Search

Objectives Rates of unintended pregnancies in women with a history of incarceration are high and access to contraception before and after arrest can be limited. Individualized counseling can better prepare women for healthy pregnancy or provide an opportunity for contraceptive education and access within correctional facilities. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of motivational interviewing as an individualized intervention to increase the initiation of contraceptive methods while incarcerated and continuation after release in female inmates who wanted to avoid pregnancy for at least one year after release. Study design We performed an RCT in a population of incarcerated women who wanted to avoid pregnancy. Women were randomized to either a computer-assisted motivational interviewing intervention group (n = 119) or an educational video with counseling control group. (n = 113). The primary outcome was initiation of a method of birth control prior to release from the correctional facility. Results Initiation of contraception was higher in the intervention group (56% vs. 42%, p = 0.03), but this difference was not significant after controlling for number of male partners within the year prior to incarceration. There was no difference between the groups in the rates of pregnancies or STIs or continuation of contraception after release, which was generally low (21%). Conclusion Computer-assisted motivational interviewing did not improve uptake or continuation of contraception in this study. Implications Periods of incarceration provide an opportunity to offer contraceptive services to women who want to avoid a pregnancy. Motivational interviewing may not be an effective method to affect contraceptive behaviors in this population. Future research should explore the family planning values and preferences of women who become involved with the correctional system.

As overdoses due to opioids rise, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) continue to be underemployed, resulting in limited access to potentially life-saving treatment. Substance use disorders are prevalent in individuals who are incarcerated, and these individuals are at increased risk for death postrelease due to overdose. Few jails and prisons offer MOUD and most limit access. Extended-release buprenorphine (XR-BUP), a novel monthly injectable MOUD formulation, could be uniquely poised to address treatment access in correctional settings.This study linked a retrospective cohort design of statewide datasets to evaluate the real-world use of XR-BUP. The study included individuals (N = 54) who received XR-BUP while incarcerated from January 2019 through February 2022. The study was conducted at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, with the nation's first comprehensive statewide correctional MOUD program.Fifty-four individuals received a combined total of 162 injections during the study period. The study found no evidence of tampering with the injection site, indicating no attempts by participants to remove, hoard, or divert the medication. Sixty-one percent reported at least one adverse effect after injections were received, with an average of 2.8 side effects. Sixty-one percent of those released on XR-BUP engaged in MOUD after release, 30 % continued with XR-BUP.XR-BUP is feasible and acceptable in correctional settings. XR-BUP addresses administrative concerns of diversion that obstruct lifesaving MOUD and offers another safe and effective treatment option. Further studies and trials should continue to assess this novel medication's ability to treat opioid addiction in the correctional setting and upon release to the community.

Net photoreduction of divalent mercury (Hg(II)) and volatilization of photoreduction products (i.e., elemental mercury (Hg(0))/dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM)) is a mechanism by which mercury burdens in ecosystems are lessened. The effects of salinity on mercury photoreactions were investigated while controlling the concentration of DOM (1 kDa) using natural surface water from the tidal Jijuktu'kwejk (Cornwallis River) and processed with a tangential ultrafiltration-dilution technique. Pseudo first-order rate constants in estuarine water salinity dilutions ranged between 0.22 h

Resilience, which is a measure of a patient's ability to recover from a traumatic event, varies among the general population, and previous studies have suggested that it has an important influence on a patient's quality of life. We conducted a study of patients treated for cancer of the head and neck to investigate the relation between scores for resilience and quality of life (QoL). A total of 98 patients, who had been treated with curative intent, completed the University of Washington quality of life questionnaire (UW-QoL) and the Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC). Retrospective analysis of patients' records identified demographic data, stage of disease, and treatment. The Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's rank correlation were used to assess the significance of differences between the groups. The mean (SE) QoL score after treatment was 61 (2.081), and the mean CD-RISC score 0.427 for QoL in the last seven days. There was a significant correlation between overall scores for QoL and resilience (Spearman's Rho=0.427, p

People who are incarcerated are at increased risk for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) acquisition upon release, and one possible intervention for prevention is the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) upon release. The present study assessed HIV risk perceptions as well as PrEP awareness and interest among 39 people who were incarcerated and enrolled in a structured Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) program at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections using semi-structured, qualitative interviews. Analysis was conducted using a generalized, inductive method in NVivo 12. While PrEP awareness was low across the study sample, some participants were interested in PrEP uptake or learning more about PrEP after they were provided with an overview of it. PrEP interest strongly related to current perceived HIV risk. Potential barriers included side effects, adherence, and reluctance to take medications in general. MAT programs for people who are criminal justice (CJ) involved may serve as useful linkage spaces to PrEP information, access, and retention.

Price informativeness measures how and when information is aggregated into asset prices. The authors study the price informativeness of realized earnings growth for US stocks, with a focus on exposures to factors that have historically outperformed the market index. Their study includes the largest 1,000 stocks from 1975 to 2019 and approximately 180,000 individual corporate net income observations aligned by report date. Stock returns are sensitive to concurrent and realized earnings growth reports up to 15 months into the future, but not to old earnings reports. The decomposition of value, momentum, small size, low beta, and profitability factor active returns into components that are explained and unexplained by earnings aids in understanding the anomalous nature of their positive market-relative performance. The active returns to momentum stocks are largely attributable to the growth of realized earnings over the next several quarters. Low beta, small size, and profitability stocks have little of their active returns explained by realized earnings, suggesting the anomalies are associated with other drivers, such as changes in expected long-term earnings growth and discount rates. In contrast, the active returns to value stocks explained by concurrent and future realized earnings are negative. Key Findings ▪ The price informativeness of realized earnings growth for US stocks shows that returns are sensitive to concurrent and realized earnings growth reports up to 15 months into the future. ▪ The decomposition of factor active returns into earnings-explained and -unexplained components helps in understanding their anomalous nature. ▪ The active returns to momentum stocks are largely attributable to earnings growth, whereas the earnings-explained active return to value stocks is negative.

Quantifying methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and uptake at the base of the food web is useful for assessing mercury exposure risk to higher trophic level organisms. Higher MeHg concentrations near the base of the food web may result in more MeHg exposure and accumulation in higher trophic organisms. Here, we analyze MeHg in caddisflies, mayflies, lake water, and sediment collected from two temperate lakes and one brook in Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada. Overall, caddisfly larvae MeHg (15.38–276.96 ng/g; n = 29) was not significantly correlated with water chemistry. Whereas mayfly naiads MeHg (14.28–166.82 ng/g; n = 31) was positively correlated with water MeHg (rs = 0.43), negatively correlated with pH (rs = −0.49), and positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC; rs = 0.48). Of the mercury in insect tissues, the %MeHg ranged from 56 to 75 % in caddisfly larvae and 38–47 % in mayfly naiads. MeHg bioaccumulation factors (BAF) varied greatly (water to tissue BAFs = 0.145 × 106–1.054 × 106; sediment to tissue BAFs = 0.017 × 106–0.541 × 106). This study highlights the importance of quantifying variations in MeHg bioaccumulation and BAFs of common aquatic insect bioindicators at the base of complex food webs.

Managing the intertemporal risk of optimally constructed multifactor portfolios adds to performance. The increases in Sharpe ratios are in addition to the utility that investors gain from controlling how much active risk they are exposed to over time. We derive a simple closed-form formula for security weights in optimal multifactor portfolios with an active-risk target. We test the risk control of five well-known factors—value, momentum, small size, low beta, and profitability—and the optimal multifactor portfolio. Our empirical research was carried out on the large-capitalization US equity market for 1966 through 2019. We conclude that for the equity market, more active factors are better than fewer if each factor subportfolio is “pure” as to factor, anchored to the benchmark, and combined on the basis of forecastable risks. Our portfolio construction methodology allows for transparent performance attribution and replication of the process in other markets and time periods.

Lipopeptides are versatile molecules that are viable and potential replacements for synthetic surfactants in agricultural, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. While process optimization and intensification approaches have significantly improved lipopeptide production in terms of yield and productivity, downstream processing options to produce tailor-made lipopeptide products of different degrees of purity for specific applications have received considerably less attention. The use of conventional downstream methods such as solvent extraction, membrane filtration, adsorption and size exclusion has satisfactorily addressed the demand of lipopeptide mixtures to some extent, but the lack of well-established downstream techniques for these molecules still withholds their complete commercial realization. Moreover, fractionation of lipopeptide mixtures into families or individual isoforms is undeveloped, significantly limiting the use of lipopeptides for high end applications. This review highlights the recent developments in downstream processing of lipopeptides and discusses their pertinence on a case-to case basis in obtaining lipopeptides of appropriate purity for distinct and diverse applications.

The effect of climate variability on flatfish includes not only the effects of warming on sensitive life history stages, but also impacts from more frequent or unseasonal extreme cold temperatures. Cold weather events can affect the overwintering capabilities of flatfish near their low temperature range limits. We examined the responses of two flatfish species, the thin-bodied windowpane ( Scophthalmus aquosus ) and cold-tolerant winter flounder ( Pseudopleuronectes americanus ), to variable winter temperatures in a Northwest Atlantic estuary using abundance and size data collected during a monitoring study, the Aquatic Biological Survey, conducted from 2002 to 2010. Winter and spring abundances of small (50 to 120 mm total length) juvenile windowpane were positively correlated with adult densities (spawning stock) and fall temperatures (thermal conditions experienced during post-settlement development for the fall-spawned cohort) of the previous year. Windowpane abundances in the estuary were significantly reduced and the smallest size class was nearly absent after several consecutive years with cold (minimum temperatures

Abnormal dendritic arbor development has been implicated in a number of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and Rett syndrome, and the neuropsychiatric disorder schizophrenia. Postmortem brain samples from subjects with schizophrenia show elevated levels of NOS1AP in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain associated with cognitive function. We previously reported that the long isoform of NOS1AP (NOS1AP-L), but not the short isoform (NOS1AP-S), negatively regulates dendrite branching in rat hippocampal neurons. To investigate the role that NOS1AP isoforms play in human dendritic arbor development, we adapted methods to generate human neural progenitor cells and neurons using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. We found that increased protein levels of either NOS1AP-L or NOS1AP-S decrease dendrite branching in human neurons at the developmental time point when primary and secondary branching actively occurs. Next, we tested whether pharmacological agents can decrease the expression of NOS1AP isoforms. Treatment of human iPSC-derived neurons with d -serine, but not clozapine, haloperidol, fluphenazine, or GLYX-13, results in a reduction in endogenous NOS1AP-L, but not NOS1AP-S, protein expression; however, d -serine treatment does not reverse decreases in dendrite number mediated by overexpression of NOS1AP isoforms. In summary, we demonstrate how an in vitro model of human neuronal development can help in understanding the etiology of schizophrenia and can also be used as a platform to screen drugs for patients.

Hydrocarbon substrates can be upgraded to high-value products through biological oxidation processes, whereby an oxygen moiety is inserted into the hydrocarbon backbone by microbes in a suitable bioreactor system such as a bubble column reactor (BCR). However, there is a need to understand the behaviour of the Sauter bubble diameter (D32) and gas hold-up ( Ɛ G ) in a simulated four-phase (air, water, hydrocarbon and microbes) system in the BCR. This study has investigated the impact of operational conditions, such as hydrocarbon concentration (HC), superficial gas velocity (UG) and yeast loading (SL) (using deactivated S. cerevisiae as test microorganism) on D32 and Ɛ G . It was found that D32 and Ɛ G were mainly affected by UG and SL, whereas HC had an insignificant impact on both D32 and Ɛ G . Any increase in UG (1–3 cm/sec) resulted in a significant increase in D32 and Ɛ G , due to the increase in the number of bubbles in the system. On the other hand, an increase in SL was found to result in D32 linearly increasing, which thereafter caused a decrease of Ɛ G in the system. This influence can be attributed to the yeast cells in the system affecting the fluid properties and the system hydrodynamics. The outcome of this work provides fundamental understanding of the impact of operating conditions (HC, UG and SL) on D32 and Ɛ G , which underpins the system hydrodynamics in a simulated four-phase hydrocarbon-based bioprocess.

The Bacillus surfactin lipopeptides, widely used as potent biosurfactants, have been increasingly researched for diverse applications, necessitating quantification during the production and purification stages. Lipopeptides are typically quantified by Reversed Phase-High- Performance Liquid Chromatography and High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography but these have inherent limitations of long processing times, high capital investment and high solvent consumption. In this paper, an economical and accessible Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) method for the analysis of surfactin lipopeptides has been developed, its estimation capability in terms of precision and accuracy thoroughly substantiated, and its robustness under diverse solvent and sampling conditions, as well as its specificity in the presence of multiple bioproducts, comprehensively verified. A linear relationship was observed between surfactin concentration and the area formed by surfactin bands on TLC plates with surfactin concentrations in the range of 0.5 g/L and 3 g/L. The TLC analytical technique was suitable for surfactin analysis when surfactin was dissolved in different solvents and when surfactin was spotted by multiple spotting on TLC plates to accuracy and precision of up to 98% and 95% respectively. Based on inter-day error analysis, reproducible results could be obtained with high accuracy and precision (98% and ≥84% respectively) were obtained when analysis was carried out on different days (two weeks apart). While this technique has been confirmed specifically as an investigative tool for the analysis of surfactin lipopeptides, visualisation of peptides, lipids and the fengycin suggests its further application to the quantification of co-existing impurities and other lipopeptide bioproducts.

Industrially relevant bioprocesses such as paraffin activation present a complex multiphase system consisting of an aqueous growth medium and an immiscible alkane phase that is aerobically metabolized by active micro-organisms. Thus, the oxygen transfer rate from sparged gas is a key design parameter for which empirical correlations have been proposed to inform bioreactor design. However, a fundamental predictive approach is needed to enable the evaluation of novel multiphase bioreactor designs in silico. This study reports on the development of a fundamental predictive model of oxygen transfer based on computational fluid dynamics. Key findings suggest that the alkane phase impacts the hydrodynamics by turbulence modulation rather than a change in fluid properties. The model-predicted oxygen transfer rate is compared to experimental measurements and shown to have an accuracy similar to empirical correlations. However, only the fundamental model captures complex interactions arising due to the alkane phase and can thus be more readily extrapolated to novel multiphase bioreactor designs. The insights gained in this study will guide future investigations into the simulation of hydrodynamics and oxygen transfer in the presence of micro-organisms, thereby providing a fundamental approach to bioreactor scale-up.

Background Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are the most effective treatment for OUD, but uptake of these life-saving medications has been extremely limited in US prisons and jail settings, and limited data are available to guide policy decisions. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of screening and treatment with medications for OUD in US prisons and jails on post-release opioid-related mortality. Methods We used data from the National Center for Vital Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and relevant literature to construct Monte Carlo simulations of a counterfactual scenario in which wide scale uptake of screening and treatment with medications for OUD occurred in US prisons and jails in 2016. Results Our model predicted that 1840 (95% Simulation Interval [SI]: -2757 – 4959) lives would have been saved nationally if all persons who were clinically indicated had received medications for OUD while incarcerated. The model also predicted that approximately 4400 (95% SI: 2675 – 5557) lives would have been saved nationally if all persons who were clinically indicated had received medications for OUD while incarcerated and were retained in treatment post-release. These estimates correspond to 668 (95% SI: -1008 – 1812) and 1609 (95% SI: 972 – 2037) lives saved per 10,000 persons incarcerated, respectively. Conclusions Prison and jail-based programs that comprehensively screen and provide treatment with medications for OUD have the potential to produce substantial reductions in opioid-related overdose deaths in a high-risk population; however, retention on treatment post-release is a key driver of population level impact.

High school aged women say they use different methods to prevent pregnancy than do high school aged men. Young men are more likely to say the couple used a condom and young women are more likely to say they used birth control pills. The differences remain large and statistically significant after controlling for age and ethnicity. There are several ways to explain this. The differences might partly reflect differences in actual use or differences in the partners’ knowledge about the methods they use. But young men and women also appear to over-report methods that highlight their personal responsibility, possibly even when they did not use those methods.

Some of the market-relative performance of U.S. stock mutual funds can be explained by the pure returns to now commonly accepted equity market factors. Historically, managers in the aggregate have had more equally-weighted positions than the capitalization-weighted portfolio to which they are typically compared. Currently, the active returns of mutual funds are positively associated with the performance of the Momentum and Profitability factors, and negatively associated with the performance of the Value and Low Beta factors. These effects are particularly strong in mutual funds with a stated “growth” objective. Thus, capitalization-weighted indexes outperform active managers most of the time, but especially when the Value and Low Beta factors have high returns, and the Momentum and Profitability factors have low returns.

This work is based on research supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF),South Africa (SA). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the NRF and Stellenbosch University, SA. R du Preez acknowledges bursary funding from the NRF.

Background Few studies have examined the relation between impulsivity and drug involvement with prison inmates, in spite of their heavy drug use. Among this small body of work, most studies look at clinically relevant drug dependence, rather than drug use specifically. Method N = 242 adult inmates (34.8% female, 52% White) with an average age of 35.58 ( SD = 9.19) completed a modified version of the 15-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and measures assessing lifetime alcohol, opiate, benzodiazepine, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogen, and polysubstance use. Lifetime users also reported the frequency of use for the 30 days prior to incarceration. Results Impulsivity was higher among lifetime users (versus never users) of all substances other than cannabis. Thirty day drug use frequency was only related to impulsivity for opiates and alcohol. Discussion This study extends prior work, by showing that a lifetime history of non-clinical substance use is positively associated with impulsivity among prison inmates. Implications for drug interventions are considered for this population, which is characterized by high rates of substance use and elevated impulsivity.

Given the popularity of factor investing, also known as rules-based, “smart beta”, or simply quantitative portfolio management, a number of students and traditional equity analysts have asked for a primer to introduce basic terms, concepts, and calculation procedures. This guide to factor exposures and payoffs contains material from our journal publications over the last several years, compiled in a way that provides a quick start and somewhat self-contained guide to analysts that are new to factor investing. We include specific empirical results that can be replicated as an exercise in data collection, programming, reporting, and analysis.

Linking factor portfolio construction to cross-sectional regressions of security returns on standardized factor exposures leads to a transparent and investable perspective on factor performance. Under capitalization-weighting, multivariate regression coefficients translate to portfolio returns that are benchmark relative and cleared of secondary factor exposures. The methodological contributions in this paper are illustrated using a 50-year data set of one-thousand large U.S. stocks and five factor exposures: Value, Momentum, Small Size, Low Beta, and Profitability. Each of the five pure factor portfolios have exposures to the other four factors that match the benchmark portfolio. As two case studies in factor portfolio analysis, we focus on cheapness as measured by Earnings Yield, and interest rate risk as measured by sensitivity to the 10-year Treasury Bond return.

Environmental windows are seasonal restrictions imposed on dredging operations in the Great Lakes and other waterways of the United States. Such restrictions often generically assume that sediments resuspended by dredging result in adverse impacts to fish; this is the case in western Lake Erie where the environmental window was established due to potential impacts on walleye ( Sander vitreus ). To address this concern, laboratory studies mimicking sediment resuspension during dredging operations in western Lake Erie were conducted to determine whether suspended sediments affect walleye eggs and fingerlings. Newly laid eggs and 45- to 60-d old fingerlings from separate hatcheries were exposed for 72-h under flow-through conditions to 0, 100, 250, and 500 mg/L total suspended sediment (TSS). Fingerlings, eggs, and newly hatched larvae were analyzed for multiple lethal and sublethal endpoints. Data indicated no significant effects of suspended sediment on egg hatch success or fingerling survival after three days of exposure. No significant differences were observed when comparing percent egg viability in the control with any TSS treatment; however, a downward trend was observed at 500 mg/L. No significant differences were observed during comparisons of fingerling gill lamellae in the control with any TSS treatment; however, a statistically significant difference was observed when comparing gill lamellae in the control with the original supply animals. No significant differences were found between control means and unexposed eggs or any TSS treatment. These effect data for walleye will serve to better inform the setting of environmental windows for this species in western Lake Erie.

We assess the recovery of UK lakes from acidification using the combined data from sediment cores and sediment traps to track changes in diatom assemblages in 11 UK upland lakes from pre-acidification times (prior to ca. 1850 AD) to the present (2008 AD). We projected the data into a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of diatom assemblage data from 121 low-alkalinity lakes in the UK to show how the floristic composition of the core and trap diatom assemblages for each site has changed through time. The results show that the degree of recovery from acidification varies amongst sites but in all cases its extent is limited when compared with the pre-acidification reference. In most cases the recovery, although usually slight, is characterised by a decline in acid tolerant taxa and a return towards taxa that occurred previously at each respective site. In a few cases, however, the floristic composition of recent samples is different from those that occurred during and before the acidification phase. The reasons for this are not yet clear but it is possible that nutrient enrichment from atmospheric N deposition and/or climate change is beginning to play a role in driving water quality as acidity decreases. More generally the results show that annually recovered samples from sediment traps can be successfully combined with sediment core data to provide a continuous record of environmental change in lake systems, and that diatoms collected in sediment traps can be used to provide a very powerful lake monitoring tool.

Winter flounder habitat use in New York/New Jersey Harbor was examined through a long-term (2002–2010) bottom trawl sampling program (Aquatic Biological Survey) in which 5234 winter flounder were captured in 2069 samples collected at approximately 26 stations throughout the harbor. Interannual variability in catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) primarily was attributable to fluctuations in Year-1 juvenile CPUE, which was positively correlated with total annual egg abundances from the previous year. Adult male CPUE during the spawning season was positively correlated with total egg abundances of the same year, whereas adult female CPUE was unrelated to annual egg abundances in the harbor. Annual variation in adult male densities in the harbor during the spawning season reflects the intensity of estuarine spawning activity, whereas adult female densities may include non-reproductive, foraging individuals. Seasonal fluctuations in condition indices reflected energy use during the spawning season, with relatively high condition in January, reduced levels in March and April, and elevated condition again in May. Adult CPUE peaked in April, coincident with the critical feeding period that follows spawning. Mean April water temperatures were positively correlated with egg abundances the following year and Year-1 juvenile CPUE two years later. A similar correlation between April temperatures and Year-1 juvenile abundances two years later was demonstrated using published data for winter flounder collected in Niantic Bay, CT. Higher April water temperatures may enhance benthic secondary production during the critical feeding period, and thus increase prey availability for foraging adults that need to restore energy reserves in order to reproduce the following year. A direct examination of benthic secondary production and variation in winter flounder estuarine foraging and subsequent spawning activity is needed to more fully understand this relationship.

Numerous pits in coastal waters are subject to degraded water quality and benthic habitat conditions, resulting in degraded fish habitat. A pit in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey (USA) was partially filled with dredged sediment to increase flushing, alleviate hypoxia, and enhance benthic assemblages. Restoration objectives were assessed in terms of benthic community parameters and fishery resource occupation. Restoration resulted in increased benthic diversity (bottom samples) and the absence of water column stratification. Fisheries resources occupied the entire water column, unlike pre-restoration conditions where finfish tended to avoid the lower water column. The partial restoration option effectively reproduced an existing borrow pit configuration (Hole #5, control), by decreasing total depth from −11 m to −5.5 m, thereby creating a habitat less susceptible to hypoxic/anoxic conditions, while retaining sufficient vertical relief to maintain associations with juvenile weakfish and other forage fishes. Partially filling pits using dredged material represents a viable restoration alternative.

Two data sets are used to study how country and firm characteristics affected firms' financial constraints and their likelihood of survival during the early phase of the recent global financial crisis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a region that was especially hard hit. The first data source provides information on the reported severity of financial constraints for 360 firms from 23 countries in 2002, 2005, and 2008. By following the same firms over time, the study summarizes both the gradual easing of financial constraints from 2002 to 2005 and their tightening during the crisis. Key findings are that financial constraints during the crisis were less severe in countries with well-established foreign banks (entered prior to year 2000), and that changes in the severity of financial constraints were more pronounced for large firms than others during the crisis (although large firms continued to have less severe constraints on average). The second data source provides information on whether firms remained in operation in 2009 in six countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Controlling for other relevant characteristics, firms were more likely to survive the crisis if they had access to external credit.

A new cone pressuremeter has been developed at the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore-Pakistan. The new device is called the Akbar Pressuremeter (APMT). This paper is based on the APMT testing of a cohesive soil deposit comprised of low plastic lean clay (CL) to sandy silty clay (CL-ML). The APMT testing, using a full-displacement technique, standard penetration tests and undisturbed samples, was carried out at two locations. The soil strength and type were determined using the undisturbed samples. The applied pressure-cavity strain curves of the APMT tests performed at different levels were analysed to determine soil strength and stiffness. The undrained shear strength of the undisturbed samples was determined in the laboratory by unconfined compression tests. This paper provides a comparison of the parameters interpreted from the pressuremeter and those determined from other field and laboratory methods.

Fibreoptic intubation was first described as a technique in 1967. It may be performed awake or asleep, and can be used for airway management of a patient at risk of aspiration with a known or predicted difficult airway. This article describes the variety of methods available for awake and asleep fibreoptic intubation, as well as techniques for anesthetizing the airway.

A three-dimensional analysis of laterally loaded fin piles is presented. The behaviour of fin piles is difficult to explain using simple pile-soil theories or two dimensional numerical analyses because of the complicated geometry of the piles. In this study, a nonlinear 3D analysis with an elastic plastic soil model, an elastic pile material and interface elements are used to model the pile-soil interaction. Experimental data confirmed that the predicted behaviour of a monopile was acceptable leading to a more detailed study of the impact of fins upon the lateral resistance. The stress distribution within the pile and the deformation of the fin pile are presented. The increase in resistance gained by placing fins on a pile is illustrated by plotting the lateral resistance against displacement of the pile head for various geometries of the pile. This is expressed as the efficiency of the fins which is the ratio of the lateral resistance of a fin pile to that of a monopile with the same core diameter where the lateral resistance is defined as the resistance at a displacement of 10% of the pile diameter. The efficiency of the piles increases as the length of the fins; the increase is independent of the loading direction relative to the fins.

Nitrile and amide bioconversions have received attention through their ability to provide a range of commercially important chemicals. These bioconversions are mediated by distinct process strategies. Here, the processes performance is discussed, and the use of whole cells, cell extracts and enzymes as biocatalysts is compared. Additionally, the benefits of biocatalyst reuse through immobilization have been identified and immobilization matrices utilized for these bioconversions evaluated. Exploitation and commercial development will depend on optimization of the process performance and the capacity for scale-up in addition to the biocatalytic potential. High substrate concentrations and biocatalyst stability and reuse through immobilization strategies provide driving forces towards more efficient process kinetics. Membrane immobilization is specifically highlighted as a route to maximize process performance.

K L a and gas–liquid interfacial area per unit volume were quantified in 2.5–20% n -C 10–13 aqueous dispersions agitated at 600–1200 rpm. The interfacial area was quantified using high speed photography and image analysis. Interfacial area correlated strongly with K L a over all agitation rates and alkane concentrations, suggesting that the interfacial area was the major factor defining K L a in these dispersions. The bubble diameter and gas hold up were identified as key parameters defining an optimal K L a at 5% alkane at agitation rates of 800–1200 rpm, through their impact on the interfacial area. Decreased bubble diameter and increased gas hold up with alkane addition from 2.5% to 5% resulted in increased interfacial area. However, a decreased gas hold up on alkane addition above 5% resulted in a correspondingly decreased interfacial area, despite the continued decline in bubble diameter. The decrease in bubble diameter and the decrease in gas hold up have in part been attributed to the reduction of surface tension from 26.0 to 17.7 and the doubling of viscosity to 2.0 mN/m respectively over the range of alkane concentrations examined.

Background Our objective was to determine baseline, normative values for multiple shoulder outcome scores in a young, active population without shoulder symptoms. Methods One hundred ninety-two volunteers completed the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, modified American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index, Simple Shoulder Test, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score. Their mean age was 28.8 years (range, 17-50 years). Results Of the participants, 59 (31%) scored no deficiencies on any of the outcome instruments, whereas 133 (69%) demonstrated some abnormal shoulder score. The mean scores were as follows: Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, 97.7 (SD, 5.2); modified American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, 98.9 (SD, 3.3); Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index, 82.7 of 2100 (SD, 153.5); Simple Shoulder Test, 11.79 (SD, 0.60); and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score, 1.85 (SD, 5.99). Conclusion Our results show that the best possible shoulder score in an asymptomatic population may not be equivalent to a perfect score on the outcome scale.

Responses of benthic infauna to large scale disturbance by dredged material placement were studied at eight paired (placement and reference) areas in Corpus Christi Bay, Texas in 1995 and 1996. Total infaunal abundance, taxa richness, and the biomass of annelids and molluscs in placement areas no longer differed from that of reference areas approximately one year after placement. Annual secondary production for annelids and molluscs did not differ between placement and reference areas, however mean (± standard error) total annual secondary production at reference areas (53.6 ± 5.8 g AFDW/m 2 /yr) was greater than that of placement areas (26.2 ± 2.5 g AFDW/m 2 /yr) due to higher brittle star densities in reference areas. Differences in community structure between placement and reference areas returned to pre-placement levels one year after disturbance. The magnitude of changes in sediment grain size related to disturbance was positively correlated with the degree of convergence of placement area communities with pre-placement and reference communities. Sediment compaction was consistently associated with infaunal taxonomic composition (BIOENV) and increased linearly with time after disturbance. The use of the term “recovery” with reference to recolonization of dredging-related disturbance implies a return to pre-placement ecological conditions that are frequently neither a reality nor a practical expectation for areas that are subject to repeated disturbances. Our characterization of biological responses to dredged material disturbance targeted benchmarks that were linked to both pre-disturbance conditions and differences between disturbed and neighboring undisturbed areas and indicate that impacts persisted less than one year.

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women in U.S. corrections facilities are higher than rates in community samples. Research that combines behavioral correlates of STI with STI history by race/ethnicity has not been done in incarcerated women. The purpose of this study was to compare by race/ethnicity self-reported sexual risk behaviors with self-reported history of STI in an incarcerated sample. An interviewer administered a questionnaire to 428 incarcerated women. Blacks were more likely to report consistent condom use in the three months prior to incarceration (47% vs. 28%, p0.05), and Hispanics were less likely to report sex work than were whites (16% vs. 39%, p0.05). Whites were more likely than blacks to report having had an unplanned pregnancy (88% vs. 67%, p0.05). Despite having lower self-reported risk on several measures, Blacks were more likely to report history of STI (65% vs. 40%, p0.05). The correctional setting is an opportune place to better understand and address the complex issue of sexual health disparities.

Accumulation of alkane by-products from gas to liquid fuel processes presents an attractive feed stock opportunity with potential for bioconversion to a wide variety of valuable commodity products. This review highlights the need to address the complexities of the oxygen transfer rate and overall volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (KLa) in hydrocarbon bioprocesses so that this potential can be realised. Three markedly different KLa behavioural trends have been identified in hydrocarbon–aqueous dispersions and characterised according to the hydrocarbon type and concentration, operating conditions and geometric constraints. A fundamental conceptual understanding of the mechanisms which define the exact behaviour of KLa in response to changes in turbulence and fluid properties is provided. Further, the behaviour is quantified in terms of the parameters which underpin this response viz. bubble diameter, gas–liquid interface rigidity, gas hold up, surface tension, viscosity and diffusivity. Consideration is given to existing predictive correlations for interfacial transfer area, bubble diameter, gas hold up, oxygen transfer coefficient and KLa. It is envisaged that through the elucidation and quantification of the parameters which shape the behaviour of KLa, these correlations may be successfully extended to predict the complex behavioural KLa trends in hydrocarbon-based bioprocesses.

Combining long-only-constrained factor sub-portfolios is generally not a mean-variance-efficient way to capture expected factor returns. For example, a combination of four fully invested factor sub-portfolios — low beta, small size, value, and momentum — captures less than half (e.g., 40%) of the potential improvement over the market portfolio’s Sharpe ratio. In contrast, a long-only portfolio of individual securities, using the same risk model and return forecasts, captures most (e.g., 80%) of the potential improvement. We adapt traditional portfolio theory to more recently popularized factor-based investing and simulate optimal combinations of factor and security portfolios, using the largest 1,000 common stocks in the US equity market from 1968 to 2015.

This paper uses firm-level data to assess whether telecommunication services are general-purpose technologies (technologies that benefit a large segment of the economy and have long-lasting effect). It finds that only Internet services are so: firm growth and productivity are much higher when Internet access is greater and when firms use the Internet more intensively; and Internet access benefits firms in high- and low-tech industries, firms of all sizes, and exporter and non-exporter firms. Small firms appear to benefit more from the Internet than large firms do. In contrast, fixed-line and cellular services are not robustly linked to firm performance.