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Objective: To assess pregnant Texans' decisions about where to obtain out‐of‐state abortion care following the September 2021 implementation of Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which prohibited abortions after detectable embryonic cardiac activity. Data Source: In‐depth telephone interviews with Texas residents ≥15 years of age who obtained out‐of‐state abortion care after SB8's implementation. Study Design: This qualitative study explored participants' experiences identifying and contacting abortion facilities and their concerns and considerations about traveling out of state. We used inductive and deductive codes in our thematic analysis describing people's decisions about where to obtain care and how they evaluated available options. Data Collection: Texas residents self‐referred to the study from flyers we provided to abortion facilities in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. We also enrolled participants from a concurrent online survey of Texans seeking abortion care. Principal Findings: Participants (n = 65) frequently obtained referral lists for out‐of‐state locations from health‐care providers, and a few received referrals to specific facilities; however, referrals rarely included the information people needed to decide where to obtain care. More than half of the participants prioritized getting the soonest appointment and often contacted multiple locations and traveled further to do so; others who could not travel further typically waited longer for an appointment. Although the participants rarely cited state abortion restrictions or cost of care as their main reason for choosing a location, they often made sacrifices to lessen the logistical and economic hardships that state restrictions and out‐of‐state travel costs created. Informative abortion facility websites and compassionate scheduling staff solidified some participants' facility choice. Conclusions: Pregnant Texans made difficult trade‐offs and experienced travel‐related burdens to obtain out‐of‐state abortion care. As abortion bans prohibit more people from obtaining in‐state care, efforts to strengthen patient navigation are needed to reduce care‐seeking burdens as this will support people's reproductive autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the Internet and the online collections accessed by it has created major adjustments in all library functions, including collection management and budgeting. The authors share how two public libraries have come full circle in electronic collection management, beginning with early selection, followed by current weeding programs and developing plans for future collections. (Contains 3 tables and 3 charts.)

This essay frames the author's experience of Winter Storm Uri in Texas in 2021 as a moment that rehearses future climate events. The essay argues that the event illuminates the ways in which narratives about scarcity and sacrifice obscure the causes and the stakes of climate change's present and future dislocations. The author suggests that the short-term calculations and thin margins incentivized by profit-seeking in energy markets are inextricable from human-caused ecological destruction. Moreover, the consequences of the pursuit of profit are directly linked to the lived experience of extreme weather events. Thus understanding and addressing profit-based incentives must be at the core of our response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Viewpoint describes the failure of yet another state institution to generate meaningful guidance about medical exceptions to abortion bans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human altered landscapes have caused declines in the diversity of wildlife where behaviorally plastic species (i.e., mesocarnivores and invasive species) tend to monopolize these areas and consume predictable and readily accessible food resources, such as human food waste and carrion. Increased consumption of carrion by vertebrates and invasive invertebrate species can alter population dynamics of native necrophagous insects relying on these resources. We tested the hypothesis that vertebrate scavengers and invasive species reduce blow fly (1) ability to use carrion and (2) reproduction in human‐impacted environments in central Texas, USA, with season, habitat (field and wooded landscapes), and carrion type (species of carrion and coat color) acting synergistically. Vertebrate scavengers in this habitat, of which 75% of the documented species were mesocarnivores and obligate scavengers, consumed 100% of carrion during the winter and 62% during summer despite having low species richness (2–5 species). Of the remaining carcasses available for arthropod activity during summer, the invasive red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), monopolized 34%, and blow flies (e.g., Lucilia eximia and Chrysomya rufifacies [Diptera: Calliphoridae]) were only able to colonize 25%. Approximately 90% of carrion that was utilized by blow flies was co‐colonized by fire ants, and subsequent production of adult blow flies experienced up to a ninefold reduction in production compared with carcasses that were not scavenged by vertebrates or fire ants. Our results demonstrate oviposition resources used by blow flies in environments altered by human activity are reduced significantly by vertebrate scavengers and an invasive ant species. Future research should determine whether competitive interactions between vertebrate and invasive ant competitors for access to carrion resources have population‐level impacts to blow flies in human‐mediated ecosystems, or whether blow flies are able to shift to other resources to maintain sustainable populations and continue providing ecosystem services, such as pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We isolated and characterized a total of 13 microsatellite loci from Cordulegaster sarracenia (Odonata: Cordulegastridae). Loci were screened in 24 individuals from Louisiana and Texas. Within C. sarracenia, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 0 to 5, and observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.556 and 0.000 to 0.613, respectively. Overall differentiation among study populations was very high (FST = 0.423), suggesting significant geographic population structure with low diversity within populations. Twelve of the 13 primers amplified in C. sayi, C. diastatops, C. maculata, and C. obliqua and polymorphism levels are reported. These new genetic markers will provide tools for addressing a number of population genetic and demographic questions relating to conservation of this rare dragonfly species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Cold War, oil and oilfield services companies recruited international students to study engineering and business in Houston. Oilfield services executives used education to present their new global corporate reach as benevolent and nonthreatening for both American workers and citizens of oil-rich nations in a moment of post-colonial upheaval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-pregnancy maladaptive eating behaviors have predicted inadequate or excess gestational weight gain and poor dietary intake during pregnancy, but little is known about effects of pre-pregnancy adaptive eating behaviors on pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was to produce a valid and reliable measure of adaptive pre-pregnancy eating behaviors for pregnant women using the Intuitive Eating Scale. Data were collected from 266 pregnant women, aged 18 and older who were attending a private prenatal clinic at Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women in Houston, TX using self-administered questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure of the Intuitive Easting Scale (IES). Concurrent validity was determined using correlations between the three subscale scores [unconditional permission to eat (UPE), eating for physical not emotional reasons (EPR), and relying on hunger/satiety cues (RIH)], perinatal depression status (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported height and weight. After discarding 6 items, the second order model did not fit the data, however, the first order model with three latent factors had reasonable fit (RMSEA = 0.097, CFI = 0.961, TLI = 0.951 and WRMR = 1.21). The internal consistency of the scale was confirmed by Cronbach's alphas (UPE = 0.781, EPR = 0.878 and RIH = 0.786). All subscale scores were inversely related to perinatal depression status. EPR and RIH subscale scores were inversely related to pre-pregnancy BMI, supporting the measure's validity. Among pregnant women, the revised 15 item pre-pregnancy IES (IES-PreP) should be used to evaluate pre-pregnancy adaptive eating behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study gender was tested as a moderator of the relationship between religiosity and mental health among 218 black American college students. It was hypothesised that black women would be higher in religious engagement than black men, and that gender would moderate the relationship between religiosity and mental health. Contrary to hypotheses, no significant gender differences in religious engagement were found. However, moderated multiple regression analyses revealed that increases in religious engagement were predictive of lower anxiety and depression for black women, but higher anxiety for black men. Implications for addressing religion when counselling black college students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports that small and large watersheds were used to evaluate the effects of intensive silvicultural practices with best management practices on runoff and streamwater quality in the western gulf coastal plain of East Texas. Two treatments were implemented: a conventional treatment with clearcutting and herbicide site preparation and an intensive treatment which added subsoiling, fertilization and a release herbicide application. Watershed effects were compared with a previously conducted study on the same watersheds, in which two combinations of harvesting and mechanical site preparation were evaluated.

This article discusses the impact of silvicultural best management practices (BMPs) on the water quality of watershed in East Texas. The authors compared conventional practices and clearcutting with herbicides and fertilization. According to the authors, clearcutting with conventional site preparation resulted in increased nitrogen losses on the small watersheds, but losses were not significantly increased on the large watershed with a conventional site preparation with BMPs. They concluded that intensive silvicultural practices with BMPs did not significantly impact surface water quality with nitrogen and phosphorus.

The article analyzes data from five disparate surveillance sources on carbon monoxide (CO) exposures reported during September 13 to 26, 2008 in counties of southeast Texas that were declared disaster areas by the federal government after Hurricane Ike struck the coast of Texas. Sources of data analyzed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) included the National Poison Data System and the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), among others. The effect of storm-related CO exposures is analyzed. Also given is the definition of a storm-related CO exposure.

Background: In 2013, the Texas legislature passed House Bill 2, restricting use of medication abortion to comply with Food and Drug Administration labeling from 2000. The Food and Drug Administration updated its labeling for medication abortion in 2016, alleviating some of the burdens imposed by House Bill 2.Objective: Our objective was to identify the impact of House Bill 2 on medication abortion use by patient travel distance to an open clinic and income status.Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected patient zip code, county of residence, type of abortion, family size, and income data on all patients who received an abortion (medication or aspiration) from 7 Texas abortion clinics in 3 time periods: pre-House Bill 2 (July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013), during House Bill 2 (April 1, 2015-March 30, 2016), and post-Food and Drug Administration labeling update (April 1, 2016-March 30, 2017). Patient driving distance to the clinic where care was obtained was categorized as 1-24, 25-49, 50-99, or 100+ miles. Patient county of residence was categorized by availability of a clinic during House Bill 2 (open clinic), county with a House Bill 2-related clinic closure (closed clinic), or no clinic any time period. Patient income was categorized as ≤110% federal poverty level (low-income) and >110% federal poverty level. Change in medication abortion use in the 3 time periods by patient driving distance, residence in a county with an open clinic, and income status were evaluated using χ2 tests and logistic regression. We used geospatial mapping to depict the spatial distribution of patients who obtained a medication abortion in each time period.Results: Among 70,578 abortion procedures, medication abortion comprised 26%, 7%, and 29% of cases pre-House Bill 2, during House Bill 2, and post-Food and Drug Administration labeling update, respectively. During House Bill 2, patients traveling 100+ miles compared to 1- 24 miles were less likely to use medication abortion (odds ratio, 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.15, 0.30), as were low-income compared to higher-income patients (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.68, 0.85), and low-income, distant patients (adjusted odds ratio, 0.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.08, 0.25). Similarly, post-Food and Drug Administration labeling update, rebound in medication abortion use was less pronounced for patients traveling 100+ miles compared to 1-24 miles (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.74, 0.91), low-income compared to higher-income patients (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.72, 0.81), and low-income, distant patients (adjusted odds ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.68, 0.94). Post-Food and Drug Administration labeling update, patients residing in counties with House Bill 2-related clinic closures were less likely to receive medication abortion as driving distance increased (52% traveling 25-49 miles, 41% traveling 50-99 miles, and 26% traveling 100+ miles, P < .05). Geospatial mapping demonstrated that patients traveled from all over the state to receive medication abortion pre-House Bill 2 and post-Food and Drug Administration labeling update, whereas during House Bill 2, only those living in or near a county with an open clinic obtained medication abortion.Conclusion: Texas state law drastically restricted access to medication abortion and had a disproportionate impact on low-income patients and those living farther from an open clinic. After the Food and Drug Administration labeling update, medication abortion use rebounded, but disparities in use remained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court issues its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the abortion care landscape will most likely be changed for at least a generation. Even before a draft opinion was leaked, many experts anticipated that the Court would overturn Roe v. Wade, and nearly half the states are poised to ban or dramatically limit aborto ban or dramatically limit abortion care when that occurs.

This article presents the report of the Committee for Liaison with National Council for the Social Studies. The purpose of the Committee of the American Sociological Society for Liaison with the National Council for the Social Studies is to improve the recognition of the interrelation- ships between the science of sociology and the social studies as taught in the schools. Pursuant to this accepted purpose, the following has been done since the 1952 meetings of the American Sociological Society. Meeting in Dallas, Texas, November 28, 1952 in connection with the meetings of the National Council for the Social Studies. Open meeting to be held at Berkeley, Au- gust 30, 1953. National Council meetings in Buffalo, New York, November 27, 1953. Arranged for a section meeting on Educational Sociology for the 1953 Berkeley meetings.

The article presents a research which determines the incidence of falls among older people from hospital discharge data in Texas in 2007. It notes that the Texas State Data Center offices in the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research at the University of Texas in San Antonio provided data on population estimates. Several charts are presented which depict fall-related fractures resulting in hospitalization by age and average charges of fall-related hospital stays by age.

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a prolific invasive species throughout many regions of the world that cause extensive economic and environmental damage. Trapping is a common strategy for reducing their populations with baits (i.e., food) and attractants (e.g., scents) used to lure wild pigs into traps. However, there is little information on which scent attractants may attract wild pigs more readily and rapidly across regions and seasons. We examined 60 scent attractants for wild pigs that could be used to increase trapping success across three seasons (winter, spring, and fall) and in two geographic regions, including a warm and semi-arid rangeland (South Texas, USA) and a warm and moist mixture of upland and bottomland forests (South Carolina, USA). We found little evidence that most scents attracted wild pigs. Only strawberry extract and creosote bush oil increased the probabilities of visitation, and only in Texas during the fall season. No other scents attractants performed better than the control (i.e., no scent) in both study locations. More wild pigs visited sites during the fall season regardless of scent attractant used. The location of a site mattered more than which attractant was used, and a post hoc analysis revealed that distances to roads and water flowlines (i.e., permanent or ephemeral drainages, streams, and rivers) increased the probabilities of visitation during some seasons. We conclude there was no panacea scent that was more effective than controls in attracting wild pigs across regions and seasons. Placement of sites and seasonality were more important for attracting wild pigs, suggesting the location of traps or bait sites may be more important than the specific attractants used for management activities. Future research should include monitoring movements of wild pigs relative to scent attractants and evaluation of baits (e.g., food-rewards) for drawing wild pigs to sites. [Display omitted] • Sixty potential scent attractants were tested for ability to attract wild pigs across three seasons and 2 geographic regions. • There was no panacea scent that was more effective than controls in attracting wild pigs across regions and seasons. • More wild pigs visited during the fall season. • Location of the scents also increased wild pig visitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate how Texas health care professionals who care for patients experiencing medically complex pregnancies navigate abortion restrictions., Methods: We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with health care professionals across Texas who cared for patients with life-limiting fetal diagnoses or who had existing or developed health conditions that adversely affected pregnancy. We conducted the first round of interviews March-June 2021 and the second round of interviews January-May 2022 after the implementation of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which prohibited most abortions after detection of embryonic cardiac activity. We used inductive and deductive qualitative analysis to identify themes and changes in practice after the implementation of SB8., Results: We conducted a total of 50 interviews: 25 before implementation of SB8 and 25 after the law's implementation. We interviewed 21 maternal-fetal medicine specialists, 19 obstetrician-gynecologists, eight physicians whose primary practice is the provision of abortion care, and two genetic counselors. Participants reported presenting their patients with information about health risks and outcomes of continued pregnancy in each policy period; however, counseling on these options was curtailed after implementation of SB8. Even in cases in which a patient's health and, in some cases, life would be compromised, narrow criteria for abortions at hospitals limited care before implementation of SB8, and criteria often became more stringent after implementation of SB8. Administrative approval processes and referrals for abortion delayed care and endangered patients' health, which worsened after in-state options were eliminated after implementation of SB8. Participants noted that patients with more limited resources who were unable to travel out of state often had to continue pregnancies, further increasing their risk of morbidity., Conclusion: Texas health care professionals' abilities to provide evidence-based abortion care to patients with medically complex pregnancies were constrained by institutional policies, and care options narrowed further after implementation of SB8. Abortion restrictions limit shared decision making, compromise patient care, and put pregnant people's health at risk., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Tony Ogburn reports receiving reimbursement for travel to Board meetings from the Society of Academic Specialists in General Ob/Gyn. He received payment for expenses associated with serving as a Board examiner from the American Board of Ob/Gyn, and he received travel reimbursement for serving as a Review Committee member from ACGME. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Texas' 2021 ban on abortion in early pregnancy may demonstrate how patterns of abortion might change following the US Supreme Court's June 2022 decision overturning Roe v Wade., Objective: To assess changes in the number of abortions and changes in the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents performed at 12 or more weeks of gestation in the first 6 months following implementation of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), which prohibited abortions after detection of embryonic cardiac activity., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective study of a sample of 50 Texas and out-of-state abortion facilities using an interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in the number of abortions, and Poisson regression to assess changes in abortions at 12 or more weeks of gestation. Data included 68 820 Texas facility-based abortions and 11 287 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents during the study period from September 1, 2020, to February 28, 2022., Exposures: Abortion care obtained after (September 2021-February 2022) vs before (September 2020-August 2021) implementation of SB 8., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were changes in the number of facility-based abortions for Texas residents, in Texas and out of state, in the month after implementation of SB 8 compared with the month before. The secondary outcome was the change in the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation during the 6-month period after the law's implementation., Results: Between September 2020 and August 2021, there were 55 018 abortions in Texas and 2547 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents. During the 6 months after SB 8, there were 13 802 abortions in Texas and 8740 out-of-state abortions among Texas residents. Compared with the month before implementation of SB 8, the number of Texas facility-based abortions significantly decreased from 5451 to 2169 (difference, -3282 [95% CI, -3171 to -3396]; incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.43 [95% CI, 0.36-0.51]) in the month after SB 8 was implemented. The number of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents significantly increased from 222 to 1332 (difference, 1110 [95% CI, 1047-1177]; IRR, 5.38 [95% CI, 4.19-6.91]). Overall, the total documented number of Texas facility-based and out-of-state abortions among Texas residents significantly decreased from 5673 to 3501 (absolute change, -2172 [95% CI, -2083 to -2265]; IRR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.56-0.79]) in the first month after SB 8 was implemented compared with the previous month. Out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation increased from 17.1% (221/1291) to 31.0% (399/1289) (difference, 178 [95% CI, 153-206]) during the period between September 2021 and February 2022 (P < .001 for trend)., Conclusions and Relevance: Among a sample of abortion facilities, the 2021 Texas law banning abortion in early pregnancy (SB 8) was significantly associated with a decrease in the documented total of facility-based abortions in Texas and obtained by Texas residents in surrounding states in the first month after implementation compared with the previous month. Over the 6 months following SB 8 implementation, the percentage of out-of-state abortions among Texas residents obtained at 12 or more weeks of gestation significantly increased.

Objective: To examine factors associated with obtaining abortion at 12 or more weeks gestation in Texas after implementation of a restrictive law., Study Design: In this retrospective cohort study, we collected data from eight Texas abortion clinics that provided services at 12 or more weeks gestation from April 1, 2015 to March 30, 2016, after a restrictive abortion law enacted in November 2013 shuttered many of the state's clinics. We examined factors associated with obtaining in-clinic abortion services between 3-11 versus 12-24 weeks gestation including patient race-ethnicity, income level, and driving distance to the clinic using chi-square tests and calculating odds ratios. We further subcategorized abortion between 15-24 weeks to determine who may be most affected by a Texas law banning dilation and evacuation (D&E)., Results: Among 24,555 in-clinic abortions, 19.2% (n = 4,714) occurred at 12 or more weeks gestation. Compared to patients who obtained care between 3-11 weeks, those who obtained care at 12 or more weeks were more likely to be Black than White (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.05-1.31), live ≤110% of the federal poverty level than have higher income (OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.94-2.26), and drive 50+ miles than 1-24 miles to obtain care (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.15-1.38). These associations remained for those obtaining care between 15-24 weeks. Even after adjusting for race-ethnicity and driving distance, low-income patients had greater odds of obtaining care in between 15-24 weeks (aOR 1.52; 95% CI 1.21-1.91)., Conclusions: Patients obtaining abortion at 12 or more weeks gestation in Texas are more likely to be Black, low-income, and travel far distances to obtain in-clinic care., Implications: In Texas, patients who are Black, low-income, and travel the farthest are more likely to obtain in-clinic abortion between 15-24 weeks gestation, commonly performed via D&E. If Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8) banning D&E goes into effect, these patients may be prevented from obtaining care., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Self-administration of subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-sc) is feasible, acceptable, and effective. Our objective was to compare one-year continuation of DMPA-sc between women randomized to self-administration versus clinic administration., Study Design: We randomized 401 females ages 15-44 requesting DMPA at clinics in Texas and New Jersey to self-administration or clinic administration in a 1:1 allocation. Clinic staff taught participants randomized to self-administration to self-inject and observed the first injection; participants received instructions, a sharps container, and three doses for home use. Participants randomized to clinic administration received usual care. All participants received DMPA-sc at no cost and injection reminders via text message or email. We conducted follow-up surveys at six and 12 months., Results: Three hundred thirty-six participants (84%) completed the 12-month survey; 316 completed both follow-up surveys (an 80% response rate excluding eight withdrawals). Participants ranged in age from 16-44. One-year DMPA continuous use was 69% in the self-administration group and 54% in the clinic group (p=.005). There were three self-reported pregnancies during the study period, all occurred in the clinic group; all three women had discontinued DMPA and one reported her pregnancy as intended. Among the self-administration group, 97% reported that self-administration was very or somewhat easy; 87% would recommend self-administration of DMPA-sc to a friend. Among the clinic group, 52% reported interest in self-administration in the future. Satisfaction was similar between groups. No serious adverse events were reported., Conclusions: DMPA self-administration improves contraceptive continuation and is a feasible and acceptable option for women and adolescents., Implications: Self-administration of subcutaneous DMPA can improve contraceptive access, autonomy, and continuation, and is a feasible and acceptable option for women and adolescents. It should be made widely available as an option for women and adolescents., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)