Final Report: Anchorage Disproportionate Minority Contact Study

This project examined disproportionate minority contact in Anchorage, Alaska. It was designed to provide a more nuanced understanding of disproportionate minority contact at the referral stage (when law enforcement officers refer youth to the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice). To do so, we relied on community involvement and utilized different statistical techniques to examine the geography and development of disproportionate minority contact. Researchers partnered with practitioners from the Anchorage Disproportionate Minority Contact Initiative to structure the research process and to interpret and disseminate results. Geographic analyses were conducted to examine where the highest levels of disproportionate minority contact were occurring and longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine at what age disproportionate minority contact began. These analyses provided an understanding of disproportionate minority contact that was obscured when examining relative rate indices. Geographic analyses, for example, revealed high levels of disproportionate minority contact for Pacific youth (a group that would have traditionally been ignored because of its ‘small population’). Longitudinal analyses revealed that disproportionate minority contact began at age 13. Although relative rate indices are useful to identify broad patterns in disproportionate minority contact, they are less useful to drive action. We overcame this limitation with strong community partnerships and different statistical methods for disproportionate minority contact research. In the end, practitioners and researchers used data and research to develop strategic plans to reduce disproportionate minority contact.National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Grant No. 2005-IJ-CX-0013I. Disproportionate Minority Contact Table 1. Summary of National Relative Rate Indices, 2005 Figure 1. National Relative Rate Indices for Arrest Stage: 1990-2005 Figure 2. National Relative Rate Indices for Referral Stage: 1990-2005 Table 2. Summary of Relative Rate Indices for FY05 Table 3. Relative Rate Indices by Race Table 4. Relative Rate Indices by Race, Gender, and Type of Referral / II. Community Involvement Table 5. Strategies and Objectives for Anchorage DMC Initiative / III. Geography of Disproportionate Minority Contact Figure 3. Census Tracts in Municipality of Anchorage Table 6. Composition of Census Tracts by Race Figure 4. EB Rates of Referral by Race Table 7. EB Rates of Referral by Race Figure 5. Relative EB Rate Indices by Race Table 8. Distribution of Relative EB Rate Indices by Race Table 9. Descriptive Statistics for Relative EB Rate Indices by Race Figure 6. Minority Group with Highest Relative EB Rate Index / IV. Development of Disproportionate Minority Contact Table 10. Total Number of Charges for Anchorage Cohort, Age 10-17 Table 11. Age at First Charge for Anchorage Cohort Table 12. Racial Composition of Cohort and Population At-Risk Table 13. Bayesian Information Criterion Statistics Table 14. Predicted Average Referral Rates Table 15. Characteristics of Developmental Trajectories Figure 7. Predicted Average Referral Rates: Five-Group Model Table 16. Demographic Composition of Developmental Trajectories Figure 8. Predicted Group Membership Probabilities by Rac

Relationship Between 25(OH) Vitamin D3 and Cerebral Vascular Reactivity in College-aged African and Caucasian Americans

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A spatial analysis of public transit routes in Amman, Jordan

Public transport is a basic service that must be provided to any society. An effective public transport system is the system that can provide adequate service coverage to all community groups, especially the low-income group, the elderly and the disabled. For performance evaluation, performance metrics are widely implemented; for this purpose transit accessibility is used in this study as it reflects the ease of reaching transit service and its convenience as a mode choice. This study aims to assess transit accessibility in Wadi Al-Seer, one of the main districts in Amman. Accessibility was measured on the basis of the percentage of service coverage area and served population. The analytical framework included the use of geographic information systems (GIS) software, through the creation of buffer areas representing the limits of pedestrians walking distance to public transit stations. The results shows that the overall accessibility is significant, but concentrated in the center of the district, while the outskirt is not properly served, in addition to a high percentage of overlapping routes. Thus improvements on the route distribution and increasing its numbers in low access areas are required

Attenuated Cerebral Vasodilatory Capacity in Response to Hypercapnia in Young Obese Individuals

Obese individuals are at a greater risk for the development of a variety of cardio and cerebral vascular diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and stroke. Furthermore, obesity is associated with cognitive impairment and is a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The exact mechanisms of this elevated risk are not fully characterized; however, impaired microvascular function is believed to be a contributor. This study tested the hypothesis that the cerebral vasodilatory capacity in response to hypercapnia is reduced in obese individuals relative to age and sex matched lean counterparts. Cerebral blood velocity (CBFV) was measured using transcranial Doppler before and during rebreathing-induced hypercapnia in obese (Obese, n=14) and lean (Lean, n=14) subjects. Cerebral vascular conductance (CVCI) was calculated as CBFV / mean arterial pressure (MAP), and a four parameter logistic regression was applied for sigmoidal curve fitting of the relationship between % change in CVCI and end-tidal CO2 tension (PETCO2). The magnitude of hypercapnia (Δ PETCO2) during rebreathing was similar between groups (Obese 14 ± 3 mmHg vs. Lean: 15 ± 2 mmHg; P = 0.13). The maximum increase in CVCI (Obese: 155 ± 17% vs. Lean: 176 ± 23%; P \u3c 0.05) and the total range of change in CVCI (Obese: 50 ± 15% vs. Lean: 75 ± 22%; P \u3c 0.01) during rebreathing were reduced in the obese relative to the lean individuals. These data indicate that cerebral vasodilatory capacity in response to changes in PETCO2 during hypercapnia is attenuated in obese individuals compared with lean individuals

Relationship Between Arterial Stiffness and Cerebral Vascular Reactivity in College-aged African Americans

African Americans (AA) have increased risk for cardio and cerebral vascular disease relative to Caucasians (CA). While is it generally accepted that arteries become stiffer at a younger age in AA; less is known regarding cerebral vascular function / reactivity (CVMR) to hypercapnia in AAs. Furthermore, to our knowledge, little is known regarding the relationship between arterial stiffness and CVMR, particularly in young healthy adults. We tested the hypothesis that AAs have elevated arterial stiffness and reduced CVMR during hypercapnia relative to CAs. Furthermore, we hypothesized that there would be a negative relationship between arterial stiffness and CVMR. In 7 AA and 13 CA subjects central arterial stiffness was indexed from carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). CVMR was assessed by the cerebral vascular conductance (CVC) response to rebreathing induced hypercapnia. PWV was elevated in the AAs (AA: 564±54 cm/ms vs. CA: 482±73 cm/ms; P=0.02). CVMR was also significantly reduced during hypercapnic rebreathing in the AAs (AA: 2.7±0.7 % / Torr vs. CA: 4.0±1.1 % / Torr; P=0.01). When data from all subjects was included there was a negative relationship between PWV and CVMR such those with elevated stiffness had an attenuated increase in CVC during hypercapnia (P=0.02). These data indicate that AAs have impaired cerebral vascular responses to hypercapnia and that this might be related to stiffer arteries

Acute Natural Cocoa Consumption Improves Cerebral Vasodilatory Capacity in Obese Individuals

Obesity increases the risk for cardio and cerebral vascular diseases including hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Our preliminary data indicate that obese individuals (Obese) have attenuated cerebral vasodilatory capacity compared to age / sex matched lean individuals (Lean). This study tested the hypothesis that natural cocoa (NC) consumption (13g NC, The Hershey Company) would restore cerebral vasodilatory capacity in Obese. 15 lean (BMI \u3c 25) and 15 obese (BMI \u3e 30) subjects underwent a rebreathing protocol while cerebral blood velocity (CBFV) was measured before and 2 hr post consumption of a NC-containing drink or a NC-free placebo (randomized order, single-blinded). Cerebral vascular conductance (CVCI) was calculated as CBFV / MAP. The response to rebreathing was expressed as % of baseline CVCI (% CVCI). Prior to beverage consumption, the range of % CVCI and the maximal increase in CVCI in response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia was attenuated in Obese (P0.05 pre vs. post), such that the baseline differences between groups were eliminated (P\u3e0.05). The placebo beverage had no effect on any indices of cerebral vascular function in either cohort (P\u3e0.05 for all variables). These data support the hypothesis that NC consumption can acutely augment cerebral vasodilatory capacity in Obese

Documenting an Encounter between art-film and multimodality informed by the production of digital moving images.

The aim of this project is twofolded, firstly to develop a method to observe social practices within the context of the gallery informed by the field of multimodality and arts-research, and secondly to develop a theoretical framework as a variation on the Kineikonic Mode to analyse how meaning emerges when ‘documenting an encounter’ on the example of Tacita Dean’s FILM using digital moving image media

Frecuencia de Astigmatismo en los pacientes atendidos en la óptica Factory Lens - Lima 2020

RESUMEN El astigmatismo es una ametropía que se caracteriza por el enfoque anormal de los rayos de luz sobre la retina, la cual forma imágenes borrosas y distorsionadas; puede presentar complicaciones como la ambliopía y estrabismo, en grados altos y al no ser corregida. El objetivo de ésta investigación fue describir la frecuencia del Astigmatismo, en los pacientes atendidos en la óptica Factory Lens en el año 2020. Metodología: se utilizó el método científico, de tipo básico descriptivo, no experimental, de corte transversal y retrospectivo. La muestra estuvo conformada por 151 pacientes con diagnóstico de astigmatismo. Como instrumento se utilizó la ficha de recolección de datos y como técnica la revisión documentaria. Resultados: No hay diferencias significativas en los resultados de frecuencia de astigmatismo de acuerdo al sexo, Los intervalos de edad que presentan más casos de astigmatismo son entre 41 y 50 años de (32.5%). El AMC fue el más frecuente (37.1%), el astigmatismo con la regla es el más frecuente (86%). El grado leve de astigmatismo fue el más predominante (83.4%). En conclusión, no hay diferencias significativas en el astigmatismo según el sexo, el intervalo de edad con más casos fue entre 41 y 50 años, el AMC, con la regla y de grado leve fueron los más predominantes. Por lo que se recomienda establecer lineamientos de promoción y prevención de la salud visual, desde edades muy tempranas, para descarte de ametropías como el astigmatismo. Palabras claves: Astigmatismo, edad, género

Acute Flavanol Supplementation Improves the Attenuated Cerebral Vasodilatory Capacity in Young African Americans

African Americans (AA) have increased risk for cerebral vascular disease including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia relative to Caucasian Americans (CA). Our recent study found that AA have attenuated cerebral vasodilatory response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia when compared with CA. Thus, we hypothesized that acute flavanol intake restores blunted cerebral responses in AA. Fourteen healthy college-aged AA and 14 age- and sex-matched CA participants were studied. A four-parameter logistic regression was used for curve fitting the responses of cerebral vascular conductance (%CVCi) relative to changes in end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration. In AA, there were significant improvements in total range of changes in %CVCi (a) and the maximum increase in %CVCi (y0) with flavanol beverage (a; pre: 46.4 ± 16 vs. post: 64.4 ± 19 %CVCi; P = 0.007, y0; pre: 151.1 ± 18 vs. post: 166.0 ± 22 %CVCi; P = 0.002); however, there were no differences in a and y0 with placebo (a; pre: 52.5 ± 19 vs. post: 51.7 ± 17 %CVCi; P = 0.35, y0; pre: 156.2 ± 20 vs. post: 151.3 ± 17 %CVCi; P = 0.26). In CA, no differences in a and y0 with flavanol (a; pre: 73.7 ± 18 vs. post: 71.7 ± 22 %CVCi; P = 0.70, y0; pre: 175.7 ± 20 %CVCi vs. post: 175.6 ± 22 %CVCi; P = 0.99) or placebo (a; pre: 75.7 ± 15 vs. post: 80.1 ± 20 %CVCi; P = 0.24, y0; pre: 177.4 ± 21 %CVCi vs. post: 180.6 ± 25 %CVCi; P = 0.45) were observed. In conclusion, acute flavanol supplementation increases the total range of changes in cerebral vascular conductance as well as maximum vascular conductance in AA, effectively abolishing the ethnic-related difference in cerebral vasodilatory capacity in response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia

Inter-individual Differences in Tolerance to a Simulated Hemorrhage Challenge During Heat Stress: Cerebrovascular Control

A high degree of inter-individual variability exists in heat stress (HS) -induced reductions in orthostatic tolerance relative to normothermia (NT), which may be associated with HS-mediated reductions in cerebral perfusion, and thus mechanisms of cerebrovascular control during hypotensive challenges. This study tested two hypotheses; 1) the magnitude of increase in cerebral autoregulation (CA) would be negatively correlated with the difference in tolerance to graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) 30 [assessed with a cumulative stress index (CSI)] during HS relative to NT (CSIdiff), and 2) cerebrovascular sensitivity to HS-induced hypocapnia would be positively correlated with CSIdiff. Subjects (N=13) were exposed to LBNP on two occasions (NT and HS) separated by \u3e72h to assess CSI. On a third day, indices of CA were assessed during NT and HS by spectral and transfer function analyses, and cerebrovascular sensitivity to changes in PaCO2 was determined during NT, HS, and HS+LBNP (-20 mm Hg; HSLBNP). Estimates of CA were improved during HS compared to NT (P0.05). Hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia reduced cerebral vascular conductance (CVCi) during HS and HSLBNP relative to NT (P0.05 for all). In summary, HS augments mechanisms of cerebrovascular control to protect against orthostatic challenges; however, individual differences in these responses do not predict tolerance to a simulated hemorrhage when internal temperature is elevated