOS and UC utilization is warranted, as well as implementing evidence-based CAUTI-prevention recommendations.
Towards a dynamic checklist of lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of Ecuador – using the Consortium of Lichen Herbaria to manage fungal biodiversity in a megadiverse country
- Alba Yánez-Ayabaca, Ángel Benítez, Rosa Batallas Molina, Domenica Naranjo, Javier Etayo, María Prieto, Gabriela Cevallos, Erika Caicedo, Klara Scharnagl, Britton McNerlin, Santiago Swanson, Gregorio Aragón, Noelia Fernández-Prado, Isabel Martínez, Ana Rosa Burgaz, Yadira González, Jorge Déleg, Marlon Vega, Pieter van den Boom, Nicolas Magain, Fredy Nugra, Tania Oña, Patricia Jaramillo Díaz, Justine Villalba-Alemán, Bibiana Moncada, Jesús Hernández, Edward Erik Gilbert, Frank Bungartz
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- Journal:
- The Lichenologist / Volume 55 / Issue 5 / September 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 September 2023, pp. 203-222
- Print publication:
- September 2023
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A checklist of Lichen-forming, Lichenicolous and Allied Fungi of Ecuador is presented with a total of 2599 species, of which 39 are reported for the first time from the country. The names of three species, Hypotrachyna montufariensis, H. subpartita and Sticta hypoglabra, previously not validly published, are validated. Pertusaria oahuensis, originally introduced by Magnusson as ‘ad interim’, is validated as Lepra oahuensis. The form Leucodermia leucomelos f. albociliata is validated. Two new combinations, Fissurina tectigera and F. timida, are made, and Physcia mobergii is introduced as a replacement name for the illegitimate P. lobulata Moberg non (Flörke) Arnold. In an initial step, the checklist was compiled by reviewing literature records of Ecuadorian lichen biota spanning from the late 19th century to the present day. Subsequently, records were added based on vouchers from 56 collections participating in the Consortium of Lichen Herbaria, a Symbiota-based biodiversity platform with particular focus on, but not exclusive to, North and South America. Symbiota provides sophisticated tools to manage biodiversity data, such as occurrence records, a taxonomic thesaurus, and checklists. The thesaurus keeps track of frequently changing names, distinguishing taxa currently accepted from ones considered synonyms. The software also provides tools to create and manage checklists, with an emphasis on selecting vouchers based on occurrence records that can be verified for identification accuracy. Advantages and limitations of creating checklists in Symbiota versus traditional ways of compiling these lists are discussed. Traditional checklists are well suited to document current knowledge as a ‘snapshot in time’. They are important baselines, frequently used by ecologists and conservation scientists as an established naming convention for citing species reported from a country. Compiling these lists, however, requires an immense effort, only to inadequately address the dynamic nature of scientific discovery. Traditional checklists are thus quickly out of date, particularly in groups with rapidly changing taxonomy, such as lichenized fungi. Especially in megadiverse countries, where new species and new occurrences continue to be discovered, traditional checklists are not easily updated; these lists necessarily fall short of efficiently managing immense data sets, and they rely primarily on secondary evidence (i.e. literature records rather than specimens). Ideally, best practices make use of dynamic database platforms such as Symbiota to assess occurrence records based both on literature citations and voucher specimens. Using modern data management tools comes with a learning curve. Systems like Symbiota are not necessarily intuitive and their functionality can still be improved, especially when handling literature records. However, online biodiversity data platforms have much potential in more efficiently managing and assessing large biodiversity data sets, particularly when investigating the lichen biota of megadiverse countries such as Ecuador.
Multinational prospective study of incidence and risk factors for central-line–associated bloodstream infections in 728 intensive care units of 41 Asian, African, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries over 24 years
- Victor Daniel Rosenthal, Ruijie Yin, Sheila Nainan Myatra, Ziad A. Memish, Camilla Rodrigues, Mohit Kharbanda, Sandra Liliana Valderrama-Beltran, Yatin Mehta, Majeda Afeef Al-Ruzzieh, Guadalupe Aguirre-Avalos, Ertugrul Guclu, Chin Seng Gan, Luisa Fernanda Jiménez Alvarez, Rajesh Chawla, Sona Hlinkova, Rajalakshmi Arjun, Hala Mounir Agha, Maria Adelia Zuniga Chavarria, Narangarav Davaadagva, Yin Hoong Lai, Katherine Gomez, Daisy Aguilar-de-Moros, Chian-Wern Tai, Alejandro Sassoe Gonzalez, Lina Alejandra Aguilar Moreno, Kavita Sandhu, Jarosław Janc, Mary Cruz Aleman Bocanegra, Dincer Yildizdas, Yuliana Andrea Cano Medina, Maria Isabel Villegas Mota, Abeer Aly Omar, Wieslawa Duszynska, Amani Ali El-Kholy, Safaa Abdulaziz Alkhawaja, George Horhat Florin, Eduardo Alexandrino Medeiros, Lili Tao, Nellie Tumu, May Gamar Elanbya, Reshma Dongol, Vesna Mioljević, Lul Raka, Lourdes Dueñas, Nilton Yhuri Carreazo, Tarek Dendane, Aamer Ikram, Tala Kardas, Michael M. Petrov, Asma Bouziri, Nguyen Viet-Hung, Vladislav Belskiy, Naheed Elahi, Estuardo Salgado, Zhilin Jin
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 44 / Issue 11 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 28 April 2023, pp. 1737-1747
- Print publication:
- November 2023
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Objective:
To identify central-line (CL)–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) incidence and risk factors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Design:From July 1, 1998, to February 12, 2022, we conducted a multinational multicenter prospective cohort study using online standardized surveillance system and unified forms.
Setting:The study included 728 ICUs of 286 hospitals in 147 cities in 41 African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.
Patients:In total, 278,241 patients followed during 1,815,043 patient days acquired 3,537 CLABSIs.
Methods:For the CLABSI rate, we used CL days as the denominator and the number of CLABSIs as the numerator. Using multiple logistic regression, outcomes are shown as adjusted odds ratios (aORs).
Results:The pooled CLABSI rate was 4.82 CLABSIs per 1,000 CL days, which is significantly higher than that reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC NHSN). We analyzed 11 variables, and the following variables were independently and significantly associated with CLABSI: length of stay (LOS), risk increasing 3% daily (aOR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.03–1.04; P < .0001), number of CL days, risk increasing 4% per CL day (aOR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03–1.04; P < .0001), surgical hospitalization (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03–1.21; P < .0001), tracheostomy use (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.23–1.88; P < .0001), hospitalization at a publicly owned facility (aOR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.31–4.01; P <.0001) or at a teaching hospital (aOR, 2.91; 95% CI, 2.22–3.83; P < .0001), hospitalization in a middle-income country (aOR, 2.41; 95% CI, 2.09–2.77; P < .0001). The ICU type with highest risk was adult oncology (aOR, 4.35; 95% CI, 3.11–6.09; P < .0001), followed by pediatric oncology (aOR, 2.51;95% CI, 1.57–3.99; P < .0001), and pediatric (aOR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.81–3.01; P < .0001). The CL type with the highest risk was internal-jugular (aOR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.71–3.33; P < .0001), followed by femoral (aOR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.96–2.68; P < .0001). Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was the CL with the lowest CLABSI risk (aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.18; P = .04).
Conclusions:The following CLABSI risk factors are unlikely to change: country income level, facility ownership, hospitalization type, and ICU type. These findings suggest a focus on reducing LOS, CL days, and tracheostomy; using PICC instead of internal-jugular or femoral CL; and implementing evidence-based CLABSI prevention recommendations.
Multinational prospective cohort study of rates and risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia over 24 years in 42 countries of Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC)
- Victor Daniel Rosenthal, Zhilin Jin, Ziad A. Memish, Camilla Rodrigues, Sheila Nainan Myatra, Mohit Kharbanda, Sandra Liliana Valderrama-Beltran, Yatin Mehta, Mohammad Abdellatif Daboor, Subhash Kumar Todi, Guadalupe Aguirre-Avalos, Ertugrul Guclu, Chin Seng Gan, Luisa Fernanda Jiménez Alvarez, Rajesh Chawla, Sona Hlinkova, Rajalakshmi Arjun, Hala Mounir Agha, Maria Adelia Zuniga Chavarria, Narangarav Davaadagva, Mat Nor Mohd Basri, Katherine Gomez, Daisy Aguilar De Moros, Chian-Wern Tai, Alejandro Sassoe Gonzalez, Lina Alejandra Aguilar Moreno, Kavita Sandhu, Jarosław Janc, Mary Cruz Aleman Bocanegra, Dincer Yildizdas, Yuliana Andrea Cano Medina, Maria Isabel Villegas Mota, Abeer Aly Omar, Wieslawa Duszynska, Souad BelKebir, Amani Ali El-Kholy, Safaa Abdulaziz Alkhawaja, George Horhat Florin, Eduardo Alexandrino Medeiros, Lili Tao, Nellie Tumu, May Gamar Elanbya, Reshma Dongol, Vesna Mioljević, Lul Raka, Lourdes Dueñas, Nilton Yhuri Carreazo, Tarek Dendane, Aamer Ikram, Souha S. Kanj, Michael M. Petrov, Asma Bouziri, Nguyen Viet Hung, Vladislav Belskiy, Naheed Elahi, María Marcela Bovera, Ruijie Yin
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- Journal:
- Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology / Volume 3 / Issue 1 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 January 2023, e6
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Objective:
Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are several times above those of high-income countries. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors (RFs) for VAP cases in ICUs of LMICs.
Design:Prospective cohort study.
Setting:This study was conducted across 743 ICUs of 282 hospitals in 144 cities in 42 Asian, African, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.
Participants:The study included patients admitted to ICUs across 24 years.
Results:In total, 289,643 patients were followed during 1,951,405 patient days and acquired 8,236 VAPs. We analyzed 10 independent variables. Multiple logistic regression identified the following independent VAP RFs: male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16–1.28; P < .0001); longer length of stay (LOS), which increased the risk 7% per day (aOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.07–1.08; P < .0001); mechanical ventilation (MV) utilization ratio (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.23–1.31; P < .0001); continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which was associated with the highest risk (aOR, 13.38; 95% CI, 11.57–15.48; P < .0001); tracheostomy connected to a MV, which was associated with the next-highest risk (aOR, 8.31; 95% CI, 7.21–9.58; P < .0001); endotracheal tube connected to a MV (aOR, 6.76; 95% CI, 6.34–7.21; P < .0001); surgical hospitalization (aOR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17–1.29; P < .0001); admission to a public hospital (aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.35-1.86; P < .0001); middle-income country (aOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 15–1.29; P < .0001); admission to an adult-oncology ICU, which was associated with the highest risk (aOR, 4.05; 95% CI, 3.22–5.09; P < .0001), admission to a neurologic ICU, which was associated with the next-highest risk (aOR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.78–3.45; P < .0001); and admission to a respiratory ICU (aOR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.79–3.07; P < .0001). Admission to a coronary ICU showed the lowest risk (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.51–0.77; P < .0001).
Conclusions:Some identified VAP RFs are unlikely to change: sex, hospitalization type, ICU type, facility ownership, and country income level. Based on our results, we recommend focusing on strategies to reduce LOS, to reduce the MV utilization ratio, to limit CPAP use and implementing a set of evidence-based VAP prevention recommendations.
2395 Developing a conceptual model of healthcare access for adolescent Latinas in the US South
- Mercedes M. M. Aleman, Gwendolyn Ferreti, Isabel C. Scarinci
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- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 2 / Issue S1 / June 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 November 2018, p. 68
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OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Alabama (AL) experienced a 145% increase in its Latino population between 2000 and 2010; making it the state with the second fastest growing Latino population in the United States (US) during that time. Adolescent Latinas in the United States and in AL are disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities as evidenced by the disproportionate burden of HIV, STIs and early pregnancy compared with their non-Hispanic, White counterparts. In 2011, Alabama passed 1 of the harshest anti-immigration laws in the nation. Following the passing of this law, county health department visits among Latino adults decreased by 25% for STIs and 13% for family planning. Empirical data with adult Latinas in the Southeast suggest significant barriers to sexual healthcare access. However, to our knowledge, no other researchers have examined barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare access for this subpopulation. Therefore, the goal of this 3-phase study is to: (a) better understand the factors underlying sexual health disparities and gaps in healthcare access among adolescent Latinas; (b) develop a conceptual model based on these data and the extant literature summarizing the theorized pathways through which factors at differing levels of the socioecological model of health (SEMH) impact sexual healthcare access for this group; and (c) develop community-driven, theory-based, culturally-relevant, multilevel intervention strategies to reduce sexual health disparities and increase sexual healthcare access for adolescent Latinas through a community-engaged, intervention mapping process. Community based participatory research (CBPR), which ensures equitable participation of stakeholder groups through partnerships, and the SEMH, which conceptualizes the individual as nested within a set of social structures, provide the philosophical and theoretical frameworks for the work. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: From January of 2017 to December of 2017 we completed phase 1 of the study: conducting and analyzing 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews with adolescents who: self-identified as Latina, were between 15 and 20 years of age, had been in the United States for over 5 years, and lived in one of the counties of West AL and 15 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key stakeholders (healthcare providers, parents, policy makers, etc.) who regularly work with Latina adolescents. Interview participants were recruited through purposeful-convenience sampling. Two bilingual (in English and Spanish) coders used an iterative process (between independent coding and consensus building) to analyze the data using NVivo 11. Phase 2 of the study is currently underway: constructing a conceptual model on sexual healthcare access for young Latinas in Alabama. We have utilized an iterative process between qualitative interview data collected in phase 1 and review of the extant literature to draft a conceptual model of healthcare access among adolescent Latinas in the US South. This model will serve as the foundation of future studies including the development of intervention strategies through a CBPR process (phase 3), to commence in January 2018. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: PHASE 1: Several barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare access emerged from the semi-structured qualitative research interviews with young women. These included: (1) parental approval/disapproval and embarrassment (“pena”); (2) structural barriers/facilitators to care (e.g., lack of transportation, flexible clinic hours); and (3) negative/positive experiences with providers (e.g., perceived discrimination based on immigrant status). Key stakeholders identified the following barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare access for adolescent Latinas in their interviews: (1) language barriers/need for interpreters and outreach workers to work with young Latina women; (2) need for better sexual health education across the state; (3) lack of knowledge among young women and their parents about institutions in general and sexual healthcare, in specific; and (4) perceived lack of “deservingness” and discrimination from providers/“not my patients” phenomenon. PHASE 2: This presentation will summarize the development of our conceptual model (see drafts attached). For ease of interpretation, we have created 2 sub-models (centering gender and immigration, respectively) which summarize theorized pathways through which policy, community, organizational, and family-level factors influence young Latina women’s access to sexual healthcare services. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The proposed research is significant because: (1) the state of AL experienced a dramatic increase in its Latino/a population over the last 15 years and adolescent Latinas in AL are disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities; (2) to our knowledge, this is the only study to examine the multilevel factors associated with sexual healthcare access for adolescent Latinas in the South and inform intervention strategies to promote sexual healthcare access in this population; (3) the work is being conducted under the philosophical lens of CBPR such that community members are involved in every step of the research process, resulting in culturally relevant and youth-specific intervention strategies.
Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey Plus (HerPlaNS+)
- Toshiya Ueta, Isabel Aleman, Masaaki Otsuka, Katrina Exter, the HerPlaNS consortium
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 14 / Issue S343 / August 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 December 2019, pp. 518-519
- Print publication:
- August 2018
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We present the current status update of the Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey Plus project (HerPlaNS+) based on the original General Observer HerPlaNS survey program during the OT1 cycle and the follow-up exhaustive archival search of PN observations using the PACS and SPIRE instruments on-board the Herschel Space Observatory.
2333: Examination of barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare access among adolescent Latinas in Alabama
- Mercedes Margarita Morales Aleman, Isabel C. Scarinci, Gwendolyn Ferreti
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 1 / Issue S1 / September 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 May 2018, p. 74
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OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Alabama (AL) experienced a 145% increase in its Latino population between 2000 and 2010; making it the state with the second fastest growing Latino population in the United States (US) during that time. Adolescent Latinas in the US and in AL are disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities as evidenced by the disproportionate burden of HIV, STIs and early pregnancy compared with their non-Hispanic, White counterparts. Empirical data with adult Latinas in the southeast suggest significant barriers to sexual healthcare access. However, to our knowledge, no other researchers have examined barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare access for this subpopulation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine adolescent Latinas’ sexual healthcare needs through in-depth qualitative interviews. These qualitative interviews (phase 1 of a 3-phase study) will inform the development of community-driven, theory-based, culturally-relevant, multi-level intervention strategies to reduce sexual health disparities and increase sexual healthcare access for this group. Community-based participatory research (CBPR), which ensures equitable participation of stakeholder groups through partnerships, and the socioecological model of health, which conceptualizes the individual as nested within a set of social structures, provide the philosophical and theoretical frameworks for the work. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Between January and March of 2017, we will conduct 30 qualitative interviews with eligible adolescents who: self-identify as Latina, are between 15 and 19 years old, have been in the US for over 5 years, and live west AL. We will use venue-based, purposeful convenience sampling to recruit participants. We will manage and analyze the data with the qualitative software NVivo 10. We will use a multi-step, consensus-based process to code and analyze the interviews in the language in which they were conducted (ie, Spanish or English). We will maintain detailed audit trails during the analysis process and seek an inter-rater reliability of 0.85. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We expect to identify barriers and facilitators to sexual healthcare services at distinct levels of the socioecological model of health. Study results and implications for practice in clinical settings will be discussed in detail. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The proposed research is significant because (1) the state of AL experienced a dramatic increase in its Latino/a population over the last 15 years and adolescent Latinas in AL are disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities; (2) to our knowledge, this will be the first study to examine the multi-level factors associated with sexual healthcare access for adolescent Latinas in the South and inform intervention strategies to promote sexual healthcare access in this population; (3) the work will be conducted under the philosophical lens of CBPR such that community members will be involved in every step of the research process, resulting in culturally relevant intervention strategies.
Mapping the Physical and Chemical Conditions of the Ring Nebula
- Marcelo L. Leal-Ferreira, Isabel Aleman, Andrea Gaughan, Djazia Ladjal, Toshiya Ueta, Samuel Kerber, Blair Conn, Rhiannon Gardiner, Alexander G. G. M. Tielens
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 12 / Issue S323 / October 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 08 August 2017, pp. 345-347
- Print publication:
- October 2016
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We observed the Planetary Nebula NGC 6720 with the Gemini Telescope and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs. We obtained spatial maps of 36 emission-lines in the wavelength range between 3600 Å and 9400 Å. We derived maps of c(Hβ), electronic densities, electronic temperatures, ionic and elemental abundances, and Ionization Correction Factors (ICFs) in the source and investigated the mass-loss history of the progenitor. The elemental abundance results indicate the need for ICFs based on three-dimensional photoionization models.
XSHOOTER spectroscopy of the enigmatic PN Lin49 in the SMC
- Masaaki Otsuka, Francisca Kemper, Marcelo L. Leal-Ferreira, Isabel Aleman, Jeronimo Bernard-Salas, Jan Cami, Bram B. Ochsendorf, Els Peeters, Peter Scicluna
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 12 / Issue S323 / October 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 08 August 2017, pp. 254-258
- Print publication:
- October 2016
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We performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the fullerene C60-containing planetary nebula (PN) Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Lin49 is a C-rich and metal-deficient PN (Z~0.0006) and its nebular abundances are in agreement with the AGB model for the initially 1.25 M⊙ stars with the metallicity Z = 0.001. By stellar absorption fitting with TLUSTY, we derived stellar abundances, effective temperature, and surface gravity. We constructed the photoionization model with CLOUDY in order to investigate physical conditions of Lin49. The model with the 0.005-0.1 μm radius graphite and a constant hydrogen density shell could not fit the ~1-5 μm spectral energy distribution (SED) owing to the strong near-IR excess. We propose that the near-IR excess indicates (1) the presence of extremely small carbon molecules or (2) the presence of high-density structure surrounding the central star.