Roxboro, Person County : a community diagnosis including secondary data analysis and qualitative data collection

A group of six, first year Masters students from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) conducted a community diagnosis of the city of Roxboro. A Community Diagnosis involves working with a community in order to discover its strengths and assess areas that may need future attention. Information about the community is compiled through a review of previously gathered data and by talking with residents and service providers about what it is like to live in their community. This is a seven-month process, which is a requirement of Masters students in the HBHE Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Community Diagnosis process initially focused on collecting and summarizing pre-existing data also called secondary data. Sources of secondary data include but are not limited to census data, maps, previously existing documents and newspapers. Each of these sources provided a broader understanding of life in Roxboro. This information also allowed the community diagnosis team to define and describe the geography (location), history, economy, health status and sociodemographic characteristics of Roxboro. Although these data sources are extensive, there are some notable limitations. For example, the most recent data available are from 1990 and therefore do not reflect current changes within the county, city and state. Another limitation is that the most current data for Roxboro does not include the increased population and demographic information from newly annexed land in July 1998 (The Courier Times, 1998). After the pre-existing data were compiled and summarized, the qualitative data collection process began and consisted of interviewing community members and service providers. Qualitative data collection was essential in compiling a complete picture of what life is like in Roxboro. Separate interview guides were created for community members and service providers. In total, 36 interviews were completed: twenty-one community members and fifteen service providers. Through these interviews and our continuous presence in Roxboro, we became more familiar with the community and the residents. Community members also became more comfortable and welcoming of us. Located in Person County, Roxboro is an area of approximately 6.45 square miles in the Northern Piedmont. The city is both urban and rural with a population of 7,332 residents that is relatively evenly distributed among African Americans and Caucasians. There is a long history and lineage of the residents. Many families are descendents of those who have lived in Roxboro for hundreds of years. However, the city has also attracted many newcomers. Community members and service providers described Roxboro as a community of many strengths. For example, Roxboro is a safe, small, close-knit, quiet and friendly community; it is a good place to raise your family and flee from the chaos of a larger city. The residents of Roxboro are friendly, warm, down-to-earth individuals who care about their neighbors. One community member summed it up by saying “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, I wouldn’t live anywhere else.” Community members and service providers also expressed some concerns about Roxboro. Suggested areas of improvement included recreation, health services, transportation and Latino services. In February of 1999, with the help of the community and sponsors, the student team held a community forum in which the strengths and concerns of community members and service providers were presented to the community. The purpose of this meeting was to summarize what the team had found through both pre-existing data and interviews. It was also an opportunity for community members and services providers to further develop relationships, and to discuss common goals and future directions. Health and recreation were major areas of concern expressed by those who attended the forum.Master of Public Healt

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Rearrangements of ortho-Cyclophane Cyclotetraveratrylene (CTTV) tetraketone

Oxidation of cyclotetraveratrylene (CTTV) with potassium permanganate in pyridine under reflux gave tetraketone (the [14]ketonand) 3 which exists as a previously unobserved barrel conformation with S4symmetry in the crystal structure, although the more familiar ‘boat’ conformer was shown by semi-empirical AM1 calculations to be 3.03 kcal/mol lower in energy. In addition to CTTV tetraketone 3, an isomeric bis-spirolactone 4 was isolated from the basic oxidation conditions, analogous to the product of trans-annular attack and rearrangement observed with oxidation of cyclotriveratrylene, whereas in acid at elevated temperatures, tetraketone 3 underwent a very efficient rearrangement and decarboxylation to afford the highly symmetric spirobi[anthracene]-10,10′-dione derivative 5

Atomic calculation for the atmospheres of strongly-magnetized neutron stars

Complete modeling of radiative transfer in neutron star atmospheres is in progress, taking into account the anisotropy induced by magnetic fields, non-ideal effects and general relativity. As part of our modeling, we present a novel atomic calculation method producing an extensive atomic data set including energy values and oscillator strengths in the so-called Landau regime ($B > 4.7\times10^9Z^2$ G). Conventional atmosphere models for B=0 are not applicable to typical field strengths of cooling neutron stars ($B \sim10^{12}-10^{13}$ G), since an atom no longer keeps its spherical shape. The elemental composition and the configuration of the magnetic field in the atmosphere are presently unknown, so that atomic data must be produced for ground and excited states of several ions as a function of magnetic field. To accomplish this efficiently, we minimized the iterations in the Hartree equation and treated exchange terms and higher Landau states by perturbation methods. This method has the effect of reducing the computation time significantly. Inclusion of higher Landau states gives us much more accurate data for inner orbitals unlike other methods based on the adiabatic approximation. While existing atomic data in the Landau regime are available only for low $Z$ atoms, our method can be used in elements up to Fe with sufficient accuracy to be of use for spectroscopic missions such as {\it Chandra}, {\it XMM-Newton} and next-generation X-ray telescopes.Comment: 19 pages, AASTeX, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

The COSPIX mission: focusing on the energetic and obscured Universe

Tracing the formation and evolution of all supermassive black holes, including the obscured ones, understanding how black holes influence their surroundings and how matter behaves under extreme conditions, are recognized as key science objectives to be addressed by the next generation of instruments. These are the main goals of the COSPIX proposal, made to ESA in December 2010 in the context of its call for selection of the M3 mission. In addition, COSPIX, will also provide key measurements on the non thermal Universe, particularly in relation to the question of the acceleration of particles, as well as on many other fundamental questions as for example the energetic particle content of clusters of galaxies. COSPIX is proposed as an observatory operating from 0.3 to more than 100 keV. The payload features a single long focal length focusing telescope offering an effective area close to ten times larger than any scheduled focusing mission at 30 keV, an angular resolution better than 20 arcseconds in hard X-rays, and polarimetric capabilities within the same focal plane instrumentation. In this paper, we describe the science objectives of the mission, its baseline design, and its performances, as proposed to ESA.Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in Proceedings of Science, for the 25th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics (eds. F. Rieger & C. van Eldik), PoS(Texas 2010)25

The COSPIX Mission: Focusing on the Energetic and Obscured Universe

Tracing the formation and evolution of all supermassive black holes, including the obscured ones, understanding how black holes influence their surroundings and how matter behaves under extreme conditions, are recognized as key science objectives to be addressed by the next generation of instruments. These are the main goals of the COSPIX proposal, made to ESA in December 2010 in the context of its call for selection of the M3 mission. In addition, COSPIX, will also provide key measurements on the non thermal Universe, particularly in relation to the question of the acceleration of particles, as well as on many other fundamental questions as for example the energetic particle content of clusters of galaxies. COSPIX is proposed as an observatory operating from 0.3 to more than 100 keV. The payload features a single long focal length focusing telescope offering an effective area close to ten times larger than any scheduled focusing mission at 30 keV, an angular resolution better than 20 arcseconds in hard X-rays, and polarimetric capabilities within the same focal plane instrumentation. In this paper, we describe the science objectives of the mission, its baseline design, and its performances, as proposed to ESA

NuSTAR discovery of a luminosity dependent cyclotron line energy in Vela X-1

We present NuSTAR observations of Vela X-1, a persistent, yet highly variable, neutron star high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB). Two observations were taken at similar orbital phases but separated by nearly a year. They show very different 3–79 keV flux levels as well as strong variability during each observation, covering almost one order of magnitude in flux. These observations allow, for the first time ever, investigations on kilo-second time-scales of how the centroid energies of cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) depend on flux for a persistent HMXB. We find that the line energy of the harmonic CRSF is correlated with flux, as expected in the sub-critical accretion regime. We argue that Vela X-1 has a very narrow accretion column with a radius of around 0.4 km that sustains a Coulomb interaction dominated shock at the observed luminosities of L_x ~ 3 × 10^36 erg s^−1. Besides the prominent harmonic line at 55 keV the fundamental line around 25 keV is clearly detected. We find that the strengths of the two CRSFs are anti-correlated, which we explain by photon spawning. This anti-correlation is a possible explanation for the debate about the existence of the fundamental line. The ratio of the line energies is variable with time and deviates significantly from 2.0, also a possible consequence of photon spawning, which changes the shape of the line. During the second observation, Vela X-1 showed a short off-state in which the power-law softened and a cut-off was no longer measurable. It is likely that the source switched to a different accretion regime at these low mass accretion rates, explaining the drastic change in spectral shape

Six Years of Chandra Observations of Supernova Remnants

We present a review of the first six years of Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of supernova remnants. From the official "first-light" observation of Cassiopeia A that revealed for the first time the compact remnant of the explosion, to the recent million-second spectrally-resolved observation that revealed new details of the stellar composition and dynamics of the original explosion, Chandra observations have provided new insights into the supernova phenomenon. We present an admittedly biased overview of six years of these observations, highlighting new discoveries made possible by Chandra's unique capabilities.Comment: 82 pages, 28 figures, for the book Astrophysics Update

The smooth cyclotron line in her x-1 as seen with nuclear spectroscopic telescope array

Her X-1, one of the brightest and best studied X-ray binaries, shows a cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) near 37 keV. This makes it an ideal target for a detailed study with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), taking advantage of its excellent hard X-ray spectral resolution. We observed Her X-1 three times, coordinated with Suzaku, during one of the high flux intervals of its 35 day superorbital period. This paper focuses on the shape and evolution of the hard X-ray spectrum. The broadband spectra can be fitted with a power law with a high-energy cutoff, an iron line, and a CRSF. We find that the CRSF has a very smooth and symmetric shape in all observations and at all pulse phases. We compare the residuals of a line with a Gaussian optical-depth profile to a Lorentzian optical-depth profile and find no significant differences, strongly constraining the very smooth shape of the line. Even though the line energy changes dramatically with pulse phase, we find that its smooth shape does not. Additionally, our data show that the continuum only changes marginally between the three observations. These changes can be explained with varying amounts of Thomson scattering in the hot corona of the accretion disk. The average, luminosity-corrected CRSF energy is lower than in past observations and follows a secular decline. The excellent data quality of NuSTAR provides the best constraint on the CRSF energy to date

The Relation Between the Surface Brightness and the Diameter for Galactic Supernova Remnants

In this work, we have constructed a relation between the surface brightness ($\Sigma$) and diameter (D) of Galactic C- and S-type supernova remnants (SNRs). In order to calibrate the $\Sigma$-D dependence, we have carefully examined some intrinsic (e.g. explosion energy) and extrinsic (e.g. density of the ambient medium) properties of the remnants and, taking into account also the distance values given in the literature, we have adopted distances for some of the SNRs which have relatively more reliable distance values. These calibrator SNRs are all C- and S-type SNRs, i.e. F-type SNRs (and S-type SNR Cas A which has an exceptionally high surface brightness) are excluded. The Sigma-D relation has 2 slopes with a turning point at D=36.5 pc: $\Sigma$(at 1 GHz)=8.4$^{+19.5}_{-6.3}$$\times10^{-12}$ D$^{{-5.99}^{+0.38}_{-0.33}}$ Wm$^{-2}$Hz$^{-1}$ster$^{-1}$ (for $\Sigma$$\le3.7\times10^{-21}$ Wm$^{-2}$Hz$^{-1}$ster$^{-1}$ and D$\ge$36.5 pc) and $\Sigma$(at 1 GHz)=2.7$^{+2.1}_{-1.4}$$\times$ 10$^{-17}$ D$^{{-2.47}^{+0.20}_{-0.16}}$ Wm$^{-2}$Hz$^{-1}$ster$^{-1}$ (for $\Sigma$$>3.7\times10^{-21}$ Wm$^{-2}$Hz$^{-1}$ster$^{-1}$ and D$<$36.5 pc). We discussed the theoretical basis for the $\Sigma$-D dependence and particularly the reasons for the change in slope of the relation were stated. Added to this, we have shown the dependence between the radio luminosity and the diameter which seems to have a slope close to zero up to about D=36.5 pc. We have also adopted distance and diameter values for all of the observed Galactic SNRs by examining all the available distance values presented in the literature together with the distances found from our $\Sigma$-D relation.Comment: 45 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical and Astrophysical Transaction

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens