Modeling the intraurban variability of ambient traffic pollution in Toronto, Canada.

The objective of this paper is to model determinants of intraurban variation in ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Toronto, Canada, with a land use regression (LUR) model. Although researchers have conducted similar studies in Europe, this work represents the first attempt in a North American setting to characterize variation in traffic pollution through the LUR method. NO2 samples were collected over 2 wk using duplicate two-sided Ogawa passive diffusion samplers at 95 locations across Toronto. Independent variables employed in subsequent regression models as predictors of NO2 were derived by the Arc 8 geographic information system (GIS). Some 85 indicators of land use, traffic, population density, and physical geography were tested. The final regression model yielded a coefficient of determination (R2) of .69. For the traffic variables, density of 24-h traffic counts and road measures display positive associations. For the land use variables, industrial land use and counts of dwellings within 2000 m of the monitoring location were positively associated with NO2. Locations up to 1500 m downwind of major expressways had elevated NO2 levels. The results suggest that a good predictive surface can be derived for North American cities with the LUR method. The predictive maps from the LUR appear to capture small-area variation in NO2 concentrations. These small-area variations in traffic pollution are probably important to the exposure experience of the population and may detect health effects that would have gone unnoticed with other exposure estimates.

Do socioeconomic characteristics modify the short term association between air pollution and mortality? Evidence from a zonal time series in Hamilton, Canada.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the short term association between air pollution and mortality in different zones of an industrial city. An intra-urban study design is used to test the hypothesis that socioeconomic characteristics modify the acute health effects of ambient air pollution exposure. DESIGN: The City of Hamilton, Canada, was divided into five zones based on proximity to fixed site air pollution monitors. Within each zone, daily counts of non-trauma mortality and air pollution estimates were combined. Generalised linear models (GLMs) were used to test mortality associations with sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) and with particulate air pollution measured by the coefficient of haze (CoH). MAIN RESULTS: Increased mortality was associated with air pollution exposure in a citywide model and in intra-urban zones with lower socioeconomic characteristics. Low educational attainment and high manufacturing employment in the zones significantly and positively modified the acute mortality effects of air pollution exposure. DISCUSSION: Three possible explanations are proposed for the observed effect modification by education and manufacturing: (1) those in manufacturing receive higher workplace exposures that combine with ambient exposures to produce larger health effects; (2) persons with lower education are less mobile and experience less exposure measurement error, which reduces bias toward the null; or (3) manufacturing and education proxy for many social variables representing material deprivation, and poor material conditions increase susceptibility to health risks from air pollution.

Parenting training for women in residential substance abuse treatment. Results of a demonstration project.

This paper presents findings on the impact of implementing a parenting component in two urban residential treatment programs in Massachusetts for pregnant and parenting chemically-dependent women. The parenting component consisted of multiple services for both women and their infants while they were in residential treatment as well as aftercare services after discharge from treatment. Findings presented focus on: (a) the characteristics of the 170 pregnant and parenting women who participated in the parenting component during its 48 months of implementation; (b) changes in the parenting skills and self-esteem of women who completed parenting training; (c) the quality of mother-child interaction; and (d) the participants' perceptions about the impact of the parenting training. Women in both programs made dramatic improvements in self-esteem and experienced significant gains in parenting knowledge and attitudes. The participants were also overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the parenting training on their lives. Study findings underline the importance of parenting services for pregnant and parenting women in residential substance abuse treatment.

Family-centered group care.

Alternate frameworks for a model of residential group care focused on the family have the primary objective of early discharge from group care. The proposals are based on an agency's experience.

Parenting services for families affected by substance abuse.

This article describes the development, implementation, and replication of a group-based parenting program for families affected by substance abuse. The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery improves parenting, as measured on objective scales; enhances parents' satisfaction and competence, as measured by participant reports; and is based on principles demonstrated to be effective in reducing risk of both child abuse and neglect and substance abuse for both parents and children.

Treatment programming for alcohol and drug-dependent pregnant women.

National concern regarding the problem of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy has brought to the forefront the lack of treatment programs specifically targeted to pregnant women. Many programs are seeking guidance in establishing services for pregnant women. Research suggests that programs that provide comprehensive, coordinated, and "holistic" treatment are better able to draw pregnant women into care as well as provide more effective treatment. This paper presents an overview of written guidelines and protocols for treating pregnant chemically dependent women, including an elaboration of guiding principles for care. Unresolved policy issues are identified as well as recommendations for future research directions.

Treatment issues for alcohol- and drug-dependent pregnant and parenting women.

Research suggests that programs that provide coordinated, comprehensive, and family-centered care are better at attracting pregnant and parenting substance-abusing women into treatment and provide more effective treatment. This article examines the history of substance abuse treatment for women; identifies barriers to treatment access; and explores the socioeconomic, clinical, and systemic issues in the treatment of alcohol- and drug-dependent women. Special attention is given to the effects of substance abuse on women's relationship as daughters, partners, and parents and to its role in violence against women.

Information from birth certificates as a risk index for educational handicap.

Information from birth certificates (including race, birth order and weight, and maternal age and education) was used to develop a set of classification equations to predict the educational status of first-grade children. The equations were developed with one-half of the sample and then applied to the other half in a replication test. The equations accurately identified approximately 80 percent of the children who scored 1 standard deviation or more below the mean on both a measure of intellectual competence and a measure of adaptive behavior. The usefulness of birth certificates as a first-line screening method was discussed.

An innovative approach to selecting an executive director.

As a guide for how to select a new executive director, a family agency adopted the search committee process from higher education. The approach included clarifying agency goals and the director's qualifications, a board-staff screening, and interviews held jointly with public representatives before final board selection.

Doppler velocimetry in a supersonic jet by use of frequency-modulated filtered light scattering.

A new nonintrusive velocimetry diagnostic that combines the sensitivity of frequency-modulated (FM) absorption spectroscopy techniques and the spectral discrimination afforded by atomic-vapor absorption filters is presented. Doppler-shifted light from a FM Ti:sapphire laser scattered from a supersonic flow is imaged through a potassium-vapor cell and is detected by FM spectroscopy. The difference between the potassium resonance frequency and the laser frequency when the scattered light is in resonance is the flow-induced Doppler shift.

Narrow-linewidth passband filter for ultraviolet rotational Raman imaging.

We present a narrow-passband spectral filter capable of frequency-resolved imaging of rotational Raman light scattering with strong spectral rejection of out-of-band Raman, Rayleigh, and Mie scattering. The filter is based on mercury-vapor absorption, and subsequent resonant fluorescence and has a passband of less than 1 cm(-1). It is paired with an injection-seeded, cavity-locked, frequency-tripled Ti:sapphire laser that produces >30 mJ/pulse of single-mode, tunable light in the vicinity of 253.7 nm. The laser and filter are combined to spectrally resolve scattering from individual rotational Raman lines of nitrogen and oxygen.

Frequency-locked light scattering: real-time Doppler velocimetry with closed-loop feedback control.

Real-time measurement capability of a frequency-modulated filtered light-scattering- (FM FLS) Doppler velocimeter has been demonstrated. Doppler-shifted light from a frequency-modulated Ti:sapphire laser scattered from a supersonic flow is imaged through a potassium vapor cell and is detected by FM spectroscopy. The FM signal is used in closed-loop feedback control of the laser frequency to lock the Doppler-shifted scattered light to the resonance frequency of the filter. The difference between the filter resonance frequency and the laser frequency when the scattered light is frequency locked to the filter resonance is the flow-induced Doppler shift. Changes in flow velocity are tracked by changes in laser frequency, which is subsequently measured to obtain the Doppler shift. The frequency-locking capability of the technique was achieved with use of a simple analog controller. The random Doppler shift measurement errors (2varsigma) were approximately 20 MHz, which correspond to velocity measurement errors for the real-time measurement of less than 3% in a 10-Hz bandwidth.

Attentiveness and responsiveness to auditory stimuli of children at risk for mental retardation.

The major hypothesis in the present study was that differences between high-risk and low-risk children in performance on standardized tests of cognitive ability would be explained, in part, by differences in attentiveness to auditory stimuli and differences in task orientation. The data collected revealed the anticipated higher standardized test scores for low-risk children. Within the high-risk sample, few differences were found between children who attended an intervention day-care program and those who did not. Measures from a laboratory task and a free-play observation suggested that attention is a key factor in understanding the high-risk child's development and also that differences in attention between high- and low-risk children can be reliably obtained as early as 3 years of age. A lessened attention span was demonstrated by high-risk children to both auditory and visual stimuli if either were complex or demanding.

Dispersion filter for spectral and spatial resolution of pure rotational Raman scattering.

A new filtering technique for Raman spectroscopy utilizes atomic vapor to suppress strong elastic and Rayleigh scattering while simultaneously resolving individual rotational Raman lines. Filtered images capture high-resolution spectral information in one dimension and spatial resolution in the other dimension. The filter is based on resonance enhanced dispersion, where the index of refraction varies dramatically. In a simple prism geometry the vapor disperses incident radiation according to frequency. A mercury-vapor-based dispersion filter has been fabricated, modeled, and demonstrated to capture pure rotational Raman scattering from CO(2).