How Early Is Too Early? Identification of Elevated,Persistent Problem Behavior in Childhood

Prevention Science - We inquire how early in childhood children most at risk for problematic patterns of internalizing and externalizing behaviors can be accurately classified. Yearly measures of...     

A Method of Predicting Wear and Damage of Pantograph Sliding Strips Based on Artificial Neural Networks

The impact of the pantograph of a rail vehicle on the overhead contact line depends on many factors. Among other things, the type of pantograph, i.e., the material of the sliding strip, influences the wear and possible damage to the sliding strip. The possibility of predicting pantograph failures may make it possible to reduce the number of these kinds of failures. This article presents a method for predicting the technical state of the pantograph by using artificial neural networks. The presented method enables the prediction of the wear and damage of the pantograph, with particular emphasis on carbon sliding strips. The paper compares 12 predictive models based on regression algorithms, where different training algorithms and activation functions were used. Two different types of training data were also used. Such a distinction made it possible to determine the optimal structure of the input and output data teaching the neural network, as well as the determination of the best structure and parameters of the model enabling the prediction of the technical condition of the current collector.     

Preadolescents’ report of exposure to violence: Association with friends’ and own substance use

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether children's Exposure to Violence (EV) is associated with their own or their friends' use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). METHODS: The Violence Exposure Scale for Children-Revised (VEX-R) and the Substance Exposure Assessment (SXA) were given to 104 children participating in a longitudinal study of in-utero cocaine exposure (IUCE) at age 8.5, 9.5, and 11 years. Survival analyses evaluated the association of the quartile of VEX total score (higher scores indicating more violence exposure) at age 8.5 years, with time to first report of their own and their friends' use of ATOD from age 8.5-11 years. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 90% African-American/Caribbean children (mean age 8.5 years, SD 3 years), 53% males, and 49% with IUCE. The percentage of children who reported having substance-using friends was 12% at 8.5 years, 25% by 9.5 years, and 45% by 11 years. In multivariate survival analyses controlling for caregiver type, IUCE category, and child gender, children in the upper quartile of VEX-R total score at age 8.5 years were at significantly greater risk of having reported friends' use of ATOD by age 11 compared to those in the first through third quartiles (hazard ratio = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.14, 4.23; p = .02). Quartiles of the VEX score, however, were not significantly associated with children's acknowledgment of their own use (p = .85). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an association between EV in childhood and report of peer ATOD use at school age. Campaigns to prevent ATOD use should address the impact of childhood exposure to violence.     

The long road of pain: chronic pain increases perceived distance

Spatial perception is sensitive to the energetic costs required to perform intended actions. For example, hills look steeper to people who are fatigued or burdened by a heavy load. Similarly, perceived distance is also influenced by the energy required to walk or throw to a target. Such experiments demonstrate that perception is a function, not just of optical information, but also of the perceiver’s potential to act and the energetic costs associated with the intended action. In the current paper, we expand on the notion of “cost” by examining perceived distance in patients diagnosed with chronic pain, a multifactorial disease, which is experienced while walking. We found that chronic pain patients perceive target distances to be farther away compared with a control group. These results indicate the physical, and perhaps emotional, costs of chronic pain affect spatial perceptions.     

MR findings in neonatal herpes simplex encephalitis type II

The CT findings in neonatal herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) type II have been previously described, whereas magnetic resonance (MR) findings as yet have not. Early CT findings can be subtle and difficult to detect. However, as the abnormalities evolve, most notably the strikingly increased density of cortical gray matter, they appear highly characteristic of neonatal HSE type II. This case report with neuropathologic verification describes serial MR and CT findings in HSE type II that suggest an etiology of the increased density characteristically seen on CT scans; it does not appear to be hemorrhage or calcification.     

Promoting Community-Based Maternal and Child Health Services: A University-Health Department Partnership

Objectives: Funded by the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, a partnership between the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Department of Maternal and Child Health (JHU), and the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) identifies maternal and child health problems, and develops appropriate interventions. This paper presents the organization and activities of the JHU/BCHD Maternal and Child Community Health Science Consortium as a result of overcoming traditional barriers to collaborative efforts, and discusses what role the Consortium has had in its own collaborative success. Method: A review of the literature uncovered a number of barriers to productive interaction. A number of factors contributing to overcoming the barriers was also revealed. The organization and activities of the work of the JHU/BCHD Maternal and Child Community Health Science Consortium has been applied to these barriers and associated factors, and discussed in context of implications for future collaborative efforts. Results: The Consortium has developed a fully integrated administrative structure bridging both the BCHD and JHU. The mission of the Consortium has been translated into four categories of work, each one designed to complement, extend, and augment the other. The infrastructure established in Baltimore, as a direct result of this partnership, has served to overcome traditional barriers to productive academic/agency collaboration, while promoting organizational productivity. This outcome is a result of overcoming the recognized barriers to collaboration. Conclusions: Health agencies and university public health programs must link resources and collaborate to address public health issues. Commitment to a collaborative approach to the public's health will determine its future.