Chandra observations of SN 1987A: the soft X-ray light curve revisited

We report on the present stage of SN 1987A as observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We reanalyze published Chandra observations and add three more epochs of Chandra data to get a consistent picture of the evolution of the X-ray fluxes in several energy bands. We discuss the implications of several calibration issues for Chandra data. Using the most recent Chandra calibration files, we find that the 0.5-2.0 keV band fluxes of SN 1987A have increased by ~6 x 10 ^-13 erg s^-1 cm^-2 per year since 2009. This is in contrast with our previous result that the 0.5-2.0 keV light curve showed a sudden flattening in 2009. Based on our new analysis, we conclude that the forward shock is still in full interaction with the equatorial ring.Comment: Accepted for publication by ApJ, 7 pages, 5 figure

Bridge Builders to Health Equity: The High School Community Health Worker Training Program

Background: During the summers of 2016- 2019, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) with the support of community partners, developed, piloted and implemented an innovative Community Health Worker Training Program for High School students (HSCHW). Training high school community health workers can impact health and social disparities in underserved populations and demonstrates pipeline of future workers in community health and other health careers. The program has achieved promising outcomes, and access to the program model has been requested many universities and community-based organizations. Method: The HSCHW training consists of summer classroom instruction, field instruction and monthly continuing education during the school year. The students are trained in CHW core competencies through a combination of online curriculum, interactive classroom experiences, and field activities provided by community partners, multidisciplinary MSM clinical instructors, and graduate student interns. Results: 77 high school students from metropolitan Atlanta High Schools and rural Columbus, GA have been trained as CHWs in the HSCHW program. Students are ages 15-18 and are rising sophomores to recent high school graduates. All participants (100%) were from economically disadvantaged communities. Sixteen school-based and community-based health improvement projects have been developed and implemented by teams of trained HSCHWs. Additionally, over 300 individuals (family and community members) received monthly health monitoring by trained HSCHWs. Conclusions: Overall, the HSCHW program models the engagement of community partners in translational educational initatives to support community transformation. It can be a giant leap toward improved population health and achieving health equity in underserved communities. It has had a tremendous impact on the youth themselves, their families, and the communities in which they live. In communities with disparate prevalence of chronic disease and unhealthy behaviors, early exposure may mitigate exacerbation or early onset of disease among the participants and their families. High School Community Health Workers are bridges to health equity

Building Successful Multicultural Special Education Programs Through Innovative Leadership

Across America’s schools, administrators are faced with various educational challenges

Supplementing tuberculosis surveillance with automated data from health maintenance organizations.

Data collected by health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which provide care for an increasing number of persons with tuberculosis (TB), may be used to complement traditional TB surveillance. We evaluated the ability of HMO-based surveillance to contribute to overall TB reporting through the use of routinely collected automated data for approximately 350,000 HMO members. During approximately 1.5 million person-years, 45 incident cases were identified in either HMO or public health department records. Eight (18%) confirmed cases had not been identified by the public health department. The most useful screening criterion (sensitivity of 89% and predictive value positive of 30%) was dispensing of two or more TB drugs. Pharmacy dispensing information routinely collected by many HMOs appears to be a useful adjunct to traditional TB surveillance, particularly for identifying cases without positive microbiologic results that may be missed by traditional public health surveillance methods

Making the Case for Community Health Workers in Georgia

Background: Community Health Workers (CHW) can be an important and evidence-based response to reduce unnecessary morbidity and mortality in chronic diseases like asthma, heart disease, diabetes, cancers, HIV, and maternal/child health, and mental health. Georgia’s urban and rural diverse populations are at high risk from many of these conditions. Largely the outcomes in controlling these health issues are nonmedical and include social determinants of health, i.e., access to care, transportation, inadequate housing, and health literacy. CHWs can increase the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to improve their health. Historically, concerns of CHWs on healthcare teams to address these issues have centered on standardized training, credentialing, and challenges about the unique roles and responsibilities of CHWs. In this article, we discuss the evidence of effectiveness and return on investment as CHW interventions prove to reduce visits to the Emergency Departments and unnecessary hospitalizations from chronic diseases. They serve to connect social and medical resources and ensure patients to not fall through gaps, especially among the vulnerable populations. Methods: We conducted a scan of CHW research studies, projects and programs that demonstrate effectiveness and return on investment. We also review CHW efforts in Georgia, timeline, and stakeholders to formally recognize, advance professionalism, and fully integrate CHWs as essential and sustainable members of the healthcare team. Results: There is significant evidence for the effectiveness of CHWs and the cost-benefit of CHW programs. Georgia has ongoing formal efforts to establish a sustainable and well-trained CHW workforce Conclusions: A well-trained CHW workforce can be an important response to the transformation of Georgia’s community health practice and status, decreasing excess morbidity and mortality, and advancing health equity. Georgia should build on its own considerable experience with CHWs and the evidence of effectiveness to fully integrate CHWs into the healthcare system

Photoionized Lines in the X-ray Spectra of SMC X-1

We present a detailed spectral analysis of Chandra/ACIS-S CC mode observations of the massive X-ray binary system SMC X-1. The system was observed during both the high and low X-ray states of the roughly 60-day superorbital period. The continuum spectra during both states are well represented by a power law with photon index $\alpha$=0.9 and a blackbody of kT = 0.15keV. The high state spectra are dominated by the continuum and independent of orbital phase whereas the low state spectra show a strong orbital dependence as well as line emission from O, Ne, Mg, Fe, and Si. This is consistent with the states attributed to disk precession: during the high state X-ray emission is dominated by the compact source which is abrubtly eclipsed and during the low state the compact object is hidden by the disk and a larger, less luminous scattering region is responsible for the X-ray emission. A prominent Ne IX feature places a stringent limit (Log $\xi$ = 2.0-2.5) on the ionization parameter which constrains the wind dynamics of the system. The Fe line fluxes are related linearly to the blackbody fluxes indicating that both originate in the same region or are excited by the same mechanism. There is evidence for structure in the Fe-line that cannot be fully resolved by the current observations. The pulse period measured during our observations, 0.7057147$\pm$0.00000027s shows that the uninterrupted spin-up trend of SMC X-1 continues. We discuss the implications of our results for models of SMC X-1.Comment: 31 pages including 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

On the Absorption of X-rays in the Interstellar Medium

We present an improved model for the absorption of X-rays in the ISM intended for use with data from future X-ray missions with larger effective areas and increased energy resolution such as Chandra and XMM, in the energy range above 100eV. Compared to previous work, our formalism includes recent updates to the photoionization cross section and revised abundances of the interstellar medium, as well as a treatment of interstellar grains and the H2molecule. We review the theoretical and observational motivations behind these updates and provide a subroutine for the X-ray spectral analysis program XSPEC that incorporates our model.Comment: ApJ, in press, for associated software see http://astro.uni-tuebingen.de/nh

INEEL Lead Recycling in a Moratorium Environment

Since 1999, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Lead Project successfully recycled over 700,000 pounds of excess INEEL lead to the private sector. On February 14, 2000, the Secretary of Energy, Bill Richardson, formalized the January 12, 2000, moratorium on recycling radioactive scrap metal that prevented the unrestricted release of recycled scrap metals to the private sector. This moratorium created significant problems for the INEEL lead recycling program and associated plans; however, through the cooperative efforts of the INEEL and Idaho State University as well as innovative planning and creative thinking the recycling issues were resolved. This collaboration has recycled over 160,000 pounds of excess lead to Idaho State University with a cost savings of over $.5M

An adjustable law of motion for relativistic spherical shells

A classical and a relativistic law of motion for an advancing shell are deduced applying the thin layer approximation. A new parameter connected with the quantity of absorbed matter in the expansion is introduced; this allows of matching theory and observation.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures and article in press; Central European Journal of Physics 201