Mouse pulmonary response to dust from sawing Corian®, a solid-surface composite material.

Corian®, a solid-surface composite (SSC), is composed of alumina trihydrate and acrylic polymer. The aim of the present study was to examine the pulmonary toxicity attributed to exposure to SSC sawing dust. Male mice were exposed to either phosphate buffer saline (PBS, control), 62.

Influence of Work Characteristics on the Association Between Police Stress and Sleep Quality.

Background: Police officers' stress perception, frequency of stressful events (stressors), and police work characteristics may contribute to poor sleep quality through different mechanisms.

Methods: We investigated associations of stress severity (measured by stress rating score) and frequency of stressors with sleep quality and examined the influence of police work characteristics including workload, police rank, prior military experience, and shift work on the associations. Participants were 356 police officers (256 men and 100 women) enrolled in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study from 2004 to 2009.

Can Blood Flow be Used to Monitor Changes in Peripheral Vascular Function That Occur in Response to Segmental Vibration Exposure?

Objectives: Laser Doppler blood flow measurements have been used for diagnosis or detection of peripheral vascular dysfunction. This study used a rat tail model of vibration-induced vascular injury to determine how laser Doppler measurements were affected by acute and repeated exposures to vibration, and to identify changes in the Doppler signal that were associated with the exposure.

Methods: Blood flow was measured immediately after a single exposure to vibration, or before vibration exposure on days 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 of a 20 days exposure.

Stressful life events and posttraumatic growth among police officers: A cross-sectional study.

Police officers often continue to face numerous threats and stressors in the aftermath of a disaster. To date, posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been studied primarily in the context of significant trauma; thus, it is not known whether stressful life events are associated with PTG. This study investigated the development of PTG among 113 police officers working in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina.

Association of peritraumatic dissociation with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Aim: In this study, we evaluated whether peritraumatic dissociation (PD) was associated with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and whether this association was modified by trauma prior to police work.

Method: Symptoms of depression, PTSD, peritraumatic dissociative experience (PDE), and trauma prior to police work were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, PTSD Checklist-Civilian, PDE questionnaire, and the Brief Trauma questionnaire, respectively, in 328 police officers. Separate regression models were used to assess if either symptoms of depression or PTSD were associated with PD stratified by prior trauma.

Approximation of the ruin probability using the scaled Laplace transform inversion.

The problem of recovering the ruin probability in the classical risk model based on the scaled Laplace transform inversion is studied. It is shown how to overcome the problem of evaluating the ruin probability at large values of an initial surplus process. Comparisons of proposed approximations with the ones based on the Laplace transform inversions using a fixed Talbot algorithm as well as on the ones using the Trefethen-Weideman-Schmelzer and maximum entropy methods are presented via a simulation study.

Effects of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) on N95 Respirator Filtration Performance and Structural Integrity.

The ability to disinfect and reuse disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) may be needed during a pandemic of an infectious respiratory disease such as influenza. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is one possible method for respirator disinfection. However, UV radiation degrades polymers, which presents the possibility that UVGI exposure could degrade the ability of a disposable respirator to protect the worker.

A comparison of two laboratories for the measurement of wood dust using button sampler and diffuse reflection infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS).

The current measurement method for occupational exposure to wood dust is by gravimetric analysis and is thus non-specific. In this work, diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for the analysis of only the wood component of dust was further evaluated by analysis of the same samples between two laboratories. Field samples were collected from six wood product factories using 25-mm glass fiber filters with the Button aerosol sampler.

Leptin, adiponectin, and heart rate variability among police officers.

Objectives: Police officers have a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is known to increase CVD risk. Leptin and adiponectin may be related to CVD health.

Association Between Police-Specific Stressors and Sleep Quality: Influence of Coping and Depressive Symptoms.

Police officers work in an environment of chronic psychological stress which may be associated with sleep quality. Variation in sleep quality may be a result of how well officers cope with stress. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between police-specific stresses and sleep quality, and factors which may modify these associations.

Associations between insulin and heart rate variability in police officers.

Objective: Low heart rate variability (HRV) has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to examine the cross-sectional association between insulin and HRV.

Methods: Insulin levels were measured in 355 nondiabetic officers from the BCOPS study, following a 12 h fast.

A note on recovering the distributions from exponential moments.

The problem of recovering a cumulative distribution function of a positive random variable via the scaled Laplace transform inversion is studied. The uniform upper bound of proposed approximation is derived. The approximation of a compound Poisson distribution as well as the estimation of a distribution function of the summands given the sample from a compound Poisson distribution are investigated.

Association of traumatic police event exposure with sleep quality and quantity in the BCOPS Study cohort.

Police officers are exposed to traumatic and life-threatening events, which may lead to sleep problems. Prior studies of police officers have found them to have poor sleep quality and reduced sleep time. This study examined associations between traumatic events and sleep quality.

PTSD symptoms among police officers: associations with frequency, recency, and types of traumatic events.

Policing necessitates exposure to traumatic, violent and horrific events, which can lead to an increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the frequency, recency, and type of police-specific traumatic events were associated with PTSD symptoms. Participants were 359 police officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study (2004-2009).

Long work hours and adiposity among police officers in a US northeast city.

Objective: To investigate the associations between long work hours and adiposity measures in police officers.

Methods: Participants included 408 officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study who were examined between 2004 and 2009. Total work hours were abstracted from payroll records and questionnaires.

Varying kernel density estimation on ℝ.

In this article a new nonparametric density estimator based on the sequence of asymmetric kernels is proposed. This method is natural when estimating an unknown density function of a positive random variable. The rates of Mean Squared Error, Mean Integrated Squared Error, and the -consistency are investigated.