Up in smoke? Limited evidence of a smoking harm paradox in 17-year cohort study

Background: Socioeconomic differences in the impact of alcohol consumption on health have been consistently reported in the so-called “alcohol harm paradox” (i.e., individuals from higher socioeconomic backgrounds (SES) drink more alcohol than individuals from lower SES, but the latter accrue more alcohol-related harm). Despite the severe health risks of smoking however, there is a scarcity of studies examining a possible “smoking harm paradox” (SHP). We aim to fill this gap.Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study with adolescents from the Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behaviour Study (NLHB). Our study used data from ages 13 to 30 years. To analyse our data, we used the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) with smoking and self-reported health as mutual lagged predictors and outcomes as well as parental income and education as grouping variables. Parental income and education were used as proxies for adolescent socioeconomic status (SES). Smoking was examined through frequency of smoking (every day, every week, less than once a week, not at all). General health compared to others was measured by self-report.Results: Overall, we found inconclusive evidence of the smoking harm paradox, as not all effects from smoking to self-reported health were moderated by SES. Nevertheless, the findings do suggest that smoking predicted worse subjective health over time among individuals in the lower parental education group compared with those in the higher parental education group. This pattern was not found for parental income.Conclusions: While our results suggest limited evidence for a smoking harm paradox (SHP), they also suggest that the impact of adolescent smoking on later subjective health is significant for individuals with low parental education but not individuals with high parental education. This effect was not found for parental income, highlighting the potential influence of parental education over income as a determinant of subjective health outcomes in relation to smoking

Evaluation of an Aerated Lagoon System Treating Domestic and Industrial Wastewaters

As industrial management becomes increasingly aware of\u27 the advantages of processing agricultural products near the source of supply, the rate of industrial growth in rural areas correspondingly seems to accelerate. Many rural communities have already experienced the impact of industrial expansion. The type of industry which processes agricultural products produces large quantities of polluted water and, thereby, imposes a significant load upon the wastewater treatment facilities. This increased loading alters, to some extent, the ecology within the treatment processes employed. The wastewater treatment facilities used by a high percentage of rural communities consist of stabilization ponds. Some unique problems are often associated with alteration or expansion of these ponds in order. to provide adequate treatments In many instances additional land for expansion is unavailable. Under these circumstances, the aerated lagoon might possibly provide an effective solution to expansion. . . . This study evaluated the performance of the aerated lagoons at Marshall, Minnesota, with three objectives in mind: 1. To evaluate and compare the performance of the aerated lagoons under various .operating conditions; 2. To compare performance with that anticipated from pilot plant study; 3. To formulate recommendations regarding operational procedures for the aerated lagoons. Samples were collected at the aerated lagoons for three different operating conditions, designated arbitrarily as trials. Information regarding these trials is presented in Table l. For Trial 1 the influent flow had been diverted so that one-third of the flow received treatment in the east lagoon while the remaining two-thirds was treated in the west lagoon. Samples taken at the effluent weir of each lagoon permitted independent analysis of the lagoon performance. In Trial 3, one aerator operated only from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p. m. to represent intermittent operation

Myosotis : Valse

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-ps/3465/thumbnail.jp

Modjeska Or Venetia : Waltz

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-ps/3476/thumbnail.jp

Ensuring the confidentiality of statistical outputsfrom the ADRN

This technical report discusses potential risks to confidentiality from publication of statistical results based on confidential data, and what we can do to minimise that risk while still ensuring that useful research gets published

Systematic review of trends in emergency department attendances : an Australian perspective

Emergency departments (EDs) in many developed countries are experiencing increasing pressure due to rising numbers of patient presentations and emergency admissions. Reported increases range up to 7% annually. Together with limited inpatient bed capacity, this contributes to prolonged lengths of stay in the ED; disrupting timely access to urgent care, posing a threat to patient safety. The aim of this review is to summarise the findings of studies that have investigated the extent of and the reasons for increasing emergency presentations. To do this, a systematic review and synthesis of published and unpublished reports describing trends and underlying drivers associated with the increase in ED presentations in developed countries was conducted. Most published studies provided evidence of increasing ED attendances within developed countries. A series of inter-related factors have been proposed to explain the increase in emergency demand. These include changes in demography and in the organisation and delivery of healthcare services, as well as improved health awareness and community expectations arising from health promotion campaigns. The factors associated with increasing ED presentations are complex and inter-related and include rising community expectations regarding access to emergency care in acute hospitals. A systematic investigation of the demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors highlighted by this review is recommended. This would facilitate untangling the dynamics of the increase in emergency demand

Myosotis Vals

Waltz for piano by British composer Lowthian (Mrs. Cyril A. Prescott), purchased at W. Harloff in Bergen. Plate number 10543.https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/krohn-album1/1010/thumbnail.jp

A comparison of multivariate and univariate time series approaches to modelling and forecasting emergency department demand in Western Australia

Objective: To develop multivariate vector-ARMA (VARMA) forecast models for predicting emergency department (ED) demand in Western Australia (WA) and compare them to the benchmark univariate autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and Winters’ models. Methods: Seven-year monthly WA state-wide public hospital ED presentation data from 2006/07 to 2012/13 were modelled. Graphical and VARMA modelling methods were used for descriptive analysis and model fitting. The VARMA models were compared to the benchmark univariate ARMA and Winters’ models to determine their accuracy to predict ED demand. The best models were evaluated by using error correction methods for accuracy. Results: Descriptive analysis of all the dependent variables showed an increasing pattern of ED use with seasonal trends over time. The VARMA models provided a more precise and accurate forecast with smaller confidence intervals and better measures of accuracy in predicting ED demand in WA than the ARMA and Winters’ method. Conclusion: VARMA models are a reliable forecasting method to predict ED demand for strategic planning and resource allocation. While the ARMA models are a closely competing alternative, they under-estimated future ED demand

The secondary harms of parental substance use on children's educational outcomes: a review

Parental substance use, that is alcohol and illicit drugs, can have a deleterious impact on child health and wellbeing. An area that can be affected by parental substance use is the educational outcomes of children. Current reviews of the literature in the field of parental substance use and children's educational outcomes have only identified a small number of studies, and most focus on children's educational attainment. To grasp the available literature, the method from Arksey and O’Malley (2005) was used to identify literature. Studies were included if they were empirical, after 1950, and focused on children’s school or educational outcomes. From this, 51 empirical studies were identified which examined the relationship between parental alcohol and illicit drug use on children’s educational outcomes. Five main themes emerged which included attainment, behavior and adjustment, attendance, school enjoyment and satisfaction, academic self-concept, along with other miscellaneous outcomes. This paper highlights the main findings of the studies, the gaps in the current literature, and the challenges presented. Recommendations are made for further research and interventions in the areas of parental substance use and child educational outcomes specifically, but also for broader areas of adversity and child wellbeing