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The hookah pipe is an ancient tool for smoking tobacco and is a growing public health concern at the global level. YouTube is a website that allows its members to post videos for people to watch and to share comments about the videos in an online forum. The purpose of the study was to investigate the types of videos about hookah on YouTube, their popularity, and the demographics of those who post and view the videos. YouTube was searched using the terms "hookah" and "shisha." Two independent reviewers watched each video and created categories based upon content, being Instructional, Review, Trick, Comedy, Commercial, or Health. Popularity was measured by viewer ratings and by the number of times each video was viewed in a 30-day period. Demographic information was obtained from YouTube. Findings suggested that hookah videos are viewed frequently, rated positively, most often feature and are viewed by young males in nearly every nation in the world, meaning, these videos are an international phenomenon and provides evidence of hookah's growing popularity across the globe. Health professionals should consider creating and posting videos that provide the YouTube audience with evidence-based information about the harmfulness of smoking hookah. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Do children think of genetic inheritance as deterministic or probabilistic? In two novel tasks, children viewed the eye colors of animal parents and judged and selected possible phenotypes of offspring. Across three studies (N = 353, 162 girls, 172 boys, 2 non‐binary; 17 did not report gender) with predominantly White U.S. participants collected in 2019–2021, 4‐ to 12‐year‐old children showed a probabilistic understanding of genetic inheritance, and they accepted and expected variability in the genetic inheritance of eye color. Children did not show a mother bias but they did show two novel biases: perceptual similarity and sex‐matching. These results held for unfamiliar animals and several physical traits (e.g., eye color, ear size, and fin type), and persisted after a lesson. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anecdotal evidence suggests that young people use the website Twitter as a tool to warn drivers about the locations of sobriety checkpoints. Researchers investigated this claim by independently analyzing the website's content regarding a sample of 10 sobriety checkpoints that were conducted in cities throughout the United States during the weekend of August 26, 2011. Researchers discovered that Twitter content either described one's experience driving through a checkpoint or acted as a warning to others regarding the exact location of a checkpoint. In the study's sample, there was over six times as many warnings as compared to experiences posted on Twitter. The warnings, 81 in total, reached an audience of over 64,000 people. The majority of warnings were made by males and by young people between the ages of 20 to 29 years old. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are described. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: In recent decades, invasive quagga mussels have expanded to the Western United States from the Great Lakes region of North America. Most studies that evaluate the invasion potential of quagga mussels in western water bodies have utilized physiological and life history information from zebra mussels, a related taxon. Few studies have assessed the potential for invasion using specific information from quagga mussel life history or experiments that test for their survival in the fresh and saline waters of the western United States. Methods: We investigated quagga mussel survival, growth, and reproduction using semi-natural experiments under temperature and light controlled conditions across a gradient of water salinity (fresh to brackish) and pH (8.4-11). Water from Lake Mead was used as a positive control in our experiment, and water from Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River was used as brackish and freshwater treatments, respectively. The mussels used in the experiments were collected from Lake Mead. Results: After 12 h in brackish water (4 ppt, pH 9.3), we observed 100% mortality of adult mussels. The swelling and disintegration of body tissues and high mortality rates indicated that high potassium, sodium, and chloride concentrations were the likely causes of death in brackish water treatments. In contrast, mussels were able to survive, grow, and reach sexual maturity in freshwater (0.1 ppt) with a low calcium concentration (17 mg L-1) after 57 days. Mussels died after 2 days at pH 11 and after 12 days at pH 10; during the 14-day monitoring period, no mortality was detected at pH 9.0, 9.3, or 9.5 and mussels did not exhibit any visual indications of stress. Understanding quagga mussel physiological and environmental tolerances appears to be essential for assessing their invasion potential in aquatic habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have documented positive associations among youth program quality and academic outcomes, primarily based on cross-sectional data. This study examined longitudinal associations among youth-reported program experiences and academic expectations, self-reported grades, and perceived value of school using data from the national evaluation of Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The sample included 101,050 Club attendees at 2,741 BGCA sites throughout the United States from 2015-2018. Latent Growth Curve Modeling was used to examine change in youth-reported program experiences as well as the longitudinal associations among perceived program experiences and academic outcomes over time. Baseline perceptions of program experiences were associated prospectively with increased perceived value of school. In addition, gains in youth-reported program experiences predicted gains in each of the academic outcomes. These findings suggest that youth programs can promote positive academic trajectories when youth perceive the programs as continuing to meet their needs over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems and has resulted in widespread critical care staffing shortages, negatively impacting the quality of care delivered.Research Question: How have hospitals' emergency responses to the pandemic influenced the well-being of frontline intensivists, and do any potential strategies exist to improve their well-being and to help preserve the critical care workforce?Study Design and Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews of intensivists at clusters of tertiary and community hospitals located in six regions across the United States between August and November 2020 using the "four S" framework of acute surge planning (ie, space, staff, stuff, and system) to organize the interview guide. We then used inductive thematic analysis to identify themes describing the influence of hospitals' emergency responses on intensivists' well-being.Results: Thirty-three intensivists from seven tertiary and six community hospitals participated. Intensivists reported experiencing substantial moral distress, particularly because of restricted visitor policies and their perceived negative impacts on patients, families, and staff. Intensivists also frequently reported burnout symptoms as a result of their experiences with patient death, exhaustion over the pandemic's duration, and perceived lack of support from colleagues and hospitals. We identified several potentially modifiable factors perceived to improve morale, including the proactive provision of mental health resources, establishment of formal backup schedules for physicians, and clear actions demonstrating that clinicians are valued by their institutions.Interpretation: Restrictive visitation policies contributed to moral distress as reported by intensivists, highlighting the need to reconsider the risks and benefits of these policies. We also identified several interventions as perceived by intensivists that may help to mitigate moral distress and to improve burnout as part of efforts to preserve the critical care workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to measure perceived stress, burnout, and utilization and perceived benefit of wellness practices among emergency medicine (EM) nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). An additional aim was to evaluate attributions of stress to racism and the COVID-19 pandemic. A 28-item electronic survey of ED NPs/PAs at 3 hospitals was used to measure respondents' perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), stress attributed to COVID-19 and systemic racism, burnout (2-item measure), and utilization and helpfulness of wellness practices. The sample consisted of 53 ED NPs/PAs respondents (response rate 42.4%). More than one half (58.5%) reported burnout from their job, and a majority (58.5%) reported moderate to high stress. Burnout was reported by 70% of female respondents compared with 30.8% of male respondent (p = 0.002). A large majority (70%) of Black respondents reported concerns about experiencing racism at work, and 58.8% reported higher levels of stress attributed to racism. Respondents reported meals during shifts, community donated personal protective equipment, flexible work hours, and societal offerings of financial support (e.g. Internal Revenue Service stimulus check) as helpful. The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of systemic racism are significant contributors to the stress and burnout of NPs/PAs. Female ED NPs/PAs disproportionally share the burden of burnout. Strategies to reduce burnout should be prioritized by institutional leadership. In addition, a majority of Black ED NPs/PAs are concerned about experiencing racism at work and report moderate to high stress associated with racism in general. There is an urgent need to address racism in the workplace with training on implicit bias, systemic racism, and allyship behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explored and documented rural adults' perceptions of family roles in prescription opioid misuse prevention and the predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors that influence family members from taking those roles. Methods: Nine focus groups with rural adults (n = 55) were conducted to evoke discussion about family roles in prescription opioid misuse prevention. Transcripts were coded based on common ideas that arose during the focus groups, previous literature, and the PRECEDE‐PROCEED program planning model. Findings: Findings suggest that rural adults perceive the opioid epidemic as partially a family problem. Additionally, rural adults perceive themselves as having a critical role in preventing prescription opioid misuse among family members. Participants identified specific predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors that influence whether or not family members take responsibility in preventing prescription opioid misuse within their families. Rural adults also perceive that family‐based education is important in preventing prescription opioid misuse. Conclusions: These results suggest that there is an interest in family‐based approaches that enable or foster the skills and resources necessary to engage in prescription opioid misuse prevention behaviors. Specifically, family‐based prevention programming should include efforts to shape knowledge and attitudes about prescription opioid misuse, increase resources to facilitate prevention behaviors, and build skills related to prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has strained many healthcare systems. In response, U.S. hospitals altered their care delivery systems, but there are few data regarding specific structural changes. Understanding these changes is important to guide interpretation of outcomes and inform pandemic preparedness. We sought to characterize emergency responses across hospitals in the United States over time and in the context of local case rates early in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.Design: We surveyed hospitals from a national acute care trials group regarding operational and structural changes made in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from January to August 2020. We collected prepandemic characteristics and changes to hospital system, space, staffing, and equipment during the pandemic. We compared the timing of these changes with county-level coronavirus disease 2019 case rates.Setting and Participants: U.S. hospitals participating in the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury Network Coronavirus Disease 2019 Observational study. Site investigators at each hospital collected local data.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: Forty-five sites participated (94% response rate). System-level changes (incident command activation and elective procedure cancellation) occurred at nearly all sites, preceding rises in local case rates. The peak inpatient census during the pandemic was greater than the prior hospital bed capacity in 57% of sites with notable regional variation. Nearly half (49%) expanded ward capacity, and 63% expanded ICU capacity, with nearly all bed expansion achieved through repurposing of clinical spaces. Two-thirds of sites adapted staffing to care for patients with coronavirus disease 2019, with 48% implementing tiered staffing models, 49% adding temporary physicians, nurses, or respiratory therapists, and 30% changing the ratios of physicians or nurses to patients.Conclusions: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic prompted widespread system-level changes, but front-line clinical care varied widely according to specific hospital needs and infrastructure. Linking operational changes to care delivery processes is a necessary step to understand the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The collaborative care model is effective in delivering evidence‐based psychosocial oncology care. Social workers comprise the largest proportion of psychosocial oncology providers in the United States. This study describes the process and perceptions of clinical oncology social workers at a large comprehensive cancer center who transitioned to practicing as care managers within collaborative care. Methods: We describe the process of engaging clinical oncology social workers as care managers as part of the implementation of collaborative care at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. We then present survey results from 2017 and 2020 of participating social workers' perceptions of the collaborative care model's advantages and disadvantages. Results: Since the implementation of collaborative care at our institution, key functions of the social worker as care manager were defined. The majority of social workers surveyed in 2017 and 2020 agreed that collaborative care led to improved clinical outcomes, timely access to care, and greater patient satisfaction. They also reported professional advantages: more interdisciplinary team integration, working at the top of their licensure, and improved job satisfaction. Challenges identified included missing important patient needs and creating extra work burden for social workers. Conclusions: Oncology social workers can be successfully deployed as care managers within a collaborative care model, thus leveraging existing clinical staff to address unmet psychosocial patient needs. This model is feasible and sustainable in a large academic cancer center, requires minimal additional resources, and is favorably viewed by participating social workers in terms of perceived benefits to patients and their own professional roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses U.S. president Donald Trump has routinely touted the foreign policy benefits of unpredictability. Topics include Trump's penchant for unpredictability has come to represent a core aspect of his foreign policy approach as president; Trump has often issued extreme demands far outside the range of long-standing US policies and threatened extreme consequences, including conventional and nuclear attacks; and the madman approach to foreign policy requires leaders to clearly project extreme preferences and cost indifference.

Instructional reform in the United States is often accompanied by financial investment. Recent evidence suggests that such funding can improve educational outcomes; however, unexplained heterogeneity in the relationship between resources and outcomes has led to calls for research on the processes by which resources translate into instructional improvement. In responding to this call, this case study unmasks the complex processes by which funding and other resources are translated into opportunities for science-specific professional learning and the intervening resources that mediate that translation. Results reveal that organizational structures and policies, including aligned schedules, cored math and science teachers, substitute teacher availability, and initiative alignment, played a central role in facilitating or impeding professional learning opportunities. However, each of these organizational structures was in turn facilitated by other elements of capacity, including external funding and resources in the cultural (e.g., shared vision) and social (e.g., relationships) dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is argued that the defining of literacy is a complex problem which societies must resolve according to their own needs. General principles to guide efforts to increase literacy levels are offered. These and other issues involving the attempt to achieve universal literacy are discussed. (GK)

While all citizens are increasingly concerned with climate change and its associated effects, youth show particular interest and activism around the topic. Legislators and activists have recently championed a Green New Deal as offering goals for how the issue might be addressed in the United States and other countries. In this article, we offer an interdisciplinary inquiry in which students can explore sources to answer the compelling question, can the Green New Deal save us? Students will evidence, communicate conclusions, and take action in ways that help them explore the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for ecological citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates the interplay between the third-party doctrine and privacy policies in the U.S. Topics include development of doctrine through the U.S. Supreme Court case Katz v. United States, United States v. Mille, and Smith v. Maryland; approach to privacy law regulation, and the Federal Trade Commission's role; and the U.S. Supreme Court case Carpenter v. United States on same.

During World War II, US photographers, government censors, and publishers—Catholic and non-Catholic alike—were attracted to images depicting the intersection of Roman Catholic ritual forms and military equipment such as Jeeps, ammunition boxes, cannons, and artillery shells. The motif was seductive in the environment of wartime propaganda for reasons beyond its ideological affirmation of American religious pluralism. Catholic objects—including especially Eucharistic hosts, altars, priestly vestments and bodies, and crucifixes—offered an aesthetically compelling visual match for the objects of war. The spectacle of Catholic materiality also tapped into longstanding fascination with Catholic forms as a quasi-forbidden expression of and invitation to an alternate modernity. The wartime depiction of Catholic forms in martial settings offered a way to signal distance from the logics of modern war without at the same time abandoning the war and the wider US projects to which it contributed. The images thus helped advance a form of Catholic secularism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have improved patient experience and outcomes in a variety of fields, including bariatric surgery. Given the increasing opioid epidemic in the USA, we sought to determine the impact of our own ERAS protocol on narcotic usage following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on patients undergoing primary laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for 6 months before and after implementation of an ERAS protocol. Our protocol strongly discouraged the use of narcotics in the postoperative period. Specific outcomes of interest were postoperative narcotic usage, length of stay, complications, and readmissions.Results: Patient characteristics were similar in the two groups. ERAS implementation did not correlate with changes in length of stay, complications, or readmissions. However, ERAS implementation was associated with dramatic reductions in the use of intravenous narcotics (100% vs 47%, p < 0.01) and oral schedule 2 narcotics (56% vs 6%, p < 0.01), with an increase in the usage of tramadol (0% vs 36%, p < 0.01). After ERAS implementation, 52% of patients were managed without the use of schedule 2 narcotics (0% pre-ERAS, p < 0.01) and 33% received no narcotics of any kind (0% pre-ERAS, p < 0.01).Conclusion: Implementation of an ERAS protocol for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is associated with a dramatic reduction in the use of narcotics in the postoperative period. This has implementation for the usage of narcotics for laparoscopic surgery and potential elimination of narcotics for certain patients and procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using multilevel data from the national evaluation of Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), this study examined associations among programmatic structures, workplace and workforce characteristics, and relational practices of program staff as they relate to young people's ratings of their experience attending local clubs. The sample included 57,710 members and 5,231 staff members at 740 BGCA sites throughout the United States. Staff relational practices—including establishing caring relationships, setting high expectations, positive behavior management, encouraging youth input and agency, and cultural sensitivity—explained associations between staffing and organizational functioning and youths' perceptions of the quality of their clubs. Findings suggest a central role of staff relational practices in establishing conditions that youth experience positively, and that staffing and organizational processes, including community engagement and teamwork and efficiency can be viewed as foundations for establishing a culture of positive adult‐youth interaction, which in turn can contribute to the promotion of positive youth development. Further, identification with the experiences of youth had a direct association with youths' perceptions of club quality. These results underscore the importance of staff workforce development initiatives as key to improving youth experiences in after‐school programs. Highlights: Staff relational practices mediate relations of organization functioning and perceived quality.Staffing and organizational processes underlie a culture of positive adult–youth interaction.Staff identifying with the experiences of youth contributes to youths' perceptions of club quality.Results underscore the importance of workforce development in after‐school programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the need for the expansion of the defensive and offensive weapons development of the United States. He asserts that the present U.S. military budget is about half its proper value given the current issues at stake and the magnitude of the Soviet armament program. He discusses the goals of the Soviet Union, the fate of United States in defeat, the Soviet policy in war, need for countermeasures, insufficiency of defensive arming, and additional arguments against offensive weapons.

The article discusses the views of four scientists in the U.S. including Hans Bethe, Harrison Brown, Frederick Seitz and Leo Silzard on hydrogen bombs. It is referred to as a weapon that is capable of possible devastation wherein its rate of destruction is described as a thousand times greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb. It is made up of heavy hydrogen and is mostly utilized together with an average atomic bomb. The group expressed their optimism that it can be produced albeit methods are not discussed on how it should be made though they are open to the possibility that it will take several years for it to be realized. Moreover, they are contemplating on the conceivable size of the bomb which is suggested to be big for it will be used in war.

Objective: This study examines the effects of a mammography decision intervention on perceived susceptibility to breast cancer (PSBC) and emotion and investigates how these outcomes predict mammography intentions. Design: Randomised between-subjects online experiment. Participants were stratified into two levels of risk. Within each stratum, conditions included a basic information condition and six decision intervention conditions that included personalised risk estimates and varied according to a 2 (amount of information: brief vs. extended) × 3 (format: expository vs. untailored exemplar vs. tailored exemplar) design. Participants included 2465 US women ages 35-49. Main Outcome Measures: PSBC as a percentage, PSBC as a frequency, worry, fear and mammography intentions. Results: The intervention resulted in significant reductions in PSBC as a percentage for women in both strata and significant increases in worry and fear for women in the upper risk stratum. Of the possible mediators examined, only PSBC as a percentage was a consistent mediator of the effect of the intervention on mammography intentions. Conclusion: The results provide insight into the mechanism of action of the intervention by showing that PSBC mediated the effects of the intervention on mammography intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stockholders must ordinarily make a demand on their board of directors before initiating litigation on the corporation's behalf. But the litigation consequences of a stockholder demand -- a binding concession of the board's ability to impartially consider a demand are so harsh in the ensuing litigation that stockholders rarely choose that path. The demand requirement is thus falling short of its promise as an internal dispute resolution mechanism. If, as we suggest, stockholders typically avoid making a demand and instead prefer to initiate litigation and raise demand futility arguments, no matter how weak, they deprive independent boards of the opportunity to consider the merits of potential litigation outside the courtroom. We propose a private-ordering solution, in which stockholders and boards can agree, if they choose, to reserve rights on demand futility arguments while a demand review process is undertaken. This would allow boards to engage with stockholders in the review process, and would replace some demand futility litigation with boardroom deliberation, thereby restoring the internal dispute resolution function to the demand requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: To compare outcomes for a behavioral activation group treatment for substance use [life enhancement treatment for substance use (LETS ACT)] versus a time and group size‐matched control condition delivered in a residential treatment setting. Design: Single‐site two‐arm parallel‐group randomized clinical trial with follow‐up assessment at 3, 6 and 12 months post‐treatment. Setting: Residential substance use treatment facility in the United States. Participants: Participants were 263 adults [mean age 42.7 (11.8); 29.5% female; 95.4% African American; 73.2% court mandated] whose insurance dictated 30‐day (65.9%) or 90‐day (34.1%) treatment duration. Intervention and comparator: LETS ACT (n = 142) is a treatment developed originally for depression and modified for substance use. It teaches participants to increase positively reinforcing value‐driven activities in order to counter depression and relapse. The control group [supportive counseling (SC); n = 121] received time and group size‐matched supportive counseling. Treatment was delivered in five or eight 1‐hour sessions depending on patient length of stay. Measurements: Percentage abstinent at follow‐up, percentage of substance use days among those reporting use, depressive symptoms [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)] and adverse consequences of drug use [Short Inventory of Problems—Alcohol and Drug (SIP‐AD)]. Findings: LETS ACT had significantly higher abstinence rates at 3 months [odds ratio (OR) = 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3–3.7], 6 months (OR = 2.6, 95% CI= 1.3–5.0) and 12 months (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.3–6.1) post‐treatment compared with SC. LETS ACT participants reported significantly fewer adverse consequences from substance use at 12 months post‐treatment [B = 4.50, standard error (SE) = 2.17, 95% CI = 0.22–8.78]. Treatment condition had no effect on percentage substance use days among those who resumed use or on change in depressive symptoms; the latter decreased over time only in those who remained abstinent after residential treatment irrespective of condition (B = 0.43, SE = 0.11, 95% confidence interval = 0.22–0.65). Conclusions: A behavioral activation group treatment for substance use (LETS ACT) appears to increase the likelihood of abstinence and reduce adverse consequences from substance use up to 12 months post‐treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of freedom on economic growth has attracted significant attention from researchers and policy makers around the globe. Besides notions of economic freedom, a rapidly growing body of literature stresses the role of personal freedoms and tolerance. It is argued that tolerance is essential for innovation because its creates an open environment where creativity and knowledge spillovers. However, mixed empirical evidence suggests that the relationship between tolerance and freedom is more nuanced towards additional social factors, such as the role of trust and other institutions. This paper re-investigates whether and to which extent notions of social and institutional trust affect the impact of tolerance on innovation using an original data set spanning three broad regions of the global and the 50 US states and 31 Chinese regions. Our findings support that tolerance and trust play an important role in stimulating innovation performance, however, the exact nature of the relationships is influenced by economic development. Our study fits into current debate about the role of sociocultural and institutional underpinnings in national innovation systems. As well as it aims to contribute to the almost currently re-starting debate about the influence of freedom and the advantage and disadvantages of diversity on economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS) recommends that health material be written at or below a sixth-grade reading level to ensure readability.Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the readability of online smoking cessation materials from several government and voluntary health organizations.Methods: A purposive sample of publicly accessible governmental and voluntary health organization websites was selected. The readability of the websites’ smoking cessation information was estimated using the previously validated SMOG readability formula, which determined reading level by correlating the number of polysyllabic words.Results: Of the 55 websites included in the analysis, none had cessation information at the USDHHS’s recommended reading level. The material ranged in reading level from seventh grade to a third year in college.Discussion: The findings indicate that the online cessation materials need to be modified in order to reach recommended reading levels.Translation to Health Education Practice: This study can be of practical use to Health Educators when designing, modifying, and evaluating smoking cessation materials. Several free, online government resources are available to assist Health Educators in using simple, non-polysyllable words to ensure that smoking cessation materials are written at the recommended reading levels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article evaluates the exhibition titled "Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration" at the Eastern State PenitentiaryHistoric Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from May 6, 2016 onwards.

Background The risk of alcohol-related liver cirrhosis increases with increasing alcohol consumption, but many people with very high intake escape from liver disease. We postulate that susceptibility to alcoholic cirrhosis has a complex genetic component and propose that this can be dissected through a large and sufficiently powered genomewide association study ( GWAS). Methods The Genom ALC Consortium comprises researchers from Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States, with a joint aim of exploring the genetic and genomic basis of alcoholic cirrhosis. For this National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded study, we are recruiting high-risk drinkers who are either cases (with alcoholic cirrhosis) or controls (drinking comparable amounts over similar time, but free of significant liver disease). Extensive phenotypic data are obtained using semistructured interviews and patient records, and blood samples are collected. Results We have successfully recruited 859 participants including 538 matched case-control samples as of September 2014, using study-specific inclusion-exclusion criteria and data collection protocols. Of these, 580 are cases (442 men and 138 women) and 279 are controls (205 men and 74 women). Duration of excessive drinking was slightly greater in cases than controls and was significantly less in women than men. Cases had significantly lower lifetime alcohol intake than controls. Both cases and controls had a high prevalence of reported parental alcohol problems, but cases were significantly more likely to report that a father with alcohol problems had died from liver disease (odds ratio 2.53, 95% confidence interval 1.31 to 4.87, p = 0.0055). Conclusions Recruitment of participants for a GWAS of alcoholic cirrhosis has proved feasible across countries with multiple sites. Affected patients often consume less alcohol than unaffected ones, emphasizing the existence of individual vulnerability factors. Cases are more likely to report liver disease in a father with alcohol problems than controls, consistent with a potential genetic component to the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the rate and estimate the cost of hospitalization in a defined urban homeless population.Design: Retrospective chart review.Setting: Kalihi-Palama Health Clinic Health Care for the Homeless Project, Hawaii State Hospital and seven acute care hospitals in Honolulu, Hawaii.Patients: A total of 1751 homeless clients contacted between 1 December 1988 and 30 November 1990.Measurements and Main Results: A total of 1751 individuals were studied for an aggregate of 871.3 person-years. Five hundred sixty-four hospitalizations were identified: ninety-two to the state psychiatric hospital and 472 to acute care hospitals. The age- and sex-adjusted hospitalization rate for acute care hospitals was 542/1000 person-years (compared with the state rate of 96/1000 person-years). Homeless persons were admitted to acute care hospitals for 4766 days compared with a predicted 640 days. The age- and sex-adjusted rate of admission to the state psychiatric hospital was 105/1000 person-years (compared with the state rate of 0.8/1000 person-years). Homeless persons were admitted to the state psychiatric hospital for 3837 days compared with a predicted 139 days.Conclusions: Homeless individuals in this study were hospitalized in acute care and psychiatric hospitals far more frequently than were members of the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on writing assignments in the U.S. College writing assignments often demand a thesis as if the most powerful elements of inquiry need to be ignored. According to the author, it is not surprising that most faculty members find reading a set of student papers the most boring part of their work.

The effects on early and late twenty-first-century North Atlantic tropical cyclone statistics resulting from imposing the patterns of maximum/minimum phases of the observed Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) onto projected sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from two climate models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) are examined using a 100-km resolution global atmospheric model. By imposing the observed maximum positive and negative phases of the AMO onto two CMIP5 SST projections from the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario, this study places bounds on future North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity during the early (2020-39) and late (2080-99) twenty-first century. Averaging over both time periods and both AMO phases, the mean named tropical cyclones (NTCs) count increases by 35% when compared to simulations using observed SSTs from 1982 to 2009. The positive AMO simulations produce approximately a 68% increase in mean NTC count, while the negative AMO simulations are statistically indistinguishable from the mean NTC count determined from the 1995-2009 simulations-a period of observed positive AMO phase. Examination of the tropical cyclone track densities shows a statistically significant increase in the tracks along the East Coast of the United States in the future simulations compared to the models' 1982-2009 climate simulations. The increase occurs regardless of AMO phase, although the negative phase produces higher track densities. The maximum wind speeds increase by 6%, in agreement with other climate change studies. Finally, the NTC-related precipitation is found to increase (approximately by 13%) compared to the 1982-2009 simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to address the question of who gained and who lost in the financial crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach -- Gains and losses were identified by groups ranging from bankers to homeowners to taxpayers. Findings -Gains and losses are not neatly split by a main street/Wall street dichotomy. Major financial institutions and their chief executive officers made huge gains followed by bigger losses, a substantial portion of which were shared by taxpayers. Homeowners and taxpayers consistently lost. Workers and real estate developers experienced a mixture of gains and losses. Practical implications -- Financial legislation is affected by questions of who won and who lost. The complex mixture of gains and losses must be fully grasped if winners and losers are an important consideration in the design of legislation. Originality/value -- The detailed analysis and model of winners and losers provide important lessons for legislators and regulators in all countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used the State Inpatient Databases from the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to provide state-specific age-adjusted blastomycosis-associated hospitalization incidence throughout the entire United States. Among the 46 states studied, states within the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys had the highest age-adjusted hospitalization incidence. Specifically, Wisconsin had the highest age-adjusted hospitalization incidence (2.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 person-years). Trends were studied in the five highest hospitalization incidence states. From 2000 to 2011, blastomycosis-associated hospitalizations increased significantly in Illinois and Kentucky with an average annual increase of 4.4% and 8.4%, respectively. Trends varied significantly by state. Overall, 64% of blastomycosis-associated hospitalizations were among men and the median age at hospitalization was 53 years. This analysis provides a complete epidemiologic description of blastomycosis-associated hospitalizations throughout the endemic area in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Although the threat of protest may be a barrier toward implementing a tobacco policy on college campuses in the USA, the prevalence and severity of such opposition has yet to be investigated. The purpose of this paper was to determine how often campus communities protest against smoke-free policies and rate the disruptiveness of the protests. Design/methodology/approach -- Researchers located and analyzed news reports regarding 21 protests over newly implemented or proposed policies on college campuses in the USA. Findings -- Protests over college campus smoking policies are typically non-disruptive and consist of a small group of students who publicly smoke tobacco products and attempt to gain support of fellow students. Practical implications -- Those advocating for campus tobacco policies should be aware that the campus community may protest, but that a heightened concern of a protest's effect on the campus community may be unfounded. Originality/value -- To authors' knowledge, research studies regarding opposition to anti-tobacco policies cannot be found in the literature. This paper may be used as a practical resource by advocates to educate campus administrators about the low turnout and lack of severity of any possible protest to a new campus tobacco policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) causes significant morbidity and mortality globally; however, recent national trends have not been described. Incidence and trends for CM-associated hospitalizations in 18 states were estimated using the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ) State Inpatient Databases (SID) datasets for 1997 through 2009. We identified 30,840 hospitalizations coded for CM, of which 21.6% were among HIV-uninfected patients. CM in-hospital mortality was significant (12.4% for women and 10.8% for men) with a total of 3,440 deaths over the study period. Co-morbidities of CM coded at increased frequency in HIV-uninfected CM hospitalized populations included hydrocephalus and acute/chronic renal failure as well as possible predispositions including transplantation, combined T and B cell defects, Cushing’s syndrome, liver disease and hypogammaglobulinemia. Median hospitalization costs were significant for CM and higher for HIV-uninfected patients (16,803.01 vs. 15,708.07; p<0.0001). Cryptococcal meningitis remains a disease with significant morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and the relative burden among persons without HIV infection is increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the trends, health conditions, and risk factors of bronchiectasis among adults aged 65-year-old and above in the U.S. Findings reveal that the prevalence of bronchiectasis over an eight-year period was 1,106 cases per 100,000 people. It also indicates that there was a significant increase of the disease's prevalence from 2000 to 2007.

The article focuses on recruiting youths to college and fishery programs in the U.S. to address the possible shortage of trained fisheries professionals in the country. It notes the changes that have been made in the recruiting trends, including the introduction of a scientist in the classroom approach. An undergraduate degree in fisheries is also being offered at the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF).

Background: Dementia and cognitive impairment are known to be risk factors for hip fractures and are associated with increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. Little is known of the prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment among older adults with hip fractures. Methods: We completed searches of the electronic databases for observational studies and report the prevalence of either dementia or cognitive impairment among individuals with hip fractures. We included studies that reported the prevalence of dementia using standard diagnostic criteria or cognitive impairment as measured on cognitive screening tests. We used random-effects meta-analysis to arrive at pooled estimates of the prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment. Results: Five studies reported the prevalence of dementia and 34 studies reported the prevalence of cognitive impairment in older adults with hip fractures. The estimated prevalence of dementia among older adults with hip fractures was 19.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.4% to 30.6%), whereas the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 41.8% (95% CI: 37.0% to 46.8%). In subgroup analyses, individuals admitted from long-term care were more likely to have dementia when compared with individuals admitted from the community, whereas there were no significant differences in the prevalence of cognitive impairment according to gender or study setting. Conclusions: We conclude that dementia and cognitive impairment are common among older adults with hip fractures. Clinicians providing care for individuals with hip fractures should be aware of the high prevalence of cognitive impairment in this population. Effective strategies to prevent hip fractures and improve postoperative outcomes for older adults with dementia are needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since America was founded, faith informed its moral genius. From the Declaration of Independence to the work of Martin Luther King Jr., belief in God positively shaped the moral awareness of the nation. This article suggests that political discourse emerging in the middle of the twentieth century, which effectively prohibits the mention of faith in serious political conversation, is having devastating consequences on the moral capacity of contemporary society. It suggests that such faith-less political discourse contradicts America's founding logic. This article also reasserts the Catholic claim that truth can be known and that in the face of faith-less political discourse, Catholics are morally bound to seek complete truth, which requires faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the prevalence of bronchiectasis-associated hospitalizations in the U.S. from 1993 to 2006 based on data from hospital discharge records in 12 states. The researchers found that the adjusted average hospitalization rate was 16.5 hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents and that women and persons older than 60 years had the highest hospitalization rates. The median cost of hospital care was 7,827 U.S. dollars.

For the four leading causes of death in the United States (heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic respiratory disease), tobacco use is a common risk factor. Tobacco use is responsible for almost 450,000 deaths per year and impacts the health of every member of our society. Tobacco is a gateway drug for substance abuse. That role is critical to revisit and revalidate. From 490 schools, a total of 175,460 students in grades 6-12 participated in an alcohol, tobacco and other drug use survey, the descriptive analyses of the data being stated in a 2007 technical report. The secondary analyses of the data clearly demonstrated that a dose-response relationship pattern of association existed between increasing quantity of cigarette use and the use of alcohol and other drugs. Additionally, logit analysis revealed that selected demographic and other variables were statistically significant predictors of the past month's use of cigarettes. The secondary analyses were replicated for the 2008 survey, in which 152,732 students responded to the same questionnaire. Similar results were obtained. Smoking is a major risk factor to the leading causes of death and sufficient empirical evidence establishes that tobacco is a gateway drug. To combat tobacco use, a comprehensive ecological approach, including tobacco education and cessation, enacting and enforcing smoke-free policies, and increasing taxes on tobacco products, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a place-based approach to the organization and analysis of historic hurricane information in the context of informing decision-making in urban planning, disaster management, and mitigation, and natural resource stewardship on the Texas coast. We discuss the climatology of Texas hurricanes by analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns and some aspects of factors that contribute to their observed variability. Finally, we construct scenarios of historic hurricanes that formed and made landfall rapidly on the Texas coastline and suggest that these storms are especially challenging for emergency planners, citizens, and public officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Investment Business Weekly (Kauffman Foundation…2008) entrepreneurs will become the vital force that will revive the US as well as stabilize the global economy. However, entrepreneurs are not made they are formed through experiences such as an experiential experience in the university setting (Tan and Ng, 2006). As a result of this, Entrepreneurship education has been adopted in universities such as California State University San Bernardino that has ranked in the top five since its inception 4 years ago. Experiential methods such as cases, client projects where students develop marketing and/or advertising or marketing research projects and plans, and client competitions have been common in the US for some time. As opposed to the US, universities have been limited in experiential pedagogy in other countries around the world. Entrepreneurial education has been introduced in Romanian universities in the early '90s and has developed more through experiential learning pedagogy than pure entrepreneurial education. The paper discusses entrepreneurial education in the US and Romania in a contrastive approach in the case of two universities: the California State University San Bernardino and the Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented discussing the value of James B. Atleson's book "Values and Assumptions in American Labor Law" to a practicing lawyer. It discussed how the book's ideals helped the author during his academic years and as a practicing lawyer. The author also cited several cases he handled wherein Atleson's book proved to be a useful tool for him.