Equity research report: valuation of beyond meat

This equity report aims at analyzing the recently listed company Beyond Meat, and the latest development in the plant-based meat alternatives landscape. By thoroughly analyzing the company and its industry, we conceived a valuation model that encompasses all the drivers which will underpin the growth of the company and the industry. Throughout the report, we present drivers as well as the methodology used to arrive at our underlying model assumptions. Having analyzed the current and the potential future environment for Beyond Meat, our results suggest that the company is trading at a discount and recommend investors to buy the stock

Arrested Adults Awaiting Arraignment: Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Criminal Justice Characteristics and Needs

This Study is one of the first to look at the mentally ill during the pre-arraignment process. The pre-arraignment process is an excellent place to identify individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems, to examine those problems, to consider legal interventions, such as diversion or routing to specialized courts, for instance, drug and mental health courts, and to plan for community mental health, substance abuse, health, and social service interventions. Following a brief review of the literature on rates of substance abuse and mental health problems for ciminal justice populations, the process from arrest to arraignment in Kings County (Brooklyn) is described. This Study concludes with a discussion of the implication of results for practice, criminal justice intervention, and policy

Constructions of masculinities of the Identitarian Movement Austria

Seit ihrer Entstehung im Jahr 2012 schaffte die rechtsextreme Identitäre Bewegung Österreich in bemerkenswerter Häufigkeit den Sprung in die mediale Berichterstattung. Dennoch ist die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Gruppierung bzw. eine Analyse der Bedingungen für ihren Erfolg bislang bestenfalls überschaubar. Vor allem eine geschlechterreflektierte Untersuchung der Identitären Bewegung blieb bisher fast gänzlich ausgespart. Dabei vermag gerade eine eingehende Betrachtung der Männlichkeitskonstruktionen in der Kommunikation dieser Organisation Antworten auf die Frage nach den Identifikationsangeboten und damit der Anschlussfähigkeit des darüber kolportierten Gedankengutes zu geben. Unter Rückgriff auf die Arbeiten von Connell, Bourdieu und Meuser werden in diesem Beitrag eben jene Identifikationsangebote aufgedeckt und in Bezug zu neokapitalistischen Funktionsweisen gesetzt. Dies ermöglicht ein grundlegendes Verständnis des fruchtbaren Zusammenwirkens ökonomischer Bedingungen und den Identifikationsangeboten hegemonialer Männlichkeit der Identitären Bewegung Österreich und trägt so zur Erklärung ihres Erfolges bei.Ever since the upcoming of the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement Austria in 2012 they managed to gain a noteble amount of media coverage. However, scientific research regarding this specific political group and analyses of the conditions of its success is still lacking. Especially a genderreflective study has not been done yet. This is suprising as detailed considerations on the construction of masculinities in the organisations communication is able to deepen our understanding of the offered possibilities for identification. Moreover, this adds on a more differentiated knowlegde of the organisations connectivity and its ideology. Recurring on Connell, Bourdieu and Meuser these very possibilities for identification are identified and related to neocapitalistic mechanics. Thus, a profound understanding of the productive interaction of economic conditions and the possibilities for identification offered by the Identitarian Movements construction of hegemonic masculinity can be elaborated and adds to an explanation for their success

Higher Education and Religious Liberalization among Young Adults

Going to college has long been assumed to liberalize students’ religious beliefs. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Youth and Religion, we compare change in the content of religious beliefs of those who do and do not attend college. We find that, in general, college students are no more likely to develop liberal religious beliefs than nonstudents. In some cases, collegians actually appear more likely to retain their initial beliefs. Change in religious beliefs appears instead to be more strongly associated with network effects. These findings indicate that college’s effect on students’ religious beliefs is both weak and fragmented, and suggest that the multiplicity of social worlds on college campuses may help to sustain religious beliefs as well as religious practice and commitment

Collective religiosity and the gender gap in attitudes towards economic redistribution in 86 countries, 1990-2008

What is the relationship between gender and the demand for redistribution? Because, on average, women face more economic deprivation than men, in many countries women favor redistribution more than men. However, this is not the case in a number of other countries, where women do not support redistribution more than men. To explain this cross-national paradox, we stress the role of collective religiosity. In many religions, theological principles both militate against public policies designed to redistribute income, and also promote traditionally gendered patterns of work and family involvement. Hence, we hypothesize that, in those countries where religion remains influential either through closer church-state ties or an intensely religious population, men and women should differ less in their attitudes towards redistribution. Drawing upon the World Values Survey, we estimate three-level regression models that test our religiosity-based approach and two alternative explanations in 86 countries and 175 country-years. The results are consistent with our hypothesis. Moreover, in further support of our theoretical approach, societal religiosity undermines pro-redistribution preferences more among women than men. Our findings suggest that collective religiosity matters more to the gender gap in redistributive attitudes than traditional political and labor force factors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This project was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2011-29346)

Effects of topical clonidine versus brimonidine on choroidal blood flow and intraocular pressure during squatting

PURPOSE. Clonidine and brimonidine, two ␣-2 agonists, have been shown to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma. Little is known, however, about the exact role of ␣ receptors in the control of ocular blood flow in the posterior pole of the eye. Hence, the study was conducted to investigate the effects of topical clonidine versus topical brimonidine on choroidal blood flow and intraocular pressure during squatting. METHODS. This was a randomized, double-masked, controlled, two-way crossover study. Twelve healthy male nonsmoking volunteers, aged between 19 and 35 years were included in the study. Two drops of clonidine or brimonidine were administered in the subjects' study eyes. Continuous measurement using the compact laser Doppler flowmeter was performed during a 6-minute squatting period, to assess choroidal blood flow regulation during an increase in ocular perfusion pressure. RESULTS. Both substances induced a pronounced but comparable (P ϭ 0.8) decrease in IOP. Squatting increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and ocular perfusion pressure (P Ͻ 0.01). This increase was comparable between the clonidine and the brimonidine study day (P ϭ 0.88). Squatting induced an increase in choroidal blood flow that was less pronounced than the increase in ocular perfusion pressure. Compared with baseline the ␣-2 agonists decreased choroidal blood flow during squatting (P ϭ 0.0026) to a comparable degree (P ϭ 0.86). Vascular resistance increased at baseline and during squatting after administration of the ␣-2 agonists (P Ͻ 0.01) in both groups to a comparable degree (P ϭ 0.56). CONCLUSIONS. Topical ␣-2 agonists may induce changes in choroidal blood flow, even after a single administration. Long-term studies are needed to study potential effects of brimonidine and clonidine in the clinical setting. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48:4220 -4225

Autonomic Dysfunction and Blood Pressure in Glaucoma Patients:The Lifelines Cohort Study

Purpose: We investigated relationship of glaucoma with measurements related to autonomic dysfunction, including heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP). Methods: Glaucoma was defined using a questionnaire-based algorithm for 86,841 LifeLines Cohort Study participants. Baseline HRV (root mean square of successive differences [RMSSD]) was calculated from resting electrocardiograms; systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) were oscillometric-based measurements. We used a generalized linear mixed model, adjusted for age, age square, sex, body mass index, and familial relationships to assess the relationship of baseline HRV and BP (continuous and quartiles), hypertension, and antihypertensive medication with glaucoma at follow up (median, 3.8 years). Results: The odds ratio (OR) of glaucoma was 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-0.99) per unit increase in log-transformed RMSSD (in ms), indicating that autonomous dysfunction (low HRV) is associated with a higher risk of glaucoma. Per 10-mm Hg increase in BP, we found ORs of 1.03 (95% CI, 1.01-1.05; P = 0.015) for SBP, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.97-1.05; P = 0.55) for DBP, 1.03 (95% CI, 1.00-1.06; P = 0.083) for MAP, and 1.04 (95% CI, 1.01-1.07; P = 0.006) for PP. The OR for the lowest versus highest RMSSD quartile was 1.15 (95% CI, 1.05-1.27; P = 0.003). The ORs for the highest versus second quartile were 1.09 (95% CI, 0.99-1.19; P = 0.091) for SBP and 1.13 (95% CI, 1.02-1.24; P = 0.015) for PP. Glaucoma was more common among hypertensives (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16-1.35; P < 0.001); among those using angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.18-1.55; P < 0.001); and among those using calcium-channel blockers (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.40; P = 0.039). Conclusions: Low HRV, high SBP, high PP, and hypertension were associated with glaucoma. Longitudinal studies may elucidate if autonomic dysregulation and high BP also predict glaucoma incidence