Disparities in Cause-Specific Cancer Survival by Census Tract Poverty Level in Idaho, U.S.

Objective. This population-based study compared cause-specific cancer survival by socioeconomic status using methods to more accurately assign cancer deaths to primary site. Methods. The current study analyzed Idaho data used in the Accuracy of Cancer Mortality Statistics Based on Death Certificates (ACM) study supplemented with additional information to measure cause-specific cancer survival by census tract poverty level. Results. The distribution of cases by primary site group differed significantly by poverty level (chi-square = 265.3, 100 df, p In the life table analyses, for 8 of 24 primary site groups investigated, and all sites combined, there was a significant gradient relating higher poverty with poorer survival. For all sites combined, the absolute difference in 5-year cause-specific survival rate was 13.6% between the lowest and highest poverty levels. Conclusions. This study shows striking disparities in cause-specific cancer survival related to the poverty level of the area a person resides in at the time of diagnosis

Dividend taxation and DAX futures prices

The taxation of dividends in Germany underwent major changes. We analyze the implications of these changes for the valuation of DAX futures contracts and test the resulting hypotheses empirically. We find that dividend taxation cannot explain the level of deviations from the cost-of-carry relation, but does have explanatory power for the time series patterns of these deviations. Futures prices are lower in years with higher dividend yields, and prices of the June contract (which is the nearby contract in the quarter in which most firms pay their dividends) are lower than those of the other contracts. Multivariate regressions confirm the finding that dividend taxation affects futures prices

Quincy Wright on war and peace: a statistical overview and selected bibliography

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67152/2/10.1177_002200277001400417.pd

Signed permutohedra, delta-matroids, and beyond

We establish a connection between the algebraic geometry of the type B permutohedral toric variety and the combinatorics of delta-matroids. Using this connection, we compute the volume and lattice point counts of type B generalized permutohedra. Applying tropical Hodge theory to a new framework of "tautological classes of delta-matroids," modeled after certain vector bundles associated to realizable delta-matroids, we establish the log-concavity of a Tutte-like invariant for a broad family of delta-matroids that includes all realizable delta-matroids. Our results include new log-concavity statements for all (ordinary) matroids as special cases

Designing and Operating Safe and Secure Transit Systems: Assessing Current Practices in the United States and Abroad, MTI Report 04-05

Public transit systems around the world have for decades served as a principal venue for terrorist acts. Today, transit security is widely viewed as an important public policy issue and is a high priority at most large transit systems and at smaller systems operating in large metropolitan areas. Research on transit security in the United States has mushroomed since 9/11; this study is part of that new wave of research. This study contributes to our understanding of transit security by (1) reviewing and synthesizing nearly all previously published research on transit terrorism; (2) conducting detailed case studies of transit systems in London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.; (3) interviewing federal officials here in the United States responsible for overseeing transit security and transit industry representatives both here and abroad to learn about efforts to coordinate and finance transit security planning; and (4) surveying 113 of the largest transit operators in the United States. Our major findings include: (1) the threat of transit terrorism is probably not universal—most major attacks in the developed world have been on the largest systems in the largest cities; (2) this asymmetry of risk does not square with fiscal politics that seek to spread security funding among many jurisdictions; (3) transit managers are struggling to balance the costs and (uncertain) benefits of increased security against the costs and (certain) benefits of attracting passengers; (4) coordination and cooperation between security and transit agencies is improving, but far from complete; (5) enlisting passengers in surveillance has benefits, but fearful passengers may stop using public transit; (6) the role of crime prevention through environmental design in security planning is waxing; and (7) given the uncertain effectiveness of antitransit terrorism efforts, the most tangible benefits of increased attention to and spending on transit security may be a reduction in transit-related person and property crimes

Portable Nano Hydro Generator for the DC House Project

This Senior Project entails the design and testing processes of the Portable Nano Hydro Generator for the continuing DC House Project. No natural resources should go unused, especially in developing countries where they are found in abundance. Small streams in particular have potential to further Professor Taufik\u27s DC House Project that will provide electricity to 1.6 billion people in the world without access to electricity upon completion. The goal of this project is to create a small portable generator that utilizes the discharge from small streams and convert it into useable electricity that could charge a car battery as an example

Plasma Disappearance Rate of Indocyanine Green for Determination of Liver Function in Three Different Models of Shock

The measurement of the liver function via the plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green (PDRICG) is a sensitive bed-side tool in critical care. Yet, recent evidence has questioned the value of this method for hyperdynamic conditions. To evaluate this technique in different hemodynamic settings, we analyzed the PDRICG and corresponding pharmacokinetic models after endotoxemia or hemorrhagic shock in rats. Male anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats underwent hemorrhage (mean arterial pressure 35 ± 5 mmHg, 90 min) and 2 h of reperfusion, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced moderate or severe (1.0 vs. 10 mg/kg) endotoxemia for 6 h (each n = 6). Afterwards, PDRICG was measured, and pharmacokinetic models were analyzed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling (NONMEM®). Hemorrhagic shock resulted in a significant decrease of PDRICG, compared with sham controls, and a corresponding attenuation of the calculated ICG clearance in 1- and 2-compartment models, with the same log-likelihood. The induction of severe, but not moderate endotoxemia, led to a significant reduction of PDRICG. The calculated ICG blood clearance was reduced in 1-compartment models for both septic conditions. 2-compartment models performed with a significantly better log likelihood, and the calculated clearance of ICG did not correspond well with PDRICG in both LPS groups. 3-compartment models did not improve the log likelihood in any experiment. These results demonstrate that PDRICG correlates well with ICG clearance in 1- and 2-compartment models after hemorrhage. In endotoxemia, best described by a 2-compartment model, PDRICG may not truly reflect the ICG clearance

Prospectus, October 2, 1996

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1996/1023/thumbnail.jp

Scaling-Up Access to Family Planning May Improve Linear Growth and Child Development in Low and Middle Income Countries

Background: A large literature has indicated a robust association between birth spacing and child survival, but evidence on the association of birth timing with physical growth in low and middle income countries (LMICs) remains limited. Methods and Results: Data from 153 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 61 LMICs conducted between 1990 and 2011 were combined to assess the association of birth timing with child stunting (height-for-age z-score <−2). A total of 623,789 children of birth order 1–5 contributed to the maternal age analysis, while the birth spacing dataset consisted of 584,226 children of birth order 2 and higher. Compared to 27–34 year old mothers, maternal age under 18 years was associated with a relative stunting risk of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.29–1.40) for firstborn children, whereas the relative risk was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.19–1.29) for mothers aged 18–19 years. The association of young maternal age with stunting was significantly greater for urban residents and those in the top 50% of household wealth. Birth intervals less than 12 months and 12–23 months had relative risks for stunting of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.06–1.12) and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.05–1.06) as compared to a 24–35 month inter-pregnancy interval, respectively. The strength of both teenage pregnancy and short birth interval associations showed substantial variation across WHO region. We estimate that 8.6% (6.9–10.3%) of stunted cases in the South Asian DHS sample would have been averted by jointly eliminating teen pregnancies and birth intervals less than 24 months, while only 3.6% (1.5–5.7%) of stunting cases would have prevented in the Middle East and North Africa sample. Conclusions: Postponing the age of first birth and increasing inter-pregnancy intervals has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence of stunting and improve child development in LMICs