The impact of police and media relations on a crisis

CHDS State/LocalEffective crisis management and communication is crucial during any catastrophic event, otherwise fear, panic, and mass hysteria can prevail. The public relies heavily on the government (police) and the media for information during a crisis. This thesis focuses on a joint police and media response plan and outlines a preparation plan to assist the public during a terrorist attack or similar crisis. Historically, the police and the media have had opposing views regarding sharing and disseminating information to the public. This report studies the inherent mistrust between both organizations and proposes strategies to overcome the suspicion and build a partnership. Proven community policing models within the Philadelphia Police Department are examined as a potential template for a police and media partnership. Survey results and focus group responses from the police, media, and the community are presented. This document examines national and international lessons learned and offers best practices on providing timely and accurate information, educating and informing the public, and improving communication and trust between the police and the media. The proposed police and media training curriculum breaks down the cultural barriers and develops mutual respect for each individual profession.http://archive.org/details/theimpactofpolic109452553Captain, Philadelphia Police Departmen

Influence of the diatomite specie on the peak and residual shear strength of the fine-grained soil

Diatomite is a powdering mineral mainly composed of diatom microfossils present in marine and lacustrine soils, which influences their physical and mechanical properties. Although many articles have been found in the literature concerning the influence of diatomite in the overall behavior of natural soils, few research efforts have been carried out to evaluate the influence of the diatom microfossil species on their shear resistance. Therefore, in this research, the influence of the diatomite species and the content in the peak and the residual shear strength of diatomite-fine grained soil mixtures was analyzed using the annular shear strength test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Atterberg limits were also carried out as additional tests to explain the interlocking effect between the microfossils and the soil. Overall, both diatomite species increased both peak and residual shear strength of the soil similar to dense sands. Nevertheless, the Mexican species reveal higher friction angle values compared with Colombian species

Biosorption of Cr(VI) by an E. coli biofilm supported on GAC

The increasing concern with environmental pollution significantly motivates the investigation and development of safe remediation technologies. The retention of contaminants by a biofilm supported on granular activated carbon is one of the promising technologies. This study aims the investigation and development of an innovative process for the removal of chromium (VI) from wastewater. The effect of the initial concentration of metal was tested, the polysaccharide and polymeric net of the E.Coli biofilm were quantified and the application of this system to a real effluent was made. The industrial effluent was provided by tannery factories. The support used for the biofilm formation was granular activated carbon (GAC) from MERCK with an average particle size of 2.5 mm, characterised by N2 adsorption (77K) with an ASAP Micromeritics 2001 which indicated a Langmuir area of 1270 m2g-1 and an average pore diameter of 2 nm. The use of activated carbon as a support is justified by the fact that this material is a versatile adsorbent due to its high surface area, porous structure, high adsorption capacity and surface chemical nature. The role of the biofilm was evaluated considering that microorganisms are quite adequate for heavy metals biosorption due to their ability to sorb metal ions, suitability for natural environments and low cost. Minicolumns (internal diameter = 2 cm, ht = 30 cm) were used for open systems studies, partially filled with GAC (15 g). The metal solutions were passed in upflow through the column with a flow rate of 5 ml/min (residence time of 19 min). Samples (5 ml) were taken, centrifuged and analyzed for metals using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, AAS. The results showed uptake values of 0.19 mg/gbiosorbent, 3.60 mg/gbiosorbent and 4.61 mg/gbiosorbent, respectively for the initial concentration of 10, 50 and 100 mg/l. The quantification of polysaccharides and polymeric net reveled a value of 4.77 mg/gbiosorbent for the polysaccharides and 142 mg/gbiosorbent, for the polymeric net. The polyssacharide and polymeric net give importante informations about the capacity of biofilm formation by the microrganism. The studies made with the industrial effluent showed values of Cr uptake of 0.093 mg/gbiosorbent, for an initial concentration of 4.2 mg/l. The value obtained for the removal percentage with the most diluted solution used (10 mg/l) was of 18% (after 10 hours of experiment) and the value of removal percentage obtained with the industrial effluent was of 9%, for the same period of time. This can be explainded by the fact that another compounds present in the industrial effluent than Cr(VI) can compete for the same active sites

Fermi-LAT Observations and A Broadband Study of Supernova Remnant CTB 109

CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0) is a Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) with a hemispherical shell morphology in X-rays and in the radio band. In this work we report the detection of {\gamma}-ray emission coincident with CTB 109, using 37 months of data from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. We study the broadband characteristics of the remnant using a model that includes hydrodynamics, efficient cosmic ray acceleration, nonthermal emission and a self-consistent calculation of the X-ray thermal emission. We find that the observations can be successfully fit with two distinct parameter sets, one where the {\gamma}-ray emission is produced primarily by leptons accelerated at the SNR forward shock and the other where {\gamma}-rays produced by forward shock accelerated cosmic-ray ions dominate the high-energy emission. Consideration of thermal X-ray emission introduces a novel element to the broadband fitting process, and while it does not rule out either the leptonic or the hadronic scenarios, it constrains the parameter sets required by the model to fit the observations. Moreover, the model which best fits the thermal and nonthermal emission observations is an intermediate case, where both radiation from accelerated electrons and hadrons contribute almost equally to the {\gamma}-ray flux observed.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Psychobiological Aspects of Panic Disorder

Anxiety is a useful warning sign that helps an individual face potential or real danger. At appropriate levels, it serves as a warning for the presence of internal or external threats, causing a person to be alert and prepare to deal appropriately with such situations. Moreover, moderate levels of anxiety can lead to improved performance in several activities. However, anxiety becomes pathological when its duration is excessively long or its intensity is extremely high and leads to significant suffering and distress. In such cases, anxiety is appropriately described as part of a pathological response, characterizing an anxiety disorder. The historical concept of a unitary anxiety disorder has been replaced by a heterogeneous group of psychopathologies with different etiologies. Panic disorder is a complex anxiety disorder that involves both recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, and persistent concern about having additional attacks. The present chapter reviews current psychobiological perspectives in the etiology and treatment of panic disorder. The first section describes the current classification of this anxiety disorder. We then explore possible neural circuitry associated with panic disorder. Finally, the chapter addresses current treatment approaches, considering the efficacy of different forms of psychotherapy and pharmacological treatments