National characteristics and variation in Arabic handwriting

From each of four Arabic countries; Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Oman, 150 participants produced handwriting samples which were examined to assess whether national characteristics were discernible. Ten characters, which have different configurations depending upon their position in the word, along with one short word, were classified into distinguishable forms, and these forms recorded for each handwriting sample. Tests of independence showed that character forms used were not independent of country (p < 0.001) for all but one character-position (this was dropped from subsequent analyses). A correspondence analysis ordination plot and analysis of similarity (R = 0.326, p = 0.0002) showed that whole samples were discernibly grouped by country, and a tree analysis produced a classification which was 71% accurate for the original data and 83% accurate for 80 new handwriting samples that underwent ‘blind’ classification. When the countries were combined into two regions, North Africa and Middle East, the grouping was more marked. Thus, there appears to be some scope for narrowing down the nationality, and particularly the wider geographical region of an author based upon the character forms they use in Arabic handwriting

Structurable algebras and groups of type E_6 and E_7

It is well-known that every algebraic group of type F_4 is the automorphism group of an exceptional Jordan algebra, and that up to isogeny all groups of type ^1E_6 with trivial Tits algebras arise as the isometry groups of norm forms of such Jordan algebras. We describe a similar relationship between groups of type E_6 and groups of type E_7 and use it to give explicit descriptions of the homogeneous projective varieties associated to groups of type E_7 with trivial Tits algebras. The underlying algebraic structure for the relationship considered here are a sort of 56-dimensional structurable algebra which are forms of an algebra constructed from an exceptional Jordan algebra.Comment: 35 pages, AMSLaTeX -- error in final section correcte

How far will they go?: assessing the travel distance of current and former drug users to access harm reduction services

Background Prior research has explored spatial access to syringe exchange programs (SEPs) among people who inject drugs (PWID), but little is known about service utilization by former PWID who continue to access services (e.g., HIV screenings and referrals for social services) at harm reduction providers. The purpose of this research is to examine differences in access to SEPs between current and former PWID seeking services at a mobile SEP in Washington, DC. Findings A geometric point distance estimation technique was applied to data collected as part of a PWID population estimation study that took place in Washington, DC, in March and April 2014. We calculated the walking distance from the centroid point of home residence zip code to the mobile exchange site where PWID presented for services. An independent samples t-test was used to examine differences in walking distance measures between current and former PWID. Differences in mean walking distance were statistically significant with current and former PWID having mean walking distances of 2.75 and 1.80 miles, respectively. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that former PWID who are engaging with SEPs primarily for non-needle exchange services (e.g., medical or social services) may have decreased access to SEPs than their counterparts who are active injectors. This research provides support for expanding SEP operations such that both active and former PWID have increased access to harm reduction providers and associated health and social services. Increasing service accessibility may help resolve unmet needs among current and former PWID

Effect of pH on Yeast Activation in Leavened Bread

Bread is a staple in the diet of many different populations around the world, and yeast is an important component of bread making. The amount of yeast fermentation that is achieved has a large impact on the outcome of the bread, most particularly on the final volume and density. The purpose of our research was to determine if pH had an effect on the fermentation process of bakers yeast in bread. We decided to test this by altering the pH of the activation solution used in a basic bread recipe to various pH levels, including basic (9), neutral (7), acidic (5) and very acidic (4). We made four loaves of bread, each using the same recipe, with the only difference being the pH of yeast activation solution. We then measured the volume and density of the final product using seed displacement and cell size counts. We also did a sensory panel to evaluate the flavor, texture, appearance and overall impression of each of the breads to see the effects that the pH had on our yeast fermentation

Impact Evaluation of a Policy Intervention for HIV Prevention in Washington, DC

Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) lower HIV risk. From 1998 to 2007, Congress prohibited Washington, DC, from using municipal revenue for SEPs. We examined the impact of policy change on IDU-associated HIV cases. We used surveillance data for new IDU-associated HIV cases between September 1996 and December 2011 to build an ARIMA model and forecasted the expected number of IDU-associated cases in the 24 months following policy change. Interrupted time series analyses (ITSA) were used to assess epidemic impact of policy change. There were 176 IDU-associated HIV cases in the 2 years post-policy change; our model predicted 296 IDU-associated HIV cases had the policy remained in place, yielding a difference of 120 averted HIV cases. ITSA identified significant immediate (B = −6.0355, p = .0005) and slope changes (B = −.1241, p = .0427) attributed to policy change. Policy change is an effective structural intervention for HIV prevention when it facilitates the implementation of services needed by vulnerable populations

Using Capture-Recapture Methods to Estimate the Population of People Who Inject Drugs in Washington, DC

No current estimates exist for the size of the population of people who inject drugs (PWID) in the District of Columbia (DC). The WHO/UNAIDS Guidelines on Estimating the Size of Populations Most at Risk to HIV was used as the methodological framework to estimate the DC PWID population. The capture phase recruited harm reduction agency clients; the recapture phase recruited community-based PWID. The 951 participants were predominantly Black (83.9 %), male (69.8 %), and 40+ years of age (68.2 %). Approximately 50.3 % reported injecting drugs in the past 30 days. We estimate approximately 8829 (95 % CI 4899 and 12,759) PWID in DC. When adjusted for possible missed sub-populations of PWID, the estimate increases to 12,000; thus, the original estimate of approximately 9000 should be viewed in the context of the 95 % confidence interval. These evidence-based estimations should be used to determine program delivery needs and resource allocation for PWID in Washington, DC

Surviving infant mortality in the hierarchical merging scenario

We examine the effects of gas expulsion on initially sub-structured and out-of-equilibrium star clusters. We perform $N$-body simulations of the evolution of star clusters in a static background potential before removing that potential to model gas expulsion. We find that the initial star formation efficiency is not a good measure of the survivability of star clusters. This is because the stellar distribution can change significantly, causing a large change in the relative importance of the stellar and gas potentials. We find that the initial stellar distribution and velocity dispersion are far more important parameters than the initial star formation efficiency, and that clusters with very low star formation efficiencies can survive gas expulsion. We suggest that it is variations in cluster initial conditions rather than in their star formation efficiencies that cause some clusters to be destroyed while a few survive.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, 1 tabl

Aversive Racism and Child Protection Practice with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Families

Reiterating the urgent need for the development of anti-racist practice with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families, this discussion paper develops the conclusions presented by Allen and Riding (2018) in the Fragility of Professional Competence report. Viewing their findings through the lens of aversive racism, we aim to shed some light on a rarely seen paradox in child protection. A paradox that exists when child protection practitioners who, by nature of their professional status, publicly sympathise with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities as victims of injustice, support the principle of equality, and regard themselves as non-prejudiced, but simultaneously possess negative feelings, views, and beliefs about them. Emphasising the opportunity for children’s guardians, family court advisers, and independent social workers to identify racism and diversify power systems, we introduce three characteristics that represent important initial steps to address the intersecting oppressions that many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and families face. Concentrating on the opportunity for change, we end the discussion with a brief description of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Social Work Association; a group that aims to challenge racism and enable child protection professionals to stand with children and families at grassroots, and promote their right to live self-determined lives without fear, discrimination, or retaliation