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Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States are stigmatized for their same-sex practices, which can lead to risky sexual behavior, potentiating risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Improved measurement is necessary for accurately reporting and mitigating sexual behavior stigma. We added 13 sexual behavior stigma items to local surveys administered in 2017 at 9 sites in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system, which uses venue-based, time-sampling procedures to survey cisgender MSM in US Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas. We performed exploratory factor analytical procedures on site-specific (Baltimore, Maryland; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Nassau-Suffolk, New York; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; San Diego, California; and Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Virginia) and pooled responses to the survey items. A 3-factor solution—"stigma from family" (α = 0.70), "anticipated health-care stigma" (α = 0.75), and "general social stigma" (α = 0.66)—best fitted the pooled data and was the best-fitting solution across sites. Findings demonstrate that MSM across the United States experience sexual behavior stigma similarly. The results reflect the programmatic utility of enhanced stigma measurement, including tracking trends in stigma over time, making regional comparisons of stigma burden, and supporting evaluation of stigma-mitigation interventions among MSM across the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on HIV care patients, aged 18–64, was evaluated in three jurisdictions with Medicaid expansion (Chicago, New York State, and Washington) and three jurisdictions without Medicaid expansion (Georgia, Texas, and Virginia) using data from the Medical Monitoring Project. Multivariate regression models were used to evaluate insurance status that was reported pre- and post-ACA; self-reported impact of ACA on HIV care was explored with descriptive statistics. The likelihood of having insurance was significantly greater post-ACA compared to pre-ACA in Chicago (aRR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.20, 1.47), Washington (aRR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.08, 1.22), and Virginia (aRR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.00, 1.29). In Washington and Chicago, the likelihood of being Medicaid-insured was greater post-ACA compared to pre-ACA implementation (Chicago: aRR = 1.25, 95%CI = 1.03,1.53; Washington: aRR = 1.66 95% CI = 1.30, 2.13). No other significant differences were observed. Only a subset of HIV care patients (range: 15–35%) reported a change in insurance that would have coincided with the implementation of ACA; and within this subset, a change in medical care costs was the most commonly noted issue. In conclusion, the influence of ACA on insurance coverage and other factors affecting HIV care likely varies by jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current study was part of a larger investigation of two breeds of growing dogs ( Dobenecker, 2002 ). The apparent digestibility of protein, fat, nitrogen-free extract (N-free extract) and organic matter as well as energy of a tripe and rice-based diet supplemented either with normal calcium [∼1.1% dry matter (DM), normal calcium (NC)] or excess calcium [∼3.6% DM, high calcium (HC)] was determined in two breeds of growing dogs of different sizes, including 30 Beagles and 44 Foxhound-Boxer-Ingelheim Labrador crossbred dogs (FBIs), at the ages of 12, 18 and 24 weeks. Apparent energy digestibility was significantly impaired by excess of calcium in both dog breeds, and the effect was stronger in FBIs than in Beagles (NC vs. HC in FBIs: 88.3 ± 2.6% vs. 84.7 ± 3.7%; NC vs. HC in Beagles: 89.0 ± 2.4% vs. 86.6 ± 3.4%; p < 0.05 in both FBIs and Beagles). The same was true for organic matter, N-free extract, crude protein and fat. The decrease in protein and fat digestibility was significant in FBIs, but not in Beagles. By contrast, the apparent digestibility of ash was lower in FBIs than in Beagles. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that excess dietary calcium may be associated with systematic differences in nutrient digestibility by different breeds of dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on measurement of tax progressivity. Economist Daniel Suits contributed an excellent method for deriving a measure of tax progressivity. The Suits Index S, closely related to Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient analysis, is an ingenious extension of that measurement methodology. It provides a widely applicable summary statistic of the progressivity of a particular tax or tax structure. Suits demonstrates the mathematical properties of S and applies the index to the U.S. tax structure. Economic theory does not provide a definitive answer to tax incidence questions and the subsequent allocation of tax burdens across income classes. Application of legitimate competing theories concerning tax incidence results in different implications for tax progressivity. Therefore, alternative assumptions should be considered when measuring tax progressivity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the results obtained from an application of the Suits Index and Lorenz curves of taxes when an alternative set of assumptions is chosen and to show that S and the Lorenz curves are sensitive to that choice.

Reports on consolidation plans in the United States telecommunication industry in 2005. SBC Communications' plan to acquire AT&T; Offers to purchase MCI by Verizon and Qwest; Reasons for consolidation, such as decline in demand for fixed line services and wireline services; Internet video research efforts by AT&T; Efforts of SBC to build an advanced Internet protocol television platform; Verizon's plan to bundle services like voice over Internet telephone and wireless broadband systems.

Reports on the growth of wireless local area network connectivity in the U.S. Growth of wireless data market; Plan of McDonald's to launch its own Wi-Fi service.