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Copyright of Agronomy Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Student perspectives reflect school climate. The study examined perspectives among deaf and hard of hearing students in residential and large day schools regarding bullying, and compared these perspectives with those of a national database of hearing students. The participants were 812 deaf and hard of hearing students in 11 U.S. schools. Data were derived from the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (Olweus, 2007b), a standardized self-reported survey with multiple-choice questions focusing on different aspects of bullying problems. Significant bullying problems were found in deaf school programs. It appears that deaf and hard of hearing students experience bullying at rates 2-3 times higher than those reported by hearing students. Deaf and hard of hearing students reported that school personnel intervened less often when bullying occurred than was reported in the hearing sample. Results indicate the need for school climate improvement for all students, regardless of hearing status.

This article reports the characteristics of Latino day laborers who have sex with female commercial sex workers (CSWs). A sample of 450 day laborers in Los Angeles was used. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association of independent variables with the likelihood of having sex with a CSW. Overall, 26% of the 450 day laborers reported having had sex with a CSW in the previous 12 months. A lower likelihood of having sex with a CSW was found for those with more than 6 years of education and for those who were married and living with their spouses. A higher likelihood of having sex with a CSW was found for those who met the criteria for harmful drinking or drug dependence. Commercial sex work has been associated with sexually transmitted infections and other problems among clients of CSWs and warrants further attention by providers working with day laborers. (Contains 2 tables.)

Uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM) remains low. We examined awareness, accessibility, acceptability and use of PrEP among LMSM. LMSM were recruited using social/sexual networking apps. Multiple Logistic regressions identified significant predictors of PrEP awareness, accessibility and acceptability. Among 276 participants, only 6% reported current PrEP use. Among non-PrEP users, 85% reported PrEP awareness, 71% indicated high likelihood of future PrEP use, but only 35% reported knowledge about accessing PrEP. In multiple logistic regressions, a lower likelihood of PrEP awareness was associated with lower level education, whereas a higher likelihood was associated with reporting 6–10 or over 10 sexual partners. A lower likelihood of PrEP accessibility was associated with lower level education and undocumented status. A lower likelihood of PrEP acceptability was associated with an income of $15,001–30,000, whereas a higher likelihood was associated with lower level education and reporting 6–10 or over 10 sexual partners. PrEP promotion targeting Latino MSM should be expanded for those with lower levels of education and those who are undocumented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile technology–based interventions show promise for conveying HIV prevention information to Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM) and Latina transgender women (LTGW); however, implementing such interventions can pose serious challenges. To understand how to adapt existing interventions for these populations, we conducted nine focus groups (N = 91 participants, 52 LMSM, 39 LTGW) in Los Angeles, California. We used a rapid assessment process to create narrative reports that we examined using thematic analysis to explore differences across sites and between LMSM and LTGW. Lessons learned: requiring smartphone use could diminish participation of poor participants; sending personalized messages on the same days and times can help participants anticipate receiving study information; working with community partners is essential for building trust; recognizing different language literacies and diverse countries of origin can improve the cultural competency of intervention materials. Addressing these challenges may enhance efforts to address the HIV prevention needs of these communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service learning uses real-world experience to develop skills, create connections between academic study and public concerns, and foster social change. In Spring 2015, a graduate-level community nutrition course at a university in southern California was amended to include a research-focused service-learning project. Four phases of service learning were included in course content. The phases were as follows: (1) a needs assessment; (2) development, implementation, and evaluation of nutrition lessons; (3) reflection; and (4) celebration. Reflective assignments indicated that students valued needs assessment as a basis for program development and growth in assessing program impacts. Modest gains in vegetable consumption patterns were evidenced among program participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a sample of HIV-positive African-American men who have sex with men (MSM), we examined neighborhood factors that may contextualize perceived discrimination from three intersecting stigmatized characteristics: race, HIV status, and sexual orientation. HIV-positive African-American MSM (N = 162, mean age = 44, SD = 8) provided information on neighborhood-related stressors and discrimination experiences related to being Black, HIV-positive, or perceived as gay. Residential ZIP codes and US Census data were used to determine neighborhood poverty rates. Regressions, controlling for socio-demographics, indicated that (1) higher neighborhood poverty was significantly related to more frequent experiences with hate crimes (Gay-related: b = 1.15, SE = .43, p < .008); and (2) higher neighborhood-related stressors were significantly related to more frequent discrimination (Black-related: b = .91, SE = .28, p = .001; gay-related: b = .71, SE = .29, p = .01; and HIV-related: b = .65, SE = .28, p = .02) and hate crimes (Gay-related: b = .48, SE = .13, p = .001; and Black-related: b = .28, SE = .14, p = .04). For HIV-positive African-American MSM, higher neighborhood poverty and related stressors are associated with experiencing more discrimination and hate crimes. Interventions for this group should promote individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic empowerment and stigma reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how functional social support, HIV-related discrimination, internalized HIV stigma, and social network structure and composition were cross-sectionally associated with network members' knowledge of respondents' serostatus among 244 HIV-positive African Americans in Los Angeles. Results of a generalized hierarchical linear model indicated people in respondents' networks who were highly trusted, well-known to others (high degree centrality), HIV-positive, or sex partners were more likely to know respondents' HIV serostatus; African American network members were less likely to know respondents' serostatus, as were drug-using partners. Greater internalized stigma among respondents living with HIV was associated with less knowledge of their seropositivity within their social network whereas greater respondent-level HIV discrimination was associated with more knowledge of seropositivity within the network. Additional research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms and mediating processes associated with serostatus disclosure as well as the long-term consequences of disclosure and network members' knowledge of respondents' serostatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To develop an observed-to-expected ratio (O/E) for adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) ovarian cancer treatment guidelines as a risk-adjusted hospital measure of quality care correlated with disease-specific survival. Methods Consecutive patients with stages I–IV epithelial ovarian cancer were identified from the California Cancer Registry (1/1/96–12/31/06). Using a fit logistic regression model, O/E for guideline adherence was calculated for each hospital and distributed into quartiles stratified by hospital annual case volume: lowest O/E quartile or annual hospital case volume < 5, middle two O/E quartiles and volume ≥ 5, and highest O/E quartile and volume ≥ 5. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to characterize the independent effect of hospital O/E on ovarian cancer-specific survival. Results Overall, 18,491 patients were treated at 405 hospitals; 37.3% received guideline adherent care. Lowest O/E hospitals (n = 285) treated 4661 patients (25.2%), mean O/E = 0.77 ± 0.55 and median survival 38.9 months (95%CI = 36.2–42.0 months). Intermediate O/E hospitals (n = 85) treated 8715 patients (47.1%), mean O/E = 0.87 ± 0.17 and median survival of 50.5 months (95% CI = 48.4–52.8 months). Highest O/E hospitals (n = 35) treated 5115 patients (27.7%), mean O/E = 1.34 ± 0.14 and median survival of 53.8 months (95% CI = 50.2–58.2 months). After controlling for other variables, treatment at highest O/E hospitals was associated with independent and statistically significant improvement in ovarian cancer-specific survival compared to intermediate O/E (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.11) and lowest O/E (1.16, 95% CI = 1.10–1.23) hospitals. Conclusions Calculation of hospital-specific O/E for NCCN treatment guideline adherence, combined with minimum case volume criterion, as a measure of ovarian cancer quality of care is feasible and is an independent predictor of survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latino day laborers endure many hardships as they struggle to adjust as an immigrant community in the United States. This study sought to identify the extent of chronic stress reported by day laborers and the factors associated with stress. A total of 725 Latino day laborers were interviewed. The most reported sources of stress were having immigration-related problems, not having enough money to cover basic needs, having no savings, and having work hours change for the worse. Higher chronic stress was associated with homelessness (p < .001) and HIV-related risk behaviors in the previous 12 months (p < .05). In addition, chronic stress was found to be higher among respondents reporting incomes of US$5,000 to US$10,000 (p = .007) and still higher among respondents reporting incomes greater than US$10,000 (p < .001) compared with those in the lowest income level. Lower chronic stress was associated with having a partner (p < .05) or being single (p = .001) compared with being married. Addressing the stress experienced by day laborers is necessary to prevent potential negative health and mental health consequences among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Endogenous opioids and striatal dopamine have been implicated in cue-induced alcohol craving and have been hypothesized to play a role in goal-directed, as opposed to habitual, alcohol use. This initial study examines dorsal and ventral striatal functional connectivity during alcohol-cue processing as a function of the A118 G single-nucleotide polymorphism of the mu-opioid receptor ( OPRM1) gene. Methods Seventeen individuals with alcohol dependence (6 females; 90% Caucasian; mean age = 29.4) underwent blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging, while performing an alcohol taste-cues task. Psychophysiological interaction analyses investigated associations of the OPRM1 genotype with ventral and dorsal striatum functional connectivity, using the ventral striatum and the caudate as the seed region, respectively. Results Compared to A-allele homozygotes, G-allele carriers of the OPRM1 gene showed (i) greater activation of the insula and orbitofrontal cortex and (ii) stronger negative fronto-striatal functional connectivity for both ventral and dorsal striatal seed regions during processing of alcohol versus water cues. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that, relative to A-allele homozygotes, G-allele carriers show unstable frontal regulation over reward and/or habit-driven inputs from the striatum resulting from greater reward sensitivity combined with limited self-control resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, very few researchers have explored transgender women’s interactions with law enforcement agencies and officers. Addressing this research gap, this study examines the interactions of Latina transgender women with law enforcement. The investigators conducted semi-structured interviews of 220 low-income Latina transgender women recruited from a variety of community-based organizations and sources across Los Angeles County, California. The findings lend support to the conclusion that transgender women, and especially transgender women of colour, are common victims of verbal harassment, physical assault, and sexual assault perpetrated by law enforcement officers. The findings also lend support to the propositions that many transgender women perceive their personal interactions with law enforcement officers negatively, and view reports of crime against them as mishandled or ignored. The findings are discussed in light of the implications for law enforcement’s interactions with transgender women and transgender communities of colour in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and may be associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. We examined the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and adherence among 214 African American males. Because PLHA may experience discrimination, potentially in the form of traumatic stress (e.g., hate crimes), we also examined whether perceived discrimination (related to race, HIV status, sexual orientation) is an explanatory variable in the relationship between PTSD and adherence. Adherence, monitored electronically over 6 months, was negatively correlated with PTSD total and re-experiencing symptom severity; all 3 discrimination types were positively correlated with PTSD symptoms and negatively correlated with adherence. Each discrimination type separately mediated the relationship between PTSD and adherence; when both PTSD and discrimination were included in the model, discrimination was the sole predictor of adherence. Findings highlight the critical role that discrimination plays in adherence among African American men experiencing posttraumatic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research is needed to identify culturally relevant factors that may contribute to sexual risk among African Americans. We investigated HIV-specific medical mistrust as one such cultural factor, often exhibited as conspiracy beliefs about HIV (e.g., 'AIDS was produced in a government laboratory'), which may be indicative of general suspicion of HIV treatment and prevention messages. Over a 6-month time-period, we measured endorsement of HIV conspiracy beliefs three times and frequency of condom use monthly among 181 HIV-positive African American males. A hierarchical multivariate repeated-measures logistic random effects model indicated that greater belief in HIV conspiracies was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting unprotected intercourse across all time-points. An average of 54% of participants who endorsed conspiracies reported unprotected intercourse, versus 39% who did not endorse conspiracies. Secondary prevention interventions may need to address medical mistrust as a contributor to sexual risk among African Americans living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has examined the role that social support, stress, stigma and HIV disclosure play in retention in HIV care for African Americans and Latinos. Among 398 Latino and African American men who have sex with men (MSM) and women, the major predictor of retention in HIV care was disclosure of HIV status to more social network members (OR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9). Among those who had disclosed ( n = 334), female gender (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.1) and disclosure of HIV status to more network members (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) was associated with retention in HIV care. General stress was associated with retention in care (OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.3) for African American MSM who had disclosed. More MSM-stigma was associated with poorer retention (OR = 0.9; 95% CI: 0.8, 0.9) for Latino MSM. Interventions that help patients safely disclose their HIV status to more social network members may improve HIV care retention as would social network counseling for Latino MSM to reduce MSM-stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cockroach allergy is common among inner city children with asthma, and exposure to cockroach allergen is associated with more severe disease. However, there has been little evaluation of educational approaches for controlling cockroach infestations and reducing allergen exposure.An educational intervention to reduce cockroach allergen exposure in the homes of Hispanic children in Los Angeles was implemented and evaluated.Caretakers of 150 children with asthma were randomly assigned to an in-home intervention or comparison group. In the intervention group, peer health educators trained the caretaker to control cockroaches by reducing harbourage and access to food and by applying boric acid, and to reduce allergen exposure by cleaning. Allergen impermeable covers were placed on the child's mattress and pillows. Knowledge, reported and observed behaviour, cockroach counts, and cockroach allergen (Bla g 1) in dust samples from the kitchen and the child's bedding were assessed at study entry and at follow-up 4 months later.There was improvement in knowledge and in observed and reported behaviour hypothesized to be associated with cockroach control. The geometric mean cockroach number in the intervention homes at the follow-up visit was 60% lower than in the non-intervention homes (95% confidence interval (CI) 14%, 81%). Geometric mean total cockroach allergen collected from the child's bedding was 64% lower in the intervention group (95% CI 12%, 85%). In homes with heavier initial cockroach infestation, there was a larger reduction in total kitchen dust allergen and concentration associated with the intervention than in homes with fewer initial cockroaches.We conclude that reduction in number of cockroaches and in total allergen in bedding dust can be achieved by caretakers of asthmatic children following a single home educational intervention by peer educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The control of asthma in children depends upon several factors, among which is the ability of parents to minimize the exposure of their children to specific allergens. If parents are ill-informed of the specific allergen sensitivity of their children, they may be unable to take the necessary steps to minimize exposure. Objectives. This study seeks to determine the ability of parents to recall accurately the skin test results for their children. Parents were low income, multicultural, urban residents. METHODS: One hundred eligible children with persistent asthma, between 6 and 14 years old, who were skin test positive to dust mite or cockroach allergen, were recruited from a mobile asthma clinic in Los Angeles. Caretakers were interviewed in English or Spanish. From skin test results, sensitivity and specificity of parental recall of test results were computed. The sensitivity and specificity were further stratified on demographic and exposure characteristics. RESULTS: The sensitivity was lowest for dogs (65%), but higher for all other allergens: cat 93%, roach 91%; dust mites 88%, and mold 81%. The range of specificity was from 40% to 83%. Thus, parents were more aware of positive than of negative test results. Stratification did not appreciably change the sensitivity or specificity results. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the sensitivity and specificity of parental response concerning skin test results is high regardless of cultural, demographic, or exposure levels of the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic analysis of the kelp fly Fucellia costalis (Family Anthomyiidae) from Asilomar beach, Pacific Grove, California, resulted in the assembly of its complete mitogenome. The mitogenome is 16,175 bp in length, A + T biased (78.1%), contains 37 genes, a large 1356 bp control region, and has a high-level of gene synteny to other Muscoidea. Phylogenetic analysis of F. costalis fully resolves it in a clade with two members of the Anthomyiidae, Delia platura (8.2% pairwise genetic distance) and D. antiqua (9.2% distance), in a sister position to Scathophaga stercoraria (7.8% distance) from the Scathophagidae. The phylogenetic position and genetic distances of F. costalis support the continued recognition of the subfamily Fucellinae. This identification and data extends the distributional range of F. costalis northward from California to Vancouver Island, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diet composition of the sailfish Istiophorus platypterus from the southern Gulf of California was determined using stomach contents of 576 fish. They were sampled from 1989 to 1991 from the sport fishing fleet at six tourist ports of the Mexican Pacific (La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad, and Manzanillo). A total of 78 different prey taxa was classified and 64 were identified to species. From the diet composition and using the percent of index of relative importance (IRI), three feeding zones were determined by using cluster analysis. The most important prey by zones were in Zone I, La Paz: Dosidicus gigas, Scomber japonicus, and Auxis spp.; Zone II, Cabo San Lucas: Auxis spp., Selar crumenophthalmus, and Lagocephalus lagocephalus; and Zone III, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad, and Manzanillo: Argonauta spp., D. gigas, and Auxis spp. We suggest that sailfish in Mexican Pacific waters are generalist predators feeding mainly on epipelagic species in coastal and oceanic waters, and occasionally diving to prey on demersal fish. The changes in diet composition among zones seem to be related more to abundance and distribution of the prey than to food preferences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) deaminase was purified from jumbo squid mantle muscle by chromatography in cellulose phosphate, Q-Fast and 5′-AMP sepharose. Specific activity of 2.5U/mg protein, 4.5% recovery and 133.68 purification fold were obtained at the end of the experiment. SDS–PAGE showed a single band with 87kDa molecular mass, native PAGE proved a band of 178kDa, whereas gel filtration detected a 180kDa protein, suggesting the homodimeric nature of this enzyme, in which subunits are not linked by covalent forces. Isoelectric focusing of this enzyme showed a pI of 5.76, which agrees with pI values of AMP deaminase from other invertebrate organisms. AMP deaminase presented a kinetic sigmoidal plot with V max of 1.16μM/min/mg, K m of 13mM, K cat of 3.48μM.s−1 and a K cat/K m of 267 (mol/L)−1.s−1. The apparent relative low catalytic activity of jumbo squid muscle AMP deaminase in the absence of positive effectors is similar to that reported for homologous enzymes in other invertebrate organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]