Factors Contributing to Domestic Violence Among Hindu Asian Indian Immigrant Women in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A Feasibility Study

While there is research on survivors of domestic violence in India and the United States (U.S.), little is known about the sociocultural factors related to domestic violence among Hindu Asian Indian immigrant women (AIIW) in the U.S. The objectives of this study were to a) test the feasibility of conducting domestic violence research among Hindu AIIW; b) investigate domestic violence prevalence and correlations with other characteristics; and c) test the cultural appropriateness of completed measures on social support, acculturation status, and domestic violence. Over 50% of respondents had experienced abuse, often perpetrated by family. Participants had high levels of social support and acculturation, regardless of their abuse status. Participants were receptive to this research, suggesting that domestic violence research among Hindu AIIW is feasible. High prevalence of violence among Hindu AIIW suggests they are at high risk for experiencing abuse; lack of variability in social support and acculturation scale responses suggest the need to further test instruments among Hindu AIIW

HOSPITALS DISCHARGING PATIENTS TO EMERGENCY HOMELESS SHELTERS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Objectives: This study, utilizing the socio-ecological perspective, assesses the number of hospital discharges to shelters, their perceived appropriateness, and possible solutions to problems of inappropriate discharges. The socio-ecological perspective is employed to explore individual, community, and political factors involved in inappropriate discharging. Methods: Twenty-two staff and administrators from 12 of the 16 emergency homeless shelters in Allegheny County, PA were recruited by mailings (response rate=75%). A face-to-face, semi-structured interview was conducted with each of the 22 participants. Participants were asked to report on the number of discharges they received from hospitals in the past 12 months, whether or not these discharges were appropriate, and on possible solutions to the problem of "inappropriate discharges." Results: Participants reported a total of 415 discharges from hospitals to shelters; 91 (22%) of the discharges were considered to be inappropriate. The two solutions most often reported by participants to the problem of "inappropriate discharge" were to cultivate bidirectional communication between hospitals and shelters, and to develop medical/psychiatric respite for the homeless population (50%, and 32% the respectively). Participants believed that the responsibility for the problem of inappropriate discharges rested at multiple levels of the ecological system including the individual, organizational, and political levels. Participants proposed solutions that targeted homeless individuals, shelters, hospitals, and policy makers. Conclusions: Inappropriate discharges are a problem in Allegheny County, PA and better communication amongst providers and the development of respite services are possible solutions. The etiological nature of this problem rests at multiple levels of the ecological system including the individual, organizational, and political levels, and thus interventions ought to be targeting these levels. Public Health Significance: Ensuring that homeless persons receive appropriate follow-up care may eventually reduce the number of re-hospitalizations, improve the overall health of the homeless population, and aid in the fight to eliminate homelessness

Childhood Adversity and its Effects on Health Over the Lifespan: Analysis of the Allegheny County Health Survey

It has been estimated that 75% of the U.S. adult population has experienced some type of childhood adversity (CA), such as child maltreatment, parental divorce or violence and evidence continues to mount that exposure to such adversities can lead to serious mental and physical health consequences that extend well into late life. The life course perspective (LCP) is a theoretical perspective often used to explain how early life exposures influence health and behavior across the lifespan. Using the LCP and secondary data collected from the 2009-2010 Allegheny County Health Survey (N=5442), this study describes the prevalence and disparities in CA in terms of social, demographic, and geographic characteristics. A series of bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions are conducted to determine which adult health indicators (e.g., smoking, perceived social support, serious mental illness, cancer, cardiovascular disease) are most associated with CA and to what extent the prevalence of these health issues could be reduced if CA was prevented or eliminated. Furthermore, social, behavioral, and environmental pathways are evaluated in statistical models to determine which factors moderate and mediate the relationship between CA and adult health and behavior. Results indicate that CA is prevalent in the adult population of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania with an estimated 59.8% reporting at least one adverse childhood event. CA disparities were observed by gender, race, socioeconomic status, unemployment status and disability status. Population Attributable Risk (PAR) fractions were calculated and revealed that approximately 42% of serious mental illness and 26% of cardiovascular disease in the population could be eliminated if ACEs were prevented. Social and behavioral factors that mediate the CA adult health relationships included adult socioeconomic status, social support, smoking, and body mass index. The effects of CA on adult health appeared stronger and more independent for mental health outcomes than physical health outcomes. For those at-risk of and those who have experiencing CA, programs and policies that increase resources, teach positive strategies for coping with stress, and help families to increase their human and social capital may greatly reduce adult morbidly associated with CA and help to reduce current and intergenerational CA disparities by race and socioeconomic status

Employing Position Generators to Assess Social Capital and Health: A Scoping Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Measurement in Future Population-Based Surveillance

Beneficial social connections are critical to individual-level health because they can be used to avoid or minimize the risks and consequences associated with diseases. How to best measure beneficial social connections to inform social network-level health interventions remains poorly understood. A scoping review of health surveillance studies was conducted to highlight the utility of employing position generators to assess how access to beneficial social connections was associated with population health and disparities. Our review yielded 39 articles conducted across 14 predominantly high-income countries. Most studies (77%) with composite measures for beneficial social connections exhibited health-protective associations. Of the remaining articles, half found that greater diversity within one’s network was associated with positive health outcomes. Only eight articles accounted for differences by advantaged statuses, indicating that beneficial connections elicited greater health-protective associations among disadvantaged groups. Employing position generators may inform interventions that seek to reduce health disparities by enhancing social capital in individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

Promoting neurological recovery of function via metaplasticity

The modification of synapses by neural activity has been proposed to be the substrate for experience-dependent brain development, learning, and recovery of visual function after brain injury. The effectiveness or ‘strength’ of synaptic transmission can be persistently modified in response to defined patterns of pre- and post-synaptic activity. Well-studied examples of this type of synaptic plasticity are long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Can we exploit the current understanding of these mechanisms in order to strengthen brain connections that may have been weakened or impaired by sensory deprivation, disease or injury? Theoretically motivated research in the visual cortex has suggested ways to promote synaptic potentiation. The theoretical concept is that the type and extent of synaptic plasticity caused by patterns of activity depend critically on the recent prior history of synaptic or cellular activity. Studies in visual cortex strongly support this concept, and have suggested a mechanism for ‘metaplasticity’ – the plasticity of synaptic plasticity – based on activity-dependent modification of NMDA-receptor structure and function. The knowledge gained by these studies suggests ways in which recovery of function can be promoted.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH/NEI Grant RO1 EYO12309

FMRP Mediates mGluR(5)-Dependent Translation of Amyloid Precursor Protein

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) facilitates synapse formation in the developing brain, while beta-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation, which is associated with Alzheimer disease, results in synaptic loss and impaired neurotransmission. Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is a cytoplasmic mRNA binding protein whose expression is lost in fragile X syndrome. Here we show that FMRP binds to the coding region of APP mRNA at a guanine-rich, G-quartet–like sequence. Stimulation of cortical synaptoneurosomes or primary neuronal cells with the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist DHPG increased APP translation in wild-type but not fmr-1 knockout samples. APP mRNA coimmunoprecipitated with FMRP in resting synaptoneurosomes, but the interaction was lost shortly after DHPG treatment. Soluble Aβ(40) or Aβ(42) levels were significantly higher in multiple strains of fmr-1 knockout mice compared to wild-type controls. Our data indicate that postsynaptic FMRP binds to and regulates the translation of APP mRNA through metabotropic glutamate receptor activation and suggests a possible link between Alzheimer disease and fragile X syndrome

Limbic Epileptogenesis in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), caused by silencing of the Fmr1 gene, is the most common form of inherited mental retardation. Epilepsy is reported to occur in 20–25% of individuals with FXS. However, no overall increased excitability has been reported in Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice, except for increased sensitivity to auditory stimulation. Here, we report that kindling increased the expressions of Fmr1 mRNA and protein in the forebrain of wild-type (WT) mice. Kindling development was dramatically accelerated in Fmr1 KO mice, and Fmr1 KO mice also displayed prolonged electrographic seizures during kindling and more severe mossy fiber sprouting after kindling. The accelerated rate of kindling was partially repressed by inhibiting N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) with MK-801 or mGluR5 receptor with 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP). The rate of kindling development in WT was not effected by MPEP, however, suggesting that FMRP normally suppresses epileptogenic signaling downstream of metabolic glutamate receptors. Our findings reveal that FMRP plays a critical role in suppressing limbic epileptogenesis and predict that the enhanced susceptibility of patients with FXS to epilepsy is a direct consequence of the loss of an important homeostatic factor that mitigates vulnerability to excessive neuronal excitation

Electrical-hydraulic relationships observed for unconsolidated sediments in the presence of a cobble framework

Mechanistic models now exist to predict hydraulic conductivity (K) from the spectral induced polarization (SIP) response of granular media. We examined the predictions of such a model on unconsolidated coarse fluvial sediments and compared them to those obtained with a modified Kozeny Carman (KC) model. Samples were retrieved from the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS), located on a gravel bar adjacent to the Boise River, Idaho. A sample holder (0.102 m diameter and 0.12 m in length) was designed to include the cobble framework in reconstituted samples representing the primary stratigraphic units defined based on porosity variation at this site. SIP (0.001-1000 Hz) and K (from Darcy tests) measurements were recorded for twelve samples, with SIP measurements made as a function of pore fluid conductivity (3-300 mS/m); grain, grain size distribution (GSD) and total porosity. K prediction with the KC model was improved after discounting of the cobble framework and multiplying by the tortuosity resulting from matrix “capillaries” around the cobbles, resulting in estimates within 0.5 orders of magnitude of the measurements. K prediction with a mechanistic SIP model based on Stern layer polarization (SLP model) that requires an estimate of the GSD alsoalso required discounting for the cobble framework to obtain estimates within 0.5 orders of magnitude of the measurements. Similarly, the SLP model over predicts the measured imaginary conductivity (σ") unless the cobble framework is discounted, which then results in estimates of σ” within 0.1 orders of magnitude of the measurements. This can be explained by the fact that the cobbles polarize at frequencies well below the minimum measurement frequency (0.001 Hz). The SLP model for K prediction parameterized in terms of the formation factor and imaginary conductivity performed well for the ten samples with a cobble framework without modification as the imaginary conductivity directly senses the matrix grain size characteristics, whereas the formation factor captures the porosity reduction and tortuosity resulting from the presence of the cobble framework (capillary tortuosity). Our findings suggest that the estimation of contrasts in hydraulic conductivityK in coarse sediments may be achievable through measurements of electrical properties after appropriate consideration of the cobble fractio

A surrogate model for simulation–optimization of aquifer systems subjected to seawater intrusion

This study presents the application of Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR) as a pattern recognition system to predicate the behavior of nonlinear and computationally complex aquifer systems subjected to seawater intrusion (SWI). The developed EPR models are integrated with a multi objective genetic algorithm to examine the efficiency of different arrangements of hydraulic barriers in controlling SWI. The objective of the optimization is to minimize the economic and environmental costs. The developed EPR model is trained and tested for different control scenarios, on sets of data including different pumping patterns as inputs and the corresponding set of numerically calculated outputs. The results are compared with those obtained by direct linking of the numerical simulation model with the optimization tool. The results of the two above-mentioned simulation–optimization (S/O) strategies are in excellent agreement. Three management scenarios are considered involving simultaneous use of abstraction and recharge to control SWI. Minimization of cost of the management process and the salinity levels in the aquifer are the two objective functions used for evaluating the efficiency of each management scenario. By considering the effects of the unsaturated zone, a subsurface pond is used to collect the water and artificially recharge the aquifer. The distinguished feature of EPR emerges in its application as the metamodel in the S/O process where it significantly reduces the overall computational complexity and time. The results also suggest that the application of other sources of water such as treated waste water (TWW) and/or storm water, coupled with continuous abstraction of brackish water and its desalination and use is the most cost effective method to control SWI. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the effects of different external sources of recharge water and different recovery ratios of desalination plant on the optimal results

Critical Period Plasticity Is Disrupted in the Barrel Cortex of Fmr1 Knockout Mice

SummaryAlterations in sensory processing constitute prominent symptoms of fragile X syndrome; however, little is known about how disrupted synaptic and circuit development in sensory cortex contributes to these deficits. To investigate how the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) impacts the development of cortical synapses, we examined excitatory thalamocortical synapses in somatosensory cortex during the perinatal critical period in Fmr1 knockout mice. FMRP ablation resulted in dysregulation of glutamatergic signaling maturation. The fraction of silent synapses persisting to later developmental times was increased; there was a temporal delay in the window for synaptic plasticity, while other forms of developmental plasticity were not altered in Fmr1 knockout mice. Our results indicate that FMRP is required for the normal developmental progression of synaptic maturation, and loss of this important RNA binding protein impacts the timing of the critical period for layer IV synaptic plasticity