Trends in Alcohol Services Utilization from 1991–1992 to 2001–2002: Ethnic Group Differences in the U.S. Population

Background:  During the early 1990s in the United States, changes to the provision and financing of alcohol treatment services included reductions in inpatient treatment services and in private sector spending for treatment. We investigated trends in alcohol services utilization over the 10‐year period from 1991–1992 to 2001–2002 among U.S. whites, blacks, and Hispanics. Methods:  Data come from 2 household surveys of the U.S. adult population. The 1991 to 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey and the 2001 to 2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions conducted face‐to‐face interviews with a multistage cluster sample of individuals 18 years of age and older in the continental United States. Treatment utilization represented both total utilization and the use of alcohol services. Data analyses were prevalence rates and multivariate logistic regressions for lifetime utilization with drinkers and individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Results:  From 1991–1992 to 2001–2002, drinking‐related emergency room and human services use increased for drinkers, while total utilization and the use of private health professional services and mutual aid decreased for individuals with AUDs. In drinkers and individuals with AUDs, blacks and Hispanics were less likely than whites to use private health professional care. Hispanics with AUDs were less likely than whites with AUDs to use alcohol or drug programs. Ethnicity interacted with alcohol severity to predict alcohol services utilization. At higher levels of alcohol severity, blacks and Hispanics were less likely than whites to ever use treatment and to use alcohol services (i.e., human services for Hispanic drinkers, mental health services for blacks with AUDs, and mutual aid for Hispanics with AUDs). Conclusions:  Our findings showed increases from 1991–1992 to 2001–2002 in alcohol services utilization for drinkers, but reductions in utilization for individuals with AUDs. Blacks and Hispanics, particularly those at higher levels of alcohol severity, underutilized treatment services compared to whites. These utilization trends for blacks and Hispanics may reflect underlying disparities in healthcare access for minority groups, and language and logistical barriers to utilizing services

A 10-year Study of Factors Associated with Alcohol Treatment Use and Non-use in a U.S. Population Sample

Background This study seeks to identify changes in perceived barriers to alcohol treatment and predictors of treatment use between 1991–92 and 2001–02, to potentially help understand reported reductions in treatment use at this time. Social, economic, and health trends during these 10 years provide a context for the study. Methods Subjects were Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. The data were from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES) and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). We conducted two analyses that compared the surveys on: 1) perceived treatment barriers for subjects who thought they should get help for their drinking, and 2) variables predicting past-year treatment use in an alcohol use disorder subsample using a multi-group multivariate regression model. Results In the first analysis, those barriers that reflected negative beliefs and fears about seeking treatment as well as perceptions about the lack of need for treatment were more prevalent in 2001–02. The second analysis showed that survey year moderated the relationship between public insurance coverage and treatment use. This relationship was not statistically significant in 1991–92 but was significant and positive in 2001–02, although the effect of this change on treatment use was small. Conclusions Use of alcohol treatment in the U.S. may be affected by a number of factors, such as trends in public knowledge about treatment, social pressures to reduce drinking, and changes in the public financing of treatment

Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Problems in Interethnic and Intra-ethnic Couples

Despite the growing number of interethnic marriages in the U.S., few studies have examined intimate partner violence (IPV) in interethnic couples. This article examined past-year occurrences of IPV across interethnic and intra-ethnic couples and tested correlates of IPV specifically in interethnic couples. Data were from a national survey of couples 18 years of age and older from the 48 contiguous states. Interethnic couples (n = 116) included partners from different ethnic backgrounds, including black-white, Hispanic-white, and black-Hispanic couples. White (n = 555), black (n = 358), and Hispanic (n = 527) intra-ethnic couples included partners with the same ethnicity. Data analyses were prevalence rates and logistic regressions. The analyses showed that interethnic couples were comparatively younger and had shorter relationships than intra-ethnic white, black, and Hispanic couples. Male partners in interethnic couples had higher rates of binge drinking and alcohol problems compared to male partners in intra-ethnic couples. Past year prevalence rates for any occurrence of IPV and acts of severe IPV were higher for interethnic couples relative to intra-ethnic couples. Most occurrences of IPV for interethnic couples were mutual. Factors predicting IPV among interethnic couples included marital status, couples’ age, male alcohol problems, and female impulsivity. Mounting evidence points to interethnic couples as a high risk group for IPV. Interethnic couples may be at greater risk for IPV because of their younger age, binge drinking and alcohol problems. Future research could build on this study by examining cohort effects and regional differences in IPV for interethnic couples, and the risk for IPV across interethnic couples of different ethnic compositions

Ethnicity and Health Disparities in Alcohol Research

Recent advances in alcohol research continue to build our understanding of alcohol consumption and related consequences for U.S. ethnic minority groups. National surveys show variations across ethnicities in drinking, alcohol use disorders, alcohol problems, and treatment use. Higher rates of high-risk drinking among ethnic minorities are reported for Native Americans and Hispanics, although within-ethnic group differences (e.g., gender, age-group, and other subpopulations) also are evident for ethnicities. Whites and Native Americans have a greater risk for alcohol use disorders relative to other ethnic groups. However, once alcohol dependence occurs, Blacks and Hispanics experience higher rates than Whites of recurrent or persistent dependence. Furthermore, the consequences of drinking appear to be more profound for Native Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks. Disparities in alcohol treatment utilization are most apparent for Hispanics. Explanations for these differences are complex, likely affected by risky drinking behaviors, immigration experiences, racial/ethnic discrimination, economic and neighborhood disadvantage, and variations in alcohol-metabolizing genes. Research must maintain a systematic, strong, and growing focus on ethnic minorities. A more complete understanding of these effects for ethnic minority groups is needed to enable researchers to face the challenges of reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities in the alcohol field

M\"obius and twisted graphene nanoribbons: stability, geometry and electronic properties

Results of classical force field geometry optimizations for twisted graphene nanoribbons with a number of twists $N_t$ varying from 0 to 7 (the case $N_t$=1 corresponds to a half-twist M\"obius nanoribbon) are presented in this work. Their structural stability was investigated using the Brenner reactive force field. The best classical molecular geometries were used as input for semiempirical calculations, from which the electronic properties (energy levels, HOMO, LUMO orbitals) were computed for each structure. CI wavefunctions were also calculated in the complete active space framework taking into account eigenstates from HOMO-4 to LUMO+4, as well as the oscillator strengths corresponding to the first optical transitions in the UV-VIS range. The lowest energy molecules were found less symmetric than initial configurations, and the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps are larger than the value found for the nanographene used to build them due to electronic localization effects created by the twisting. A high number of twists leads to a sharp increase of the HOMO $\to$ LUMO transition energy. We suggest that some twisted nanoribbons could form crystals stabilized by dipolar interactions

Socioeconomic classification of the working-age Brazilian population: a joint latent class analysis using social class and asset-based perspectives

This paper presents and applies a methodology of socioeconomic classification that integrates asset- and social class approaches. We employ data from the 2013 Brazilian National Household Survey and use latent class analysis to identify clusters and classify the working population. With regard to social class the Brazilian occupations are classified based on the European Socioeconomic Classification (ESeC) schema and an indicator of employment status. As for household wealth, we use the items related to household condition, ownership of durable goods and access to public services with the highest discriminatory power. We also make use of variables that account for the Brazilian spatial and socio-demographic heterogeneity. We found four clusters which we term latent socioeconomic stratum (LSeS). When compared we found an ordered pattern from the best-off LSeS (1) to the worst-off (4) with respect to household wealth and ESeC classes. Nevertheless, although the class composition of each LSeS reveals a distinct concentration of specific ESeC classes, all classes are present in each LSeS. Controlling for social class, differences in household wealth are more marked between LSeS than between social classes within the same LSeS. Hence, the methodology unveils the latent socioeconomic strata, reveals a class schema for each stratum and points out potential stratum fractions within them. The results were validated using variables external to the model, namely household food security status and years of schooling. The external validation revealed the same ordered pattern and the presence of stratum fractions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Ten Year Trends (1992 to 2002) in Sociodemographic Predictors and Indicators of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics in the U.S

Background The objective of this paper is to examine 10-year trends (1992–2002) in the number and type of indicators of DSM-IV abuse and dependence among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. Methods Data are from the 1991–1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES; n = 42,862) and the 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; n = 43,093). Both surveys used multistage cluster sample procedures to select respondents 18 years of age and older from the U.S. household population. Results Increases in the prevalence of alcohol abuse between 1992 and 2002seem associated to a rise in the prevalence of the indicator for “hazardous use”, which usually means reports of driving after drinking. The decrease in dependence was not associated with changes in a particular indicator. In addition, both in 1992 and 2002, 12.3% to 15.4% of the men and 5.2% to 7.9% of the women were diagnostic “orphans”. These respondents reported 1 or 2 indicators of alcohol dependence as present. Conclusion The observed trends in number and types of indicators of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence were probably triggered by a complex interplay between individuals’ volume and pattern of drinking and reactions from the drinkers’ social environment. The close association between hazardous use of alcohol and the prevalence of abuse deserves further discussion. A medical diagnostic category should not be so dependent on a criterion that may be influenced by social situations. It is necessary to understand more about diagnostic “orphans” to better design interventions to address their problems

Structural fluctuations and quantum transport through DNA molecular wires: a combined molecular dynamics and model Hamiltonian approach

Charge transport through a short DNA oligomer (Dickerson dodecamer) in presence of structural fluctuations is investigated using a hybrid computational methodology based on a combination of quantum mechanical electronic structure calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations with a model Hamiltonian approach. Based on a fragment orbital description, the DNA electronic structure can be coarse-grained in a very efficient way. The influence of dynamical fluctuations arising either from the solvent fluctuations or from base-pair vibrational modes can be taken into account in a straightforward way through time series of the effective DNA electronic parameters, evaluated at snapshots along the MD trajectory. We show that charge transport can be promoted through the coupling to solvent fluctuations, which gate the onsite energies along the DNA wire

PHYTOENERGY: energetic valorisation of phytoremediation derived biomass

There are presently more than 3 million contaminated sites all over EU, according to the EEA (report 25186 EN), with the contamination with heavy metals being of particular concern, as they are not degradable. Soil recovery is thus becoming an urgency and diverse approaches can be applied. From these, phytoremediation has shown to be an attractive low cost alternative as it promotes the establishment of a vegetation cover, stabilizing these degraded sites and allowing for the slow extraction of the contaminants. In spite that the fate of the harvested plants is a common complication for its implementation, it can also represent an opportunity for producing added value. This work intends to assess the possibility of the production of biodiesel resulting from the transterification of sunflower seed oil with bioethanol resulting from the processing of sunflower stems. Sunflower plants growing either in agricultural and metal contaminated soils were assessed and the quality of the successive energetic products was evaluated. Sunflower seeds were used for oil extraction, with observable extraction efficiencies of up to 20 ml oil/m 2 ; plant stems were used for bioethanol production with yields of up to 280 ml/m 2 ; finally, biodiesel was generated via transterification. The final biodiesel as well as the obtained oil and bioethanol were characterized and it was possible to observe that the contamination of the soils with metals did not affect significantly the quality of the products, namely in concerning metal levels. This study reports thus the successful energetic valorisation of plants grown in degraded soils.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio