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Christopher A Swann,1 Michelle Sheran,1 Diana Phelps2 1Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA; 2RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA Background: The consumption of alcohol by college students is a significant public health concern, and a large amount of literature explores this issue. Much of the focus is on the prevalence and correlates of binge drinking. Relatively few studies explore reductions in drinking, and these generally focus on reductions that occur during college. Aims: We examined the transition between high school and college and sought to understand the characteristics and behaviors of students that are related to reductions in the consumption of alcohol during this transition. Methods: We used data from all four rounds of the Harvard School of Public Health's College Alcohol Survey and logistic regression models to relate the status of reduced alcohol consumption to five groups of variables: demographic and parental variables, other substance use, social environment, student activities, and alcohol policies. Results: A number of characteristics were related to reductions in drinking. Students whose fathers did not attend college were more likely to reduce alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] =1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.06–1.55), whereas students who prioritize parties (OR =0.35; CI =0.30–0.43) and who have recently smoked cigarettes (OR =0.52; CI =0.41–0.64) or marijuana (OR =0.52; CI =0.40–0.67) or whose fathers are moderate (OR =0.73; CI =0.55–0.96) or heavy (OR =0.72; CI =0.53–0.96) drinkers were less likely to reduce alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of family background and social environment on reductions in drinking. Keywords: binge drinking, College Alcohol Study, college drinking, reductions in alcohol consumption

Plain language summary: Biomarkers may offer unforeseen insights into clinical diagnosis, as well as the likely course and outcome of a condition. In this paper, the focus is on the use of biological molecules found in body fluids or tissues for diagnosis and prediction of outcome in ovarian cancer patients. In cancer care, biomarkers are being used to develop personalised treatment plans for patients based on the unique characteristics of their tumour. This tailoring of care can be used to pursue specific targets identified by biomarkers, or treat the patient according to specific tumour characteristics. Surgery is one of the core treatments for ovarian cancer, whether it is offered in primary surgery or following chemotherapy in delayed surgery. Biomarkers already exist to guide the treatment of tumours with chemotherapy, but very little research has determined the value of biomarkers in tailoring surgical care for ovarian cancer. Such research is required to identify new biomarkers and assess their effectiveness in a clinical setting as well as to help identify specific tumour types to guide surgery. Biomarkers could help to determine the success of removing the disease surgically, or help to identify tumour deposits that persist after chemotherapy. All of these aspects would improve current practice. This Scientific Impact Paper highlights research that may pave the way towards bespoke surgery according to the biological characteristics of a tumour and aid gynaecological oncologists to provide surgical treatment according to individual need, rather than a blanket approach for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to unravel the effects of climate, topography, soil, and grazing management on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the grazing lands of north-eastern Australia. We sampled for SOC stocks at 98 sites from 18 grazing properties across Queensland, Australia. These samples covered four nominal grazing management classes (Continuous, Rotational, Cell, and Exclosure), eight broad soil types, and a strong tropical to subtropical climatic gradient. Temperature and vapour-pressure deficit explained >80% of the variability of SOC stocks at cumulative equivalent mineral masses nominally representing 0-0.1 and 04).3 m depths. Once detrended of climatic effects, SOC stocks were strongly influenced by total standing dry matter, soil type, and the dominant grass species. At 0-0.3 m depth only, there was a weak negative association between stocking rate and climate-detrended SOC stocks, and Cell grazing was associated with smaller SOC stocks than Continuous grazing and Exclosure. In future, collection of quantitative information on stocking intensity, frequency, and duration may help to improve understanding of the effect of grazing management on SOC stocks. Further exploration of the links between grazing management and above- and below- ground biomass, perhaps inferred through remote sensing and/or simulation modelling, may assist large-area mapping of SOC stocks in northern Australia., Introduction Rangelands occupy >80% of Australia's land area and encompass a broad range of climate, land use, and geographical conditions (National Land and Water Resources Audit 2007, cited by Bastin [...]

Context: The large inter-annual and decadal rainfall variability that occurs in northern Australian rangelands poses major challenges for the profitable and sustainable management of grazing businesses. Aims: An integrated bio-economic modelling framework (GRASP integrated with Breedcow and Dynama (BCD)) was developed to assess the effect of alternative grazing-management options on the profitability and sustainability of a beef cattle enterprise in the central-western Mitchell grasslands of Queensland over a multi-decadal time period. Methods: Four grazing-management strategies were simulated over a 36-year period (1982–2017) in the GRASP pasture-growth model, using historic climate records for Longreach in central-western Queensland. Simulated annual stocking rates and steer liveweight-gain predictions from GRASP were integrated with published functions for mortality and conception rates in beef-breeding cattle in northern Australia, and then used to develop dynamic BCD cattle-herd models and discounted cash-flow budgets over the last 30 years of the period (1988–2017), following a 6-year model-equilibration period. The grazing-management strategies differed in the extent to which stocking rates were adjusted each year, from a common starting point in Year 1, in response to changes in the amount of forage available at the end of the summer growing season (May). They ranged from a low flexibility of 'Safe stocking rate' (SSR) and 'Retain core herd' (RCH) strategies, to a moderate flexibility of 'Drought responsive' (DR), to a 'Fully flexible' (FF) strategy. The RCH strategy included the following two herd-management scenarios: (1) 'Retain herd structure', where a mix of cattle were sold in response to low pasture availability, and (2) 'Retain core breeders', where steers were sold before reducing the breeder herd. Herd-management scenarios within the DR and FF strategies examined five and four options respectively, to rebuild cattle numbers and utilise available pasture following herd reductions made in response to drought. Key results: Property-level investment returns expressed as the internal rate of return (IRR) were poor for SSR (–0.09%) and the three other strategies when the herd was rebuilt following drought through natural increase alone (RCH, –0.27%; DR, –1.57%; and FF, –4.44%). However, positive IRR were achieved when the DR herd was rebuilt through purchasing a mix of cattle (1.70%), purchasing pregnant cows (1.45%), trading steers (0.50%) or accepting cattle on agistment (0.19%). A positive IRR of 0.70% was also achieved for the FF property when purchasing a mix of cattle to rebuild numbers. However, negative returns were obtained when either trading steers (–2.60%) or agistment (–0.11%) scenarios were applied to the FF property. Strategies that were either inflexible or highly flexible increased the risk of financial losses and business failure. Property-level pasture condition (expressed as the percentage of perennial grasses; %P) was initially 69%P and was maintained under the DR strategy (68%P; average of final 5 years). The SSR strategy increased pasture condition by 25% to 86%P, while the RCH and FF strategies decreased pasture condition by 29% (49%P) and 65% (24%P) respectively. Conclusions: In a highly variable and unpredictable climate, managing stocking rates with a moderate degree of flexibility in response to pasture availability (DR) was the most profitable approach and also maintained pasture condition. However, it was essential to economic viability that the property was re-stocked as soon as possible, in line with pasture availability, once good seasonal conditions returned. Implications: This bio-economic modelling analysis refines current grazing-management recommendations by providing insights into both the economic and sustainability consequences of stocking-rate flexibility in response to fluctuating pasture supply. Caution should be exercised in recommending either overly conservative safe stocking strategies that are inflexible, or overly flexible stocking strategies, due to the increased risk of very poor outcomes. The large inter-annual and decadal rainfall variability, which occurs in northern Australian rangelands, poses major challenges for the profitable and sustainable management of grazing businesses. A bio-economic evaluation found that when stocking rates were based on conservative carrying-capacity principles designed to maintain pasture condition, a moderate flexibility in response to pasture availability was likely to be the most profitable approach to grazing management, as well as maintaining pasture condition over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phenomenological theory of polar solvation dynamics in electron transfer that accounts for the spatial- and frequency-dependent dielectric function of the solvent is developed and described in a format appropriate to time-dependent fluorescence Stokes shifts. The basic features of the relaxation dynamics are explored by using various analytical expressions for the dielectric function. The presence of spatial correlations persisting to frequencies higher than those corresponding to longitudinal solvent relaxation, τ-1L, yields significant or even substantial decay components with relaxation times shorter than τL. These are associated with motions of individual molecules within the solvent structural network. The implications of these predictions for solvation dynamics in activated charge-transfer processes are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information about developments in the American Marketing Association (AMA), as of October 1, 1939. The article presents a letter from the President of the AMA regarding a report issued by the Committee on Professional Standards, a discussion of the publishing of meeting transactions and papers in a separate issue, and a letter from the AMA placement committee.

BACKGROUND: In 1999 the Wisconsin Coalition to Improve Palliative Care (WCIPC) conducted a palliative care needs assessment of health care institutions throughout the state of Wisconsin to document the current status of palliative care and identify institutional barriers and opportunities for improvement. METHOD: A survey instrument was developed to assess provisions of palliative care in the following areas: services currently provided, staff education programs offered in the previous year, barriers to the delivery of palliative care, and resources that would be useful to the participating institutions. Surveys were mailed to 881 health care institutions in Wisconsin; 318 (36%) surveys were returned. RESULTS: The three most common end-of-life care services present included a program to promote advance care planning, a contractual relationship with one or more hospice programs, and an interdisciplinary care program for dying patients. Pain management and advance directives were the two most common topics of educational programs offered in the past year. The most frequently cited barriers to good end-of-life care included a lack of knowledge among patients/families, a lack of provider knowledge about pain and symptom control, and poor reimbursement for end-of-life care. Resources that institutions felt would be useful included newsletters, a speaker's bureau, and information about establishing quality improvement programs for palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: While health care institutions in Wisconsin provide a variety of palliative care services and offer educational programs that address areas of palliative care, institutional barriers do exist. This needs assessment provides valuable descriptive data that will guide efforts to improve palliative care throughout the state of Wisconsin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1 The insecticidal activity of the neotropical pepper Piper tuberculatum Jacq. and its isolated piperamides was studied. Bioassays with the mosquito Aedes atropalpus L. assessed the relative toxicity of the whole extract of Piper tuberculatum and four of the piperamides, which were isolated and identified, then prepared synthetically. 2 The results confirm that P. tuberculatum leaf extracts are as effective as black pepper seed extract and provide an alternative pepper insecticide from a more convenient source, the leaves. 3 Experiments with piperamides showed that the tertiary and quaternary mixtures have greater-than-additive toxicity compared to single compounds or binary mixtures. One of the four amide compounds, 4,5-dihydropiperlonguminine, was the most acutely toxic in mosquito larvae bioassays. 4 A study of piperamide levels from different P. tuberculatum populations in Costa Rica determined that they were relatively homogeneous. Piper tuberculatum from only one of the five sites had higher levels of one piperamide, 4,5-dihydropiperine, in both leaf and stem parts. One explanation for differences in the amide concentrations between populations is that one site is ecologically unique compared to the other four. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between substance use disorders and comorbid psychiatric conditions was investigated among 425 persons in drug treatment who met DSM-III-R criteria for drug dependence. Using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule to ascertain DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders among these drug dependent subjects, lifetime prevalence rates were 64% for alcohol abuse/dependence, 44% for antisocial personality disorder, 39% for phobic disorders, 24% for major depression, 12% for dysthymia, and 10% for generalized anxiety disorder. We found that antisocial personality disorder and phobias generally had onsets prior to the onset of drug dependence (that is, they were primary disorders). The majority of drug dependent persons with generalized anxiety disorder reported an onset after the onset of drug dependence (that is, they had secondary generalized anxiety). Alcohol dependence, depression, and dysthymia were divided nearly evenly between earlier (primary disorder) and later (secondary disorder). These results are consistent with the body of literature indicating the importance of antisocial syndromes in the etiology of substance abuse and the literature indicating the complex, varying nature of the relationship of psychiatric disorders to substance dependence. Finally, a precise nomenclature for "age of onset," "primary," and "secondary" was developed for this study that is critical to understanding these issues and is recommended for other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persons in drug treatment with drug dependence were interviewed with the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule to ascertain DSM-III-R disorders. Lifetime prevalence rates were 64% for alcohol dependence, 44% for antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), 39% for phobic disorders, 24% for major depression, 12% for dysthymia, 10% for generalized anxiety disorder, 3% for panic disorder, 3% for mania, 3% for obsessive compulsive disorder, 2% for bulimia, 1% for schizophrenia, and 1% for anorexia. When stratified by race and age, significant main effects were seen, but there were no significant interactions except in "any non-substance disorder" and in the mean number of non-substance use disorders. Caucasians had a higher mean number of drug dependence disorders and higher overall rates of "any other" disorder than African-Americans, and Caucasians and males had higher mean numbers of non-substance use disorders than African-Americans and females, respectively. This was related to rates of alcohol, cannabis, and hallucinogen dependence, and ASPD rates that were higher among men than women and higher among Caucasian respondents than African-American for alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogen, opiate and sedative dependence, major depression, dysthymia, and generalized anxiety disorder. In contrast, women had higher rates than men of amphetamine dependence, phobic disorder, major depression, dysthymia, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and mania. African-Americans had higher rates than Caucasians of amphetamine, cocaine, and phencyclidine dependence, but for no comorbid disorders were the rates higher among African-Americans than Caucasians. The differences according to gender in rates of disorders among substance dependent persons are consistent with the results of general population surveys, but the differences in rates according to race are in contrast to these same community surveys. Limitations in the utility of the concept of race as a valid category diminish the generalizability of the findings; however, one possible explanation is differential treatment seeking in African-American and Caucasian populations that would result in the differences seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]