State and Local Prevalence of Firearms Ownership: Measurement, Structure, and Trends

Of the readily computed proxies for the prevalence of gun ownership, one, the percentage of suicides committed with a gun, performs consistently better than the others in cross-section comparisons. It is readily computed for states and counties and has a high degree of validity when tested against survey-based estimates. It also appears valid as a proxy for changes over time in gun prevalence, at least at the regional level. Our analysis of this proxy measure for the period 1979-1997 demonstrates that the geographic structure of gun ownership has been highly stable. That structure is closely linked to rural tradition. There is, however, some tendency toward homogenization over this period, with high-prevalence states trending down and low-prevalence states trending up.

A qualitative look into the lives and aspirations of street children in Ho Chi Minh City

The following paper presents a phenomenological view of Street children’s future aspirations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (HCMC) in 2018. Information was collected addressing general background data, their experiences of living on the street, and the reasons for and how they came to be living on the streets. The subjects studied comprised 3 male and 3 female street children living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Phenomenological interviews were generated using a variety of quantifiable data techniques. They included: in-depth interviews of participants (street children), in-depth interviews of adult individuals in the children’s lives, questionnaires, and observation. The results of the study show a correlation between poverty, broken homes, abuse, limited schooling, and at times, human trafficking. Participants often displayed avoidance or aggression when confronted with uncomfortable or taboo topics. Possible symptoms relating to mental disorders displayed were: depression, generalized anxiety, attachment disorders, aggression, criminality, frustration and hopelessness. The children were drawn to foreigners as a means to earn money, either through sales of trinkets or through scams or begging. As such, the participants generally displayed exaggerated friendliness, superficial connections, and forward mannerisms with adult speaking patterns. All the children had aspirations and perhaps unrealistic goals for the future

Comparación entre los procesos industriales para el conformado de piezas con materiales compuestos

Las piezas conformadas con materiales compuestos, comúnmente polímeros reforzados con fibra, tienen una amplia aceptación en muchas industrias porque ofrecen ventajas significativas respecto a los materiales convencionales, como alta resistencia mecánica, peso ligero, resistencia a la corrosión, entre otras. La selección del método de fabricación más rentable es importante para el rediseño o fabricación de piezas nuevas para la industria automotriz, aeroespacial, naval, química, construcción, militar, energía, etc. El objetivo del presente artículo es comparar los principales métodos de conformado con materiales compuestos, como pultrusión, moldeado por transferencia de resina RTM, compuesto de moldeo en lámina SMC, infusión de resina, enrollamiento de filamento y pre-impregnado. Para la selección del método de conformado más conveniente se deben considerar las propiedades físicas deseadas en la pieza, como son su geometría, resistencia mecánica, tamaño, acabado superficial, así como, factores relacionados con la productividad como son la tasa de producción, costo de maquinaria y costo de maquinado de moldes

Canine Parasites in Southern Nevada Urban Dog Parks: Paravec Study

While dogs are one of humans’ greatest companions, they also serve as hosts for a multitude of parasites. Urban dog parks serve as environments where the transmission of diseases is likely to occur. Exposure to infective agents, contained within the soil, intermediate hosts (e.g., rodents, rabbits), and feces, can directly affect the health of dogs and their owners. Other factors that can further influence canine health include age, previous diagnoses of parasites/diseases, and migration. Many dog owners visit dog parks to encourage socialization and exercise. Such activities are meant to improve health, but unawareness of microbiological organisms can lead to detrimental health conditions if not prevented and treated at the early stages. Human populations, such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals, who are exposed to certain species of protozoa, helminths, and other parasites, may develop physical and neurological damage. In this study, n = 100 fecal samples from 16 Clark County, NV urban dog parks were collected from canine pets. After laboratory processing using fecal smear and fecal flotation procedures (i.e., sugar and salt), and microscopic observations, we found that canine parasites were present in n=50 (50%) of stool samples. Out of those that were observed, protozoan, nematode, and cestode species were identified, most of which have zoonotic potential. It is important that public health professionals encourage communities to monitor their pets’ health. For instance, appropriate vaccination, routine veterinary checkups, and proper hygienic practices can reduce the risk of transmission

Identifying and Tracking Gas Suicides in the U.S. Using the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2005–2012

IntroductionIdentifying the source and specific type of gas used in suicides is difficult using most data systems owing to limitations in ICD-10 coding. The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), with its rich collection of both coded and free-text variables, has the potential to overcome these limitations. This study used a multipronged approach to identify gas-specific suicides in NVDRS and to track the incidence of these suicides over time.MethodsUsing suicide cases from the 16 NVDRS states that participated throughout 2005–2012, free-text and code searches were conducted for four types of variables—incident narratives, coroner/medical examiner cause-of-death statements, cause-of-death codes, and substance names—to identify suicides by carbon monoxide, helium, hydrogen sulfide, and four other gases. All analyses were conducted in 2015.ResultsApproximately 4% (3,242 of 80,715) of suicides recorded in NVDRS over the study period were the result of gas inhalation. Of these, the majority (73%) were carbon monoxide suicides (almost exclusively from motor vehicle exhaust and charcoal burning). Other types of gas (most notably helium), once rare, are now more common: At the start of the study period non–carbon monoxide gas suicides represented 15% of all gas suicides; at the end of the study period, they represented 40%.ConclusionsPublic health policies to reduce a suicidal person’s access to more lethal suicide methods require a reliable source of surveillance data on specific methods used in suicide. Small changes to NVDRS could make it an efficient and nimble surveillance system for tracking these deaths

Detection of Voigt Spectral Line Profiles of Hydrogen Radio Recombination Lines toward Sagittarius B2(N)

We report the detection of Voigt spectral line profiles of radio recombination lines (RRLs) toward Sagittarius B2(N) with the 100-m Green Bank Telescope (GBT). At radio wavelengths, astronomical spectra are highly populated with RRLs, which serve as ideal probes of the physical conditions in molecular cloud complexes. An analysis of the Hn(alpha) lines presented herein shows that RRLs of higher principal quantum number (n>90) are generally divergent from their expected Gaussian profiles and, moreover, are well described by their respective Voigt profiles. This is in agreement with the theory that spectral lines experience pressure broadening as a result of electron collisions at lower radio frequencies. Given the inherent technical difficulties regarding the detection and profiling of true RRL wing spans and shapes, it is crucial that the observing instrumentation produce flat baselines as well as high sensitivity, high resolution data. The GBT has demonstrated its capabilities regarding all of these aspects, and we believe that future observations of RRL emission via the GBT will be crucial towards advancing our knowledge of the larger-scale extended structures of ionized gas in the interstellar medium (ISM)

Detección del uso de casco de seguridad en imágenes de trabajadores mediante el método de la bolsa de palabras visuales (BoVW)

El casco de seguridad es un equipo de protección personal (EPP) imprescindible para prevenir accidentes fatales en fábricas y sitios de construcción. El problema es que en muchos lugares no se lleva a cabo una inspección adecuada, particularmente cuando esta tarea queda a cargo de personas. Sin embargo, la detección automática de objetos a través de sistemas de visión por computadora con cámaras de bajo costo y algoritmos de inteligencia artificial, como el método de la bolsa de palabras visuales (BoVW) son una opción adecuada para inspeccionar en el puesto de control de acceso que los trabajadores y visitantes ocasionales usen cascos de seguridad antes de ingresar a zonas peligrosas. En este artículo reportamos que la etapa de entrenamiento se realizó con imágenes experimentales divididas en dos clases, obtenidas después de aplicar un filtro de detección de bordes y una reducción previa de su tamaño original. Como resultado, se redujo el tiempo promedio de la etapa de entrenamiento a 11.9 segundos y se logró una métrica de exactitud del 95.8%. La etapa de prueba se realizó con imágenes descargadas de internet, y se logró una exactitud del 88.3% en un tiempo promedio de 0.63 segundos. Esto muestra que el método de la bolsa de palabras visuales tiene un buen rendimiento en velocidad y precisión para la tarea de detección del casco de seguridad