PILLARS OF YOUTH DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION: PARENTS, POLICE, AND PROJECT DARE (DRUG ABUSE RESISTANCE EDUCATION)

In 1983 Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials teamed with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) health curriculum specialist, Dr. Ruth Rich, to redesign an anti-tobacco curriculum, Project Self-Management and Resistance Training (SMART), into Project Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE). In the first four years of Project DARE, local, state, and, federal government branches endorsed the program as an efficient tool in the local and national fight against youth drug abuse. Early program evaluations, conducted by the Evaluation and Training Institute (ETI), demonstrated DARE’s ability to change attitudes of students, school faculty, and parents concerning social tolerance of underage drug consumption, while also improving attitudes held toward police officers. These evaluations endorsed the expansion of DARE to all LAUSD schools, followed closely by the program’s nationwide expansion. This thesis examines how police officers displaced parent activists’ role in teaching children drug prevention techniques and why, by 1987, the emergent Bureau of Justice Assistance, a branch of the Department of Justice, funded five Regional Officer Training Centers (RTCs) across the country. By investigating previous federal drug responses, media-driven drug panics, and the expanded role of police in drug prevention education, the DARE program is reconsidered as a curricular vehicle which filtered parental guidance out of youth drug prevention and increased authority and autonomy to police departments across the country

DEXTEROUS MANIPULATION CAPABILITIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE IN DISCHARGE RATE PROPERTIES OF MOTOR NEURONS WITH AGE

Aging is accompanied by declines in manual dexterity and fine motor control. The purpose of this research was to compare hand motor control in young and older adults and examine the neuromuscular mechanisms responsible for enabling these interactions. We test force variability during isometric and dynamic contractions, manual dexterity and track motor unit activity to identify the neuromuscular mechanisms responsible for changes in dexterity with age. 26 older adults (66-86 years) and 28 young adults (19 – 38 years) participated in the study. Research participants performed force matching tasks during index finger abduction, precision pinch, static pressing and hybrid force/ motion tasks. The coefficient of variation (CV) during the force-matching task computed. Multichannel high-density EMG was measured from the First Dorsal Interosseus (FDI) and extensor Digitorum Communis (EDC). The EMG signals were decomposed to obtain motor unit discharge rate parameters such as discharge rate and discharge rate variability of the motor neurons was computed. Low-frequency common oscillatory drive to the motor neurons was computed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on the motor unit discharge rates. Associations between the force variability, dexterity scores and motor unit parameters were analyzed for group differences and associations. A higher CV of force was observed in older and younger adults was associated with reduced mean discharge rates, increased discharge rate variabilities and an increase in the low-frequency common oscillatory signal to the motor units. Additionally, the motor unit parameters were associated with performance on tests of manual dexterity such as the box and block test and grooved pegboard test

Childhood Lead Poisoning in Milwaukee (1990-Present)

Childhood lead poisoning in Milwaukee is not merely a public health issue; it\u27s a striking reminder of structural inequities and environmental injustices plaguing marginalized communities. Over the past three decades, the city has grappled with the effects of lead exposure on its youngest residents, confronting a complex interplay of socioeconomic disparities, policy responses, and public health interventions. As this study delves into the evolution of this crisis, it uncovers a narrative of resilience, but also a sobering reality of persistent challenges and missed opportunities. This paper examines the evolution of childhood lead poisoning in Milwaukee from 1990 to the present, exploring factors contributing to its prevalence, policy responses, effectiveness of awareness campaigns, and socioeconomic disparities. Over the past three decades, the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning has fluctuated, influenced by various factors including changes in housing conditions, lead abatement efforts, and policy interventions. Government agencies, public health officials, and advocacy groups have responded with targeted initiatives, such as lead hazard reduction programs and legislation mandating lead testing and abatement in older housing. However, the effectiveness of these interventions has been challenged by persistent socioeconomic disparities and environmental injustices, with marginalized communities disproportionately affected. Public awareness campaigns and educational initiatives have been implemented to raise awareness about lead exposure dangers and promote preventive measures, but their impact on at-risk populations remains variable. As we work to fight childhood lead poisoning in Milwaukee, we\u27re at a critical point. We need everyone—government leaders, supporters, and local communities, to fully commit to finding solutions. It\u27s important to remember the children who are most affected by this issue. Their future is at stake. We can only make Milwaukee safer and healthier for future generations if we come together with fair plans that empower everyone in the community

The Usage of Band Ratios to Predict Lake Water Quality Parameters using Sentinel-2 L1C Imagery

Band ratios using remote imagery can be useful for monitoring large bodies of water when high quality imagery is available. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery provides frequent, high-resolution coverage of the globe. This study set out to test the usefulness of existing band ratios for estimating chlorophyll a (CHL-a), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and turbidity with Sentinel-2 imagery. USGS in-situ data was matched to Sentinel-2 imagery of Beaver Lake, Arkansas taken August 2015 to July 2019 and the dark spectrum fitting (DSF) atmospheric correction method in ACOLITE was applied to generate surface reflectance values. CHL-a was estimated using two different methods, the band 5 (B5) peak at 704.1 nm and the ratio of B5 to B4. DOC was estimated using the ratio of B3 to B4. A turbidity estimation equation was created by directly correlating turbidity to B4 reflectance values. The usage of these methods was deemed to be unfit for use under the conditions found at Beaver Lake. Poor correlation was found for CHL-a (R² = 0.0228, R = -0.1510, & R² = 0.0344, R = 0.1855) and for DOC (R² = 0.0548, R = -0.2341). Turbidity was more strongly corelated to the estimate equation (R² = 0.8402, R =0.9166) but considering the poor results for other parameters it is not recommended to apply these methodologies to parameter estimation at Beaver Lake

METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORK AND COVALENT ORGANIC FRAMEWORK MEMBRANES FOR MOLECULAR SEPARATIONS

Olefin/paraffin separation as a typical example of gas separation has attracted a lot of research interest because of the high demand for high-purity olefins in the petrochemical industry. However, the physical and chemical similarities of olefins and paraffins make them difficult to separate. It is also critical to separate organic liquid mixtures in the petroleum industry since the consumption of organic solvents is increasing as industries develop, and the problem of recovering and reusing organic solvents is becoming more prevalent. Distillation is the most commonly used separation technology in the industry, but it is an energy-intensive process. As an alternative separation process, membrane technology has become a reliable, energy-efficient, and techno-economically attractive option for separation and purification, especially in chemical and petrochemical industries. Over the past decade, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as appealing materials for molecular separation due to their porous structure and interconnected transport channels. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) are a subclass of MOFs. ZIF membranes featuring small aperture sizes have shown promising performance for olefin/paraffin separation. However, the fabrication of thin, defect-free polycrystalline ZIF membranes is still challenging. Therefore, one objective of this research is to prepare high-quality polycrystalline ZIF membranes on low-cost macroporous ceramic supports with high olefin/paraffin selectivities using vapor-phase processing, which combines atomic layer deposition (ALD) and ligand vapor treatment. The second objective is to investigate the properties of the resultant ZIF membranes for separating 1,3-butadiene from C4 hydrocarbon mixtures that include 1,3-butadiene, butenes, and butanes. COFs, a novel class of crystalline porous polymers, have attracted increasing interest due to their unique characteristics, abundant open sites, and interpenetrating channels and cages. Three-dimensional COFs (3D COFs) usually have the characteristics of interpenetration, so their effective pore size can be reduced, thereby achieving more effective separation compared to two-dimensional COFs (2D COFs). It was also reported that COFs are stable in organic solvents owing to the robust covalent linkages (e.g., imine, hydrazine, and ketoenamine) in the frameworks, making them promising porous materials for the preparation of organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes. Thus, another objective of this research is to prepare 3D COF membranes (e.g., COF-300) that can effectively remove various dyes in organic solvents (e.g., Rose Bengal, Methyl Orange) and to investigate the relationships between interfacial synthesis, membrane structure, and OSN performance. This dissertation entails (1) the synthesis and characterization of ZIF membranes by a vapor-phase seeding method and the study of their olefin/paraffin separation properties, (2) the fabrication of ZIF membranes by all-vapor-phase ligand-induced permselectivation (LIPS) method and secondary growth method for 1,3-butadiene separation from C4 hydrocarbons, (3) the review on the fabrication methods and application fields of 3D COF membranes, and (4) the synthesis and characterization of 3D COF membranes using interfacial polymerization (IP) method and preliminary mechanistic investigation of the solvent transport properties

Characteristic and Defining Markers of PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most frequently occurring endocrine disorders in women. The syndrome is diagnosed through a heterogeneous combination of androgen excess, anovulation, and ovarian dysfunction and is characterized by a host of resulting markers. This paper will paint the overall diagnostic picture of the condition and review a number of these markers to build an essential picture of PCOS. It will concentrate first on its principal metabolic markers then describe its physical, neurological and psychobehavioral markers. Each section will then abstract an essential picture from the data it presents. Finally, the review will conclude with a consolidation of the conclusions drawn in each section. The central theme that emerges is the inter-potentiated nature of PCOS markers

Monandrous Females Regain Sexual Receptivity and Produce Fewer Offspring After Short Copulations

Male fitness is a function of the number of mates they can inseminate, yet males often engage in prolonged copulations rather than seek out new mates. Potential explanations for this behavior include the ejaculate transfer hypothesis, which states that longer copulations function to achieve higher levels of insemination, and the mate-guarding hypothesis which states longer copulations function to prevent the female from mating again. Interestingly, prolonged copulations can occur in monandrous species where these functions would not seem to apply. We investigated prolonged mating in a monandrous-polygynous species, a member of the Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae). These insects form pairs by using plant-borne vibrational signals. Copulation can last up to three hours. We tested a version of the mate-guarding hypothesis by which prolonged copulation functions to reduce female receptivity and promote offspring production. In other words, monandry in this species may be due to male ejaculate substances. If so, females would be more likely to duet with male signals and less likely to produce offspring as mating duration declines. We randomly assigned receptive females to copulation duration treatments of either 10, 30, 45, or 60 minutes before we separated the pairs. We also included a control group where the pairs were not interrupted during copulations. We found that females that experienced copulations lasting ≤30 minutes were more likely to duet with playbacks after mating compared to females that had uninterrupted matings. These control females (copulations lasting 104 minutes, on average) rarely duetted with subsequent playbacks. Further, we found that females that mated for ≤45 minutes were less likely to produce offspring than females in other treatments. Our results suggest that extreme copulation length may function to lower female receptivity and promote offspring production by the transfer of ejaculate substances, effectively causing monandry in some species

AN EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY OF TEMPERATURE UNIFORMITY ENHANCEMENT VIA PASSIVE GEOMETRY MODIFICATIONS IN AIR DILUTION MIXING

This work studies the effect of passive geometries on the temperature uniformity downstream of gas turbines dilution zones. The experimental setup simulates the non-reacting hot and cold air mixing in a dilution chamber, with inlet Reynolds number in the range of 40,000 – 95,000. Several CFD models were investigated and validated against experimental results. The proposed passive geometries include dilution jet extender parts that are installed on the large dilution holes (5mm to 25mm). The second proposed geometry is converging nozzle parts, called jet area modifiers, installed on the inner side of the large dilution holes. The converging nozzle parts have lengths of 5mm, 15mm, and 25mm and area ratios of 0.5 and 0.75. The presented research investigates the effect of different factors affecting temperature uniformity. Results indicate that temperature uniformity is the strongest factor affecting the usefulness efficiency, followed by the jet extender length. The Reynolds number does not have a significant effect on the usefulness efficiency. Jet extenders offer improvement on the temperature uniformity index by 0.9% - 14.9% depending on the temperature ratio and extender length. The added pressure drop varies between 5% and 28% depending on extender length. Jet area modifiers result in an improvement in the temperature uniformity index between 2% and 29%, and pressure drop of 8%-36% compared to the baseline extender case. The realizable k-ε model showed good agreement with experimental data and performed well against k-ω (SST) and Reynolds Stress Turbulence (RST) models