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The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most "gatekeeper" chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap.

Surf zones are highly dynamic marine ecosystems that are subject to increasing anthropogenic and climatic pressures, posing multiple challenges for biomonitoring. Traditional methods such as seines and hook and line surveys are often labor intensive, taxonomically biased, and can be physically hazardous. Emerging techniques, such as baited remote underwater video (BRUV) and environmental DNA (eDNA) are promising nondestructive tools for assessing marine biodiversity in surf zones of sandy beaches. Here we compare the relative performance of beach seines, BRUV, and eDNA in characterizing community composition of bony (teleost) and cartilaginous (elasmobranch) fishes of surf zones at 18 open coast sandy beaches in southern California. Seine and BRUV surveys captured overlapping, but distinct fish communities with 50% (18/36) of detected species shared. BRUV surveys more frequently detected larger species (e.g. sharks and rays) while seines more frequently detected one of the most abundant species, barred surfperch (Amphistichus argenteus). In contrast, eDNA metabarcoding captured 88.9% (32/36) of all fishes observed in seine and BRUV surveys plus 57 additional species, including 15 that frequent surf zone habitats. On average, eDNA detected over 5 times more species than BRUVs and 8 times more species than seine surveys at a given site. eDNA approaches also showed significantly higher sensitivity than seine and BRUV methods and more consistently detected 31 of the 32 (96.9%) jointly observed species across beaches. The four species detected by BRUV/seines, but not eDNA were only resolved at higher taxonomic ranks (e.g. Embiotocidae surfperches and Sygnathidae pipefishes). In frequent co-detection of species between methods limited comparisons of richness and abundance estimates, highlighting the challenge of comparing biomonitoring approaches. Despite potential for improvement, results overall demonstrate that eDNA can provide a cost-effective tool for long-term surf zone monitoring that complements data from seine and BRUV surveys, allowing more comprehensive surveys of vertebrate diversity in surf zone habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on Richard J. Smith currently serving as the editors of the Journal of Community Practice (JCP). Topics include JCP amplifying community scholarship in pursuit of social, economic, ecological, and racial justice; and expanding the interdisciplinary pool of manuscript reviewers particularly in areas of emerging interest in the field of community practice.

Understanding the extent and distribution of population structure and genetic connectivity of fisheries targets are crucial for informing management. This study uses population genomics to examine patterns of genetic structure of the market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens), one of the most important commercially harvested species in California. Data from 662 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci from a total of 149 individuals representing five monthly sampling groups (May–September 2014) in the Northern (Monterey) and Southern (Southern California) regions of the fishery (n = 8) revealed no significant genetic differentiation between regions (FST = 0.008, p > 0.05, FCT = − 0.006, p > 0.05). However, discriminant analysis of principal components and pairwise comparisons of genetic differentiation revealed unexpected complex patterns of fine-scale population structure over time. These results suggest the existence of smaller potentially genetically varied micro-cohorts that continually spawn in California, as opposed to the prevailing notion that spawning occurs in two asynchronous peaks in the Northern and Southern regions of the fishery, with important implications for fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of fault slip rate is fundamental to seismic hazard assessment. Previous work suggested a discrepancy between short-term geodetic and long-term geologic slip rates in the Mojave Desert section of the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ). Understanding the origin of this discrepancy can improve understanding of earthquake hazard and fault evolution. We measured offsets in alluvial fans along the Calico Fault near Newberry Springs, California, and used several techniques to date the offset landforms and determine a slip rate. Our preferred slip rate estimate is 3.2 ± 0.4 mm/yr, representing an average over the last few hundred thousand years, faster than previous estimates. Seismic hazard associated with this fault may therefore be higher than previously assumed. We discuss possible biases in the various slip rate estimates and discuss possible reasons for the rate discrepancy. We suggest that the ECSZ discrepancy is an artefact of limited data, and represents a combination of faster slip on the Calico Fault, off-fault deformation, unmapped fault strands, and uncertainties in the geologic rates that have been underestimated. Assuming our new rate estimate is correct and a fair amount (40%) of off-fault deformation occurs on major ECSZ faults, the summed geologic rate estimate across the Mojave section of the ECSZ is 10.5 ± 3.1 mm/yr, which is equivalent within uncertainties to the geodetic rate estimate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated two historically important data sets to characterize the San Francisco Estuary's salinity regime before the State of California began systematic data collection in the early 1920s. One set documents barge travel along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to obtain water of adequate quality for local industry; a second set documents Delta inflow used to compute antecedent outflow. The barge travel distance reported over 2 decades (1908-1929) was well explained by flow-salinity modeling, indicating internal consistency in these measurements. However, absolute salinity intrusion estimated through the barge travel data is systematically lower than suggested by contemporaneous water-quality measurements available since 1921. Through integration of these data sets, our work showed substantial similarities between 1908-1921 and the subsequent period before construction of Shasta Dam (1922-1944). Our analysis reveals an apparent shift in the estuary's salinity regime, with lesser salinity intrusion occurring in pre-1919 summer and fall months as a result of higher summer Delta outflow; this shift may be related to lower storage and irrigation diversions as well as a preponderance of wet years with higher summer runoff in the pre-1919 period. We found seasonal patterns of wet year salinity intrusion to be comparable over the full study period (1908-1944), indicating that the relative effect of upstream water management is minimal when flows are high, consistent with findings reported in later periods. The barge and flow data provide qualitative insights on early 20th century conditions, when limited data are available. Post-1920 hydrology and salinity data are preferable for quantitative analyses because of better documentation associated with collection and analysis, and sustained reporting over several decades. This work provides a foundation for future efforts to characterize the hydrologic and hydrodynamic changes that occurred in the system between the 1850s (i.e., natural or pre-development conditions) and the 1920s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Private health insurance is associated with improved outcomes in patients with cancer. However, to the authors' knowledge, little is known regarding the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Dependent Coverage Expansion (ACA-DCE), which extended private insurance to young adults (to age 26 years) beginning in 2010, on the insurance status of young adults with cancer.Methods: The current study was a retrospective, population-based analysis of hospitalized young adult oncology patients (aged 22-30 years) in California during 2006 through 2014 (11,062 patients). Multivariable regression analyses examined factors associated with having private insurance. Results were presented as adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. A difference-in-difference analysis examined the influence of the ACA-DCE on insurance coverage by race/ethnicity and federal poverty level.Results: Multivariable regression demonstrated that patients of black and Hispanic race/ethnicity were less likely to have private insurance before and after the ACA-DCE, compared with white patients. Younger age (22-25 years) was associated with having private insurance after implementation of the ACA-DCE (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.35). In the difference-in-difference analysis, private insurance increased among white patients aged 22 to 25 years who were living in medium-income (2006-2009: 64.6% vs 2011-2014: 69.1%; P = .003) and high-income (80.4% vs 82%; P = .043) zip codes and among Asians aged 22 to 25 years living in high-income zip codes (73.2 vs 85.7%; P = .022). Private insurance decreased for all Hispanic patients aged 22 to 25 years between the 2 time periods.Conclusions: The ACA-DCE provision increased insurance coverage, but not among all patients. Private insurance increased for white and Asian patients in higher income neighborhoods, potentially widening social disparities in private insurance coverage among young adults with cancer. Cancer 2018;124:110-7. © 2017 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many patients with breast cancer work for pay at the time of their diagnosis, and the treatment plan may threaten their livelihood. Understanding work experiences in a contemporary population-based sample is necessary to inform initiatives to reduce the burden of cancer care.Methods: Women who were 20 to 79 years old and had been diagnosed with stage 0 to II breast cancer, as reported to the Georgia and Los Angeles Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries in 2014-2015, were surveyed. Of the 3672 eligible women, 2502 responded (68%); 1006 who reported working before their diagnosis were analyzed. Multivariate models evaluated correlates of missing work for >1 month and stopping work altogether versus missing work for ≤1 month.Results: In this diverse sample, most patients (62%) underwent lumpectomy; 16% underwent unilateral mastectomy (8% with reconstruction); and 23% underwent bilateral mastectomy (19% with reconstruction). One-third (33%) received chemotherapy. Most (84%) worked full-time before their diagnosis; however, only 50% had paid sick leave, 39% had disability benefits, and 38% had flexible work schedules. Surgical treatment was strongly correlated with missing >1 month of work (odds ratio [OR] for bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction vs lumpectomy, 7.8) and with stopping work altogether (OR for bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction vs lumpectomy, 3.1). Chemotherapy receipt (OR for missing >1 month, 1.3; OR for stopping work altogether, 3.9) and race (OR for missing >1 month for blacks vs whites, 2.0; OR for stopping work altogether for blacks vs whites, 1.7) also correlated. Those with paid sick leave were less likely to stop working (OR, 0.5), as were those with flexible schedules (OR, 0.3).Conclusions: Working patients who received more aggressive treatments were more likely to experience substantial employment disruptions. Cancer 2017;123:4791-9. © 2017 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the refinement of a published empirical model of salinity in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary by integration with a Bayesian artificial neural network (ANN) model and incorporation of additional inputs. Performance goals established for the resulting hybrid model are based on the quality of fit to observed data (replicative and predictive validation) as well as sensitivity when compared with a priori knowledge of system behavior (structural validation). ANN model parameters were constrained to provide plausible sensitivity to coastal water level, a key input introduced in the hybrid formulation. In addition to representing observed data better than the underlying empirical model while meeting structural validation goals, the hybrid model allows for characterization of prediction uncertainty. This work demonstrates a real-world application of a general approach— integration of a pre-existing model with a Bayesian ANN constrained by knowledge of system behavior—that has broad application for environmental modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past 30 years, therapeutic advances have extended the median lifespan of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Hispanic patients are a vulnerable subpopulation with a high prevalence of risk factors for worse health outcomes. The consequences of these differences on health outcomes have not been well described. The objective of this study was to characterize the difference in health outcomes, including mortality rate, between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients with CF.Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of CF Foundation Patient Registry data of California residents with CF, diagnosed during or after 1991, from 1991 to 2010. Ethnicity was self-reported. The primary outcome was mortality. Hazard ratios were estimated from a Cox regression model, stratified by sex, and adjusted for socioeconomic status, clinical risk factors, and year of diagnosis.Results: Of 1,719 patients, 485 (28.2%) self-identified as Hispanic. Eighty-five deaths occurred, with an overall mortality rate of 4.9%. The unadjusted mortality rate was higher among Hispanic patients than among non-Hispanic patients (9.1% vs 3.3%, P < .0001). Compared with non-Hispanic patients, Hispanic patients had a lower survival rate 18 years after diagnosis (75.9% vs 91.5%, P < .0001). Adjusted for socioeconomic status and clinical risk factors, Hispanic patients had an increased rate of death compared with non-Hispanic patients (hazard ratio, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.70-4.63).Conclusions: Hispanic patients with CF have a higher mortality rate than do non-Hispanic patients, even after adjusting for socioeconomic status and clinical severity. Further investigation into the mechanism for the measured difference in lung function will help inform interventions and improve the health of all patients with CF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1951, I began a 2-year postdoctoral research fellowship under Dr Simon Komarov at Temple University. Later, as a staff gastroenterologist at the Orange County General Hospital in California, I was interested in the possible role of blood flow alterations in peptic ulcer disease. We adapted Silvio Baez's just described in vivo microscopy technique to study blood flow in the gastric microcirculation in the anesthetized cat. In 1969, I joined the Gastroenterology Service at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration (VA), primarily because of the presence there of Dr Morton Grossman, one of the leading researchers in gastrointestinal physiology. The most important lesson I learned from Dr Grossman was the importance of openness--investigators sharing their ideas, thoughts, and findings. Dr Harold Wayland, Professor, California Institute of Technology, helped me in setting up my laboratory at the VA and arranged with his friend Dr Masaharu Tsuchiya, Chair of Gastroenterology at Keio University, Tokyo, Japan, for a collaborative effort with fellows from Keio coming for 2-year fellowships with us (under my grant). Harold introduced us to the fluorescein-labeled albumen technique for the study of microvascular permeability. Later, Dr Jonathon Kaunitz, a colleague at the VA, and Kotaro Kaneko, my Keio University fellow, succeeded in modifying this technique to measure pHi in surface gastric cells in vivo. When I retired in 1993, Dr Kaunitz took charge of my laboratory. He and his associate Dr Akiba have completed extensive studies comparing and contrasting how stomach and duodenal surface cells defend themselves against acid loads. In the course of this work, they have become deeply involved in cell signaling and intracellular pathways when nutrients enter the duodenum. They have developed a technique for using confocal microscopy in vivo in this work. Dr Grossman was right: when investigators share their ideas, everyone benefits and science advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Regional referral systems are considered important for children hospitalized for surgery, but there is little information on existing systems. Objectives To examine geographic variations in anesthetic caseloads in California for surgical inpatients ≤6 years and to evaluate the feasibility of regionalizing anesthetic care. Methods We reviewed California's unmasked patient discharge database between 2000 and 2009 to determine surgical procedures, dates, and inpatient anesthetic caseloads. Hospitals were classified as urban or rural and were further stratified as low, intermediate, high, and very high volume. Results We reviewed 257 541 anesthetic cases from 402 hospitals. Seventeen California Children's Services ( CCS) hospitals conducted about two-thirds of all inpatient anesthetics; 385 non- CCS hospitals accounted for the rest. Urban hospitals comprised 82% of low- and intermediate-volume centers ( n = 297) and 100% of the high- and very high-volume centers ( n = 41). Ninety percent ( n = 361) of hospitals performed <100 cases annually. Although potentially lower risk procedures such as appendectomies were the most frequent in urban low- and intermediate-volume hospitals, fairly complex neurosurgical and general surgeries were also performed. The median distance from urban lower-volume hospitals to the nearest high- or very high-volume center was 12 miles. Up to 98% ( n = 40 316) of inpatient anesthetics at low- or intermediate-volume centers could have been transferred to higher-volume centers within 25 miles of smaller centers. Conclusions Many urban California hospitals maintained low annual inpatient anesthetic caseloads for children ≤6 years while conducting potentially more complex procedures. Further efforts are necessary to define the scope of pediatric anesthetic care at urban low- and intermediate-volume hospitals in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the key events leading to the creation of the California higher education system and Clark Kerr's influential concept the "multiversity." The wide, uncritical reception of this term requires explanation, which the essay explores both in terms of Kerr's 1963 book, The Uses of the University, and in terms of its impact even on historical scholarship about American higher education. The essay concludes by finding the multiversity a highly selective (not an inclusive) standard and a latter- day extension of a pragmatic ideology with a long history and many unacknowledged problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19: 541-551 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: This study examined the relationship between insurance status and emergency department (ED) disposition of injured California children. Methods: Multivariate regression models were built using data obtained from the 2005 through 2009 California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) data sets for all ED visits by injured children younger than 19 years of age. Results: Of 3,519,530 injury-related ED visits, 52% were insured by private, and 36% were insured by public insurance, while 11% of visits were not insured. After adjustment for injury characteristics and demographic variables, publicly insured children had a higher likelihood of admission for mild, moderate, and severe injuries compared to privately insured children (mild injury adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34 to 1.39; moderate and severe injury AOR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.41). However, uninsured children were less likely to be admitted for mild, moderate, and severe injuries compared to privately insured children (mild injury AOR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.61 to 0.66; moderate and severe injury AOR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.55). While publicly insured children with moderate and severe injuries were as likely as privately insured children to experience an ED death (AOR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.18), uninsured children with moderate and severe injuries were more likely to die in the ED compared to privately insured children (AOR = 3.11, 95% CI = 2.38 to 4.06). Conclusions: Privately insured, publicly insured, and uninsured injured children have disparate patterns of ED disposition. Policy and clinical efforts are needed to ensure that all injured children receive equitable emergency care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clear consensus is emerging that habitat for many species will dramatically reduce or shift with climate change, attention is turning to adaptation strategies to address these impacts. Assisted colonization is one such strategy that has been predominantly discussed in terms of the costs of introducing potential competitors into new communities and the benefits of reducing extinction risk. However, the success or failure of assisted colonization will depend on a range of population-level factors that have not yet been quantitatively evaluated - the quality of the recipient habitat, the number and life stages of translocated individuals, the establishment of translocated individuals in their new habitat and whether the recipient habitat is subject to ongoing threats all will play an important role in population persistence. In this article, we do not take one side or the other in the debate over whether assisted colonization is worthwhile. Rather, we focus on the likelihood that assisted colonization will promote population persistence in the face of climate-induced distribution changes and altered fire regimes for a rare endemic species. We link a population model with species distribution models to investigate expected changes in populations with climate change, the impact of altered fire regimes on population persistence and how much assisted colonization is necessary to minimize risk of decline in populations of Tecate cypress, a rare endemic tree in the California Floristic Province, a biodiversity hotspot. We show that assisted colonization may be a risk-minimizing adaptation strategy when there are large source populations that are declining dramatically due to habitat contractions, multiple nearby sites predicted to contain suitable habitat, minimal natural dispersal, high rates of establishment of translocated populations and the absence of nonclimatic threats such as altered disturbance regimes. However, when serious ongoing threats exist, assisted colonization is ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean ecosystems are among the highest in species richness and endemism globally and are also among the most sensitive to climate and land-use change. Fire is an important driver of ecosystem processes in these systems; however, fire regimes have been substantially changed by human activities. Climate change is predicted to further alter fire regimes and species distributions, leading to habitat loss and threatening biodiversity. It is currently unknown what the population-level effects of these landscape-level changes will be. We linked a spatially explicit stochastic population model to dynamic bioclimate envelopes to investigate the effects of climate change, habitat loss and fragm entation and altered fire regime on population abundances of a long-lived obligate seeding shrub, Ceanothus verrucosus, a rare endemic species of southern California. We tested a range of fire return intervals under the present and two future climate scenarios. We also assessed the impact of potential anthropogenic land-use change by excluding land identified as developable by local governments. We found that the 35–50 year fire return interval resulted in the highest population abundances. Expected minimum population abundance (EMA) declined gradually as fire return interval increased, but declined dramatically for shorter fire intervals. Simulated future development resulted in a 33% decline in EMA, but relatively stable population trajectories over the time frame modeled. Relative changes in EMA for alternative fire intervals were similar for all climate and habitat loss scenarios, except under the more severe climate scenario which resulted in a change in the relative ranking of the fire scenarios. Our results show climate change to be the most serious threat facing obligate seeding shrubs embedded in urban landscapes, resulting in population decline and increased local extirpation, and that likely interactions with other threats increase risks to these species. Taking account of parameter uncertainty did not alter our conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which analyzes the relative importance of exotic-plant abundance and disturbance on coastal sage scrub (CSS) in California. The study used Camp Pendleton-provided vegetation monitoring data to evaluate the correlation of past and present disturbances in CSS. It shows that fire frequency was strongly associated with the overall exotic abundance. It reveals that the annual herbs and woody species were negatively linked with exotic abundance compared to disturbance.

The article examines the fine-grain patch model of fire regimens in southern California shrublands. Proponents of the fine-grain age patch model contends that fires in the earliest 20th century were the result of fire suppression disrupting natural fuel structure. It was found that fire suppression activities were insufficient to alter and natural fuel structure in early fire events in 1919 and 1932. It is noted that the fine-grain age patch model requires age-dependent flammability of shrubland fuels. It is argued that the present-day fire distribution in northern Baja California is modeled to historical patterns on southern California landscapes.

Ecological restoration is becoming an increasingly popular means of managing urban natural areas for human and environmental values. But although urban ecological restorations can foster unique, positive relationships between people and nature, the scope of these interactions is often restricted to particular activities and experiences, especially in city park settings. Drawing on personal experiences and research on urban park restorations in Chicago and San Francisco, I explore the phenomenon of this "museumification" in terms of its revision of landscape and land use history, how it presents nature through restoration design and implementation, and its potential impacts on the nature experiences of park users, particularly children. I conclude that although museum-type restorations might be necessary in some cases, alternative models for the management of urban natural areas may provide a better balance between goals of achieving authenticity in ecological restorations and authenticity of nature experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the research on grassland colonization by summer deciduous coastal sage shrub species in semiarid southern California. It states that four coastal sage shrub were used in the research, while its seed have been measured . It notes that the traits of the species matched the native woody colonizers. It mentions that California shrub species have greater biotic disturbances but has less influence of the availability of water.

In 1984-87, an outbreak of debilitating fatigue was reported by two physicians in the private practice of internal medicine in Incline Village, Nevada. Follow-up questionnaires were sent in 1995 to the 259 patients in this outbreak. The results were analyzed to determine how many patients met the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue (ICF), or Prolonged Fatigue (PF). Data were analyzed separately for those living in the Lake Tahoe area and those referred from other locales. Of those returning questionnaires (123/259), 41% met the CDC case definition for CFS, 56% met the criteria for inclusion in the subgroup ICF, and 3% experienced PF. In the population- based Lake Tahoe group, symptomatic women were more likely to have CFS than ICF whereas symptomatic men were likely to fit ICF criteria. Also in this group, full recovery was reported more often among Lake Tahoe participants classified as having ICF (43%) than participants classified as having CFS (15%). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Determines the slip rates on the Fish Spring fault in Owens Valley, California. Differentiation of fan units; Estimation of cosmogenic ages; Soil development and weathering; Fault scarp profiles; Vertical displacements.

ABSTRACT Context. Managed care plans aggressively seek to contain costs, but few data are available regarding their impact on access to high quality care for their members. Objective. To assess the impact of managed care health insurance on use of lower-mortality hospitals for children undergoing heart surgery in California. Design. Retrospective cohort study using state-mandated hospital discharge datasets. Setting. Pediatric cardiovascular surgical centers in California. Patients. Five thousand seventy-one children admitted for open cardiac surgical procedures during 1992-1994. Results. Hospitals were divided into lower- and higher-mortality groups according to adjusted surgical mortality. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis to control for medical, socioeconomic, demographic, and distance factors, children with managed care insurance were less likely to be admitted to a lower-mortality hospital for surgery relative to children with indemnity insurance (odds ratio: .53; 95% confidence interval: .45,.63). Similar findings resulted when the analysis was stratified by race/ethnicity. In addition, length of stay, a correlate of health care costs, was no longer for children admitted to lower-mortality centers than for those at higher-mortality centers (adjusted difference: .54 days shorter at lower-mortality centers; 95% confidence interval: -1.50,.41). Conclusions. During this study, children with managed care insurance had significantly reduced use of lower-mortality hospitals for pediatric heart surgery in California compared with children with indemnity insurance. Further study is necessary to determine the mechanisms of this apparent insurance-specific inequity. Pediatrics 2000; 105:1271-1278; insurance, managed care, Medicaid, cardiac surgery, children, lengths-of-stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at outpatient drug costs for children in California with serious chronic illnesses who are covered in the fee-for-service component of the California Children's Services (CCS) public health insurance program for the period 2010 to 2012. It notes that over 40 percent of total pharmacy costs for the children studied were for antihemophilic agents.

Examines racial disparities in prenatal care utilization, birth weight, and fetal and neonatal mortality in California. Comparison of mortality rates for white and black births occurring in military hospitals; Race-specific birth weight distributions for the military and civilian population of live births; Complexity in interpreting differences in birth weight distribution.

In the Pacific Coast States, which have long been accustomed to seasonal labor not only in agriculture but in lumbering and fishing, transient farm labor has become a problem of major proportions. A lag yet exists, however, in the way in which the farm labor problem is being met. Unlike problems of urban industry it has not been approached from the social viewpoint, the philosophy of the rural economy still being that each man is responsible for his own sins and is capable of carrying his own burdens. Social legislation designed to underwrite the risks of the socially inadequate embraces chiefly the urban-industrial classes, even though the farm laborer on the West Coast has long been subject to as much exploitation and as much uncertainty in his mode of life as has any urban-industrial group. A highly unstable agricultural industry is not able to carry full responsibility for the security of farm laborers; therefore, programs designed to stabilize agriculture should ultimately effect an improvement in the lot of the laborer. There is room for a great deal of improvement in the social and economic conditions of the various types of agricultural workers, conditions which not only endanger health and general welfare in the Western states but also threaten the West's reputation for social equality. Among the important gestures of groups interested in problems of farm labor are two recent measures of the Farm Security Administration: a socialized health program for the lower strata in agriculture in California; and the development, on an experimental basis, of a chain of sanitary farm labor camps up and down the coast, both of these programs being financed chiefly by the federal government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights a panel discussion on pancreatic disease presented before the Course in Postgraduate Gastroenterology of the American College of Gastroenterology in Los Angeles, California in September 1959. Presentation of an illustration of the biliary and pancreatic duct systems; Enzymes present in the pancreatic juices; Laboratory diagnosis of pancreatitis.

The 1963 annual meeting of the American Accounting Association was held on August 26, 27 and 28 at Stanford University, Stanford, California. Facilities of the University, coupled with the excellent arrangements made the meeting very successful and enjoyable. The program for the Plenary session on Tuesday morning presented discussion on Standards of Accounting Education. At the Wednesday afternoon Plenary session speakers presented topics related to Responsibility Reporting to Management. In addition to the Plenary sessions, a wide variety of topics were discussed, some of which were Undergraduate Accounting Standards, Capital Investment Planning, New Approaches to Accounting Theory, Graduate and Professional Programs, Accounting for the Investment Credit, Management Services and the Certified Public .Accountants Examination. At the Wednesday luncheon and business meeting, President Walter G. Kell reviewed the work of the Committees and other Association activities. Membership Chairman David W. Phipps reported on membership changes and activities. Secretary-Treasurer Paul H. Walgenbach, presented an interim financial report.

The article provides information on a study which examined Tipula (T.) oleracea Linnaeus species of crane flies in West-Central California. The first major, long-term collections of T. oleracea from California were collected in the vicinity of San Francisco. In addition, the study's co-author Paul H. Arnaud has collected T. oleracea from 2003-2009 in central, near-coastal California, as the species has become so common and established in the area. During the study period, collections were made in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties, as well as in Marin county.

Comments on an article on the hospital costs of treating gunshot wounds in San Francisco, California, previously published in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' in 1988. Breakdown of medical costs; Costs of gun-related violent crime.

The Clarksburg Community Church of Clarksburg, California was organized 16 years ago with a constitution rather than a discipline. It came into being as a result of the interest of the people of the community in a religious organization that would not divide the community but rather unite it in a ion program of worship. The Church grounds now occupy an entire block; the spacious and modern building is surrounded by a beautiful and well kept lawn, lovely shade trees, and flowers of all descriptions. It is the pride of the community. In the course of the years the Church has acquired a very fine Scout Cabin and a parsonage. Today more than 16 different denominational groups are working together in the program of the Church. How well it serves the community can be understood when one reads the calendar in the Church bulletin. Not only does one find the meeting dates and hours for such organizations as the Christian Endeavor and the Sunday School but also for the Garden Club, Home Department, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Red Cross, Well Baby Clinic, Men's Farm Bureau, and other organizations.

The article applauds the staging of The March of Empire parade and pageantry on the streets and stadium of Los Angeles, California in 1915 by school children. Children prepared costumes and paraphernalia, built floats and prepared dances and tableaux. The floats showed major events in world history including ancient China, Greece and Rome, the Celts and Norsemen, the Spanish conquest, the pilgrims, the Indians and the pioneers.