Deprivation in Paradise: Identifying Oahu Food Deserts.

M.A. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

Modeling growth of mandibles in the Western Arctic caribou herd

We compared growth curves for ramus length and diastema length from two autumn collections of mandibles of male Western Arctic Herd caribou in Alaska. We were primarily interested in determining if growth curves of caribou mandibles differed between caribou born during 1959-1967, after the herd had been high for several years and was probably declining in size, and those born during 1976-1988, when the herd was increasing in size. To compare these growth curves, we used a nonlinear model and used maximum likelihood estimates and likelihood ratio tests. We found that growth rates were similar between periods, but intercepts and variances of growth curves differed. From this we infer that calves were smaller in autumn during the 1960s and that significant compensatory growth did not occur later in life

Accuracy of averaged auditory brainstem response amplitude and latency estimates

<p><i>Objective</i>: The aims were to 1) establish which of the four algorithms for estimating residual noise level and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) perform better in terms of post-average wave-V peak latency and amplitude errors and 2) determine whether SNR or noise floor is a better stop criterion where the outcome measure is peak latency or amplitude. <i>Design</i>: The performance of the algorithms was evaluated by numerical simulations using an ABR template combined with electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings obtained without sound stimulus. The suitability of a fixed SNR versus a fixed noise floor stop criterion was assessed when variations in the wave-V waveform shape reflecting inter-subject variation was introduced. <i>Study sample</i>: Over 100 hours of raw EEG noise was recorded from 17 adult subjects, under different conditions (e.g. sleep or movement). <i>Results</i>: ABR feature accuracy was similar for the four algorithms. However, it was shown that a fixed noise floor leads to higher ABR wave-V amplitude accuracy; conversely, a fixed SNR yields higher wave-V latency accuracy. <i>Conclusion</i>: Similar performance suggests the use of the less computationally complex algorithms. Different stop criteria are recommended if the ABR peak latency or the amplitude is the outcome measure of interest.</p

Vorratsschutz im Ökologischen Landbau: Entscheidungshilfe durch das Computerprogramm VOEL 1.0

VOEL 1.0 is a decision-support software for the protection of organic stored-products that was developed for store-keepers, farmers and pest control specialists in Ger-many. Most of the information given applies to all Central European countries, except for some legislative aspects concerning registration, which are specific for Germany. The program contains a decision-support module for monitoring and control of stored product pest, an encyclopedia on pests and beneficial organisms, a key for the deter-mination of these organisms, information on registered products for stored product protection in Germany, a data bank where literature concerning associations of pests and beneficials can be retrieved, a list of references on stored product protection in general and several original papers on stored-product protection

Evaluating Behavioral Health Service Need for Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Community-Based Qualitative Study

The LGBTQ community experiences mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders, at rates higher than heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Given these disparities in mental health, it is crucial that the LGBTQ population has access to mental health services. However, LGBTQ individuals face barriers to accessing mental health care due to service affordability, availability, and/or lack of LGBT-inclusivity. A Place to Nourish your Health (APNH), formerly known as AIDS Project New Haven, has historically provided care to those in New Haven who live with HIV and AIDS. APNH is now seeking to re-define itself as an organization by expanding services to support those experiencing stigma related to gender identity, sexual orientation, addiction, and mental health. Thus, to aid APNH in their service expansion to stigmatized populations, we performed a qualitative community needs assessment in the greater New Haven area to inform where APNH’s priorities should lie in their expansion of services. Findings provided insight into the current mental health landscape of New Haven’s LGBTQ community and led to reccomendatios regarding APNH\u27s expanion of behavoral health services.https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysph_pbchrr/1024/thumbnail.jp

Policing directions : a systematic review on the efficacy of quantitative police presence

This systematic review assesses the efficacy of quantitative police presence. The review also investigates concepts of police presence and differences between reported effects. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and protocols are used to systematically identify and review eligible studies on police presence. Further, quality assessment and findings synthesis are used to map limitations of current research as well as grounds for future avenues. The systematic search strategies yielded 49 studies focusing on testing the effects of police presence or evaluating its measurement. We find evidence that police presence has mostly positive effects on reducing crimes related to motor theft, property, violence, and guns. Police presence also reduces calls for service and improves traffic behaviour. Police presence focused on specific areas, times, and types of crime achieves maximum efficacy. The reviewed studies show a high degree of heterogeneity in reporting, which limits comparability of findings across studies. Research on police presence presents evidence for crime preventative effects of focused police actions. Police forces can be focused on certain areas, times, and types of crimes. We encourage future research to focus on police presence en route and its effects, including crime prevention, traffic regulation, and fear of crime

How concentrated are police on crime? A spatiotemporal analysis of the concentration of police presence and crime

Purpose: Police patrol has undergone an evidence-based and data driven transition in the beginning of the 21st century. While crime patterns are well researched, patterns of police presence are not. Despite the abundance of available GPS data, little is known about the spatiotemporal patterns of police forces. Given the paucity of evidence on where everyday policing takes place, we ask: what spatiotemporal patterns of police exist, how do these patterns change over time, and how do these correspond to local crime patterns? Methods: Therefore, we analysed more than 77 million GPS signals from 130 police patrol cars and more than 50,000 recorded crimes from 2019.to investigate where and when police patrols are present. All data were geocoded and map matched using high performance computing. Results: We found that police, much like crime, concentrates on a small proportion of street segments and that the spatial concentration experiences temporal instability at the micro level. Further, spatiotemporal police presence and its concentration appear to be unrelated to local levels of crime and crime concentration. Conclusions: These findings inform police chiefs and researchers alike and enable alterations of patrol deployment in order to refine the spatiotemporal focus of police on local crime. Future considerations are required to research optimal spatiotemporal alignment of police presence to effectively prevent crime