Alaska Victimization Survey: 2011 Results for Bristol Bay

This is a handout of a Powerpoint slide presentation providing an overview of key results from the 2011 Alaska Victimization Survey for the Bristol Bay region, which was conducted from April to June 2011, with results released on October 12, 2011 in Dillingham. Findings include: * Over 50% of adult women in the Bristol Bay Region have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in their lifetime; * Nearly 15% have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both, in the past year; * 3 out of every 10 adult women in the Bristol Bay Region have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; and * 4 out of every 10 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public SafetyAlaska Victimization Survey in Bristol Bay / Intimate Partner Violence Definitions / Intimate Partner Violence Estimates / Sexual Violence Definitions / Sexual Violence Estimates / Summary of Past Year Estimates / Summary of Lifetime Estimates / Lifetime Estimates / Important Limitations / A Special Thank You! / Contact

Alaska Victimization Survey: From Research to Policy and Practice

This project was supported by the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Council, the Alaska Department of Public Safety, or the State of Alaska.The Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage partnered with the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to conduct a statewide victimization survey. The Alaska Victimization Survey was modeled after the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveillance System (NISVSS) survey, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the National Institute of Justice and the Department of Defense. The NISVSS survey is designed to “generate accurate and reliable lifetime and 12-month incidence and prevalence estimates on intimate partner violence (physical aggression, psychological aggression, and sexual violence); sexual violence (unwanted sexual situations, abusive sexual contact, and completed or attempted sex without consent); and stalking” (CDC). This poster presents key results from the Alaska Victimization Survey and identifies how survey results are being used to impact policy and practice.Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public SafetyAbstract / UCR Forcible Rape Statistice: 1996–2009 / Survey Methods / Measures / Results / Dissemination / Impact on Policy & Practic

Halo White Dwarfs, Thick Disks and a Sanity Check

The discovery of a population of high proper motion white dwarfs by Oppenheimer et al (2001) has caused a lot of speculation as to the origin of these stars. I show that the age distribution of the white dwarfs offers a kind of sanity check in these discussions. In particular, this population appears to have a similar age distribution to those in the standard, thin disk white dwarf population. This is not what is expected for either the halo or thick disk, which are thought to be old populations. It may indicate a different dynamical origin entirely, or it may be just be the tail of a larger distribution, implying a significantly larger total density in even older white dwarfs.Comment: TeX, Submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letter

Impacts of a flaring star-forming disc and stellar radial mixing on the vertical metallicity gradient

Using idealized N-body simulations of a Milky Way-sized disc galaxy, we qualitatively study how the metallicity distributions of the thin disc star particles are modified by the formation of the bar and spiral arm structures. The thin disc in our numerical experiments initially has a tight negative radial metallicity gradient and a constant vertical scaleheight. We show that the radial mixing of stars drives a positive vertical metallicity gradient in the thin disc. On the other hand, if the initial thin disc is flared, with vertical scaleheight increasing with galactocentric radius, the metal-poor stars, originally in the outer disc, become dominant in regions above the disc plane at every radii. This process can drive a negative vertical metallicity gradient, which is consistent with the current observed trend. This model mimics a scenario where the star-forming thin disc was flared in the outer region at earlier epochs. Our numerical experiment with an initial flared disc predicts that the negative vertical metallicity gradient of the mono-age relatively young thin disc population should be steeper in the inner disc, and the radial metallicity gradient of the mono-age population should be shallower at greater heights above the disc plane. We also predict that the metallicity distribution function of mono-age young thin disc populations above the disc plane would be more positively skewed in the inner disc compared to the outer disc

Pauci-immune glomerulonephritis in individuals with disease associated with levamisole-adulterated cocaine: a series of 4 cases.

Exposure to levamisole-adulterated cocaine can induce a distinct clinical syndrome characterized by retiform purpura and/or agranulocytosis accompanied by an unusual constellation of serologic abnormalities including antiphospholipid antibodies, lupus anticoagulants, and very high titers of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies. Two recent case reports suggest that levamisole-adulterated cocaine may also lead to renal disease in the form of pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. To explore this possibility, we reviewed cases of pauci-immune glomerulonephritis between 2010 and 2012 at an inner city safety net hospital where the prevalence of levamisole in the cocaine supply is known to be high. We identified 3 female patients and 1 male patient who had biopsy-proven pauci-immune glomerulonephritis, used cocaine, and had serologic abnormalities characteristic of levamisole-induced autoimmunity. Each also had some other form of clinical disease known to be associated with levamisole, either neutropenia or cutaneous manifestations. One patient had diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Three of the 4 patients were treated with short courses of prednisone and cyclophosphamide, 2 of whom experienced stable long-term improvement in their renal function despite ongoing cocaine use. The remaining 2 patients developed end-stage renal disease and became dialysis-dependent. This report supports emerging concern of more wide spread organ toxicity associated with the use of levamisole-adulterated cocaine