System average rates of U.S. investor-owned electric utilities : a statistical benchmark study

Using multiple regression methods, we have undertaken a statistical "benchmark" study comparing system average electricity rates charged by three California utilities with 96 other US utilities over the 1984-93 time period. Although system average electricity rates are much higher in California than for the national average, we conclude that use of such unadjusted prices provides no meaningful information on how one evaluates the performance of utility management. Rather, we find that average electricity prices are affected to a large extent by a number of factors outside direct and immediate management control, such as local costs of doing business, the availability of low-cost generation sources (e.g., hydro and coal), customer and service territory characteristics such as customer density, use per customer, and a number of regulatory and environmental factors. Once one controls for these various factors, the remaining impact of utility management on system average rates is rather modest, and for the California utilities the impact of utility management (relative to the national average) is insignificantly different from zero. This finding of no difference in prices, holding constant the effects of factors outside of California utilities' control, is robust, being sustained in a large number of alternative models and estimation methods.Financial support from San Diego Gas & Electric Company

An Investigation of sexuality and life satisfaction of institutionalized aged

One concern of this study is sexuality among the aged, since every person, regardless of age, is a sexual being. Society, however, has been slow to recognize this fact and has not accepted sexual activity among the aged. Along with the lack of social sanctioning, elderly persons are very susceptible to the myriad of myths, half-truths, misinformation, and incomplete data which affect their attitudes toward sexuality. Furthermore, older persons are susceptible to negative stereotypes of themselves as sexual beings. However, the effect of actual sexual activity upon overall life satisfaction among the aged has yet to be determined. Because there has been no empirical evidence concerning this, the degree of relationship between sexual activity and life satisfaction remains unknown. Since human beings remain sexual throughout life, and a large proportion of the elderly are institutionalized, this study will focus attention on the relationship between life satisfaction and sexuality among the institutionalized aged. It is important for social workers to explore these concepts, as empirically validated knowledge can be used as guidelines for professional values and practice

Associations between jet lag and cortisol diurnal rhythms after domestic travel.

Objective: Millions of adults in the United States travel abruptly across time zones each year. Nevertheless, the impact of traveling over relatively short distances (across 3 or fewer time zones) on diurnal patterning of typical physiological response patterns has yet to be studied in a large, epidemiological sample. Design: The current research focuses on 764 middle-aged men comparing variations in diurnal cortisol regulation based on number of time zones traveled eastward or westward the day before. Main Outcome Measure: Participants provided samples of salivary cortisol at waking, 30-min postwaking, 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and bedtime. Results: Eastward travel was associated with a steeper salivary cortiso

Phase II Trial of Bicalutamide in Patients with Androgen Receptor-Positive, Estrogen Receptor-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

Patients with hormone receptor–negative breast cancer generally do not benefit from endocrine-targeted therapies. However, a subset with androgen receptor (AR) expression is predicted to respond to antiandrogen therapies. This phase II study explored bicalutamide in AR-positive, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PgR)-negative metastatic breast cancer

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbiomes are vast communities of microorganisms and viruses that populate all natural ecosystems. Viruses have been considered to be the most variable component of microbiomes, as supported by virome surveys and examples of high genomic mosaicism. However, recent evidence suggests that the human gut virome is remarkably stable compared with that of other environments. Here, we investigate the origin, evolution and epidemiology of crAssphage, a widespread human gut virus. Through a global collaboration, we obtained DNA sequences of crAssphage from more than one-third of the world's countries and showed that the phylogeography of crAssphage is locally clustered within countries, cities and individuals. We also found fully colinear crAssphage-like genomes in both Old-World and New-World primates, suggesting that the association of crAssphage with primates may be millions of years old. Finally, by exploiting a large cohort of more than 1,000 individuals, we tested whether crAssphage is associated with bacterial taxonomic groups of the gut microbiome, diverse human health parameters and a wide range of dietary factors. We identified strong correlations with different clades of bacteria that are related to Bacteroidetes and weak associations with several diet categories, but no significant association with health or disease. We conclude that crAssphage is a benign cosmopolitan virus that may have coevolved with the human lineage and is an integral part of the normal human gut virome

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbiomes are vast communities of microorganisms and viruses that populate all natural ecosystems. Viruses have been considered to be the most variable component of microbiomes, as supported by virome surveys and examples of high genomic mosaicism. However, recent evidence suggests that the human gut virome is remarkably stable compared with that of other environments. Here, we investigate the origin, evolution and epidemiology of crAssphage, a widespread human gut virus. Through a global collaboration, we obtained DNA sequences of crAssphage from more than one-third of the world’s countries and showed that the phylogeography of crAssphage is locally clustered within countries, cities and individuals. We also found fully colinear crAssphage-like genomes in both Old-World and New-World primates, suggesting that the association of crAssphage with primates may be millions of years old. Finally, by exploiting a large cohort of more than 1,000 individuals, we tested whether crAssphage is associated with bacterial taxonomic groups of the gut microbiome, diverse human health parameters and a wide range of dietary factors. We identified strong correlations with different clades of bacteria that are related to Bacteroidetes and weak associations with several diet categories, but no significant association with health or disease. We conclude that crAssphage is a benign cosmopolitan virus that may have coevolved with the human lineage and is an integral part of the normal human gut virome

The Role of Stigma Visibility on Stigma-Related Stress, Coping, and Health: An Exploration among Gay Men and Lesbians

Members of stigmatized groups experience compromised mental and physical health as a result of their disadvantaged social status. While a large body of literature addresses the health consequences of belonging to conspicuous or visible stigmatized groups (e.g., race, gender), researchers know relatively less about the consequences of belonging to stigmatized groups with concealable or “hidden” identities (e.g., mental illness, HIV-positive status). The visible nature of a stigmatized identity might play an important role in shaping processes related to stress, coping, and ultimately health. To address this gap in the current literature, a series of four studies sought to directly examine the role of stigma visibility in shaping (1) stigma-related experiences (e.g., discrimination), (2) psychosocial coping resources (e.g., in-group identification), and (3) mental and physical health. These studies integrated models of stress, coping, and health, and used diverse research methods (i.e., cross-sectional and longitudinal) to explore how living with a more or less visible identity may explain health disparities among members of stigmatized groups. The studies included in this dissertation research focus on the experiences of gay men and lesbians. While sexual orientation is primarily defined as a concealable stigmatized identity, there is evidence suggesting that the gendered-nature of physical characteristics and behaviors leave some gay men and lesbians more or less identifiable as such (e.g., effeminate gay men, masculine lesbians). Pilot Study Wave 1 (N = 151 gay men; N = 186 lesbians) found stigma visibility to be empirically distinct from openness of sexual orientation. This study also provided initial evidence that stigma visibility is associated with more frequent experiences of discrimination among gay men and lesbians. Stigma visibility was associated with several other key variables, including lower sense of control and greater depressive symptomatology. Pilot Study Wave 2 (N = 68 gay men; N = 83 lesbians), a follow-up to Wave 1, found stigma visibility to be a relatively stable construct over three months. The factor structure of the stigma visibility measure held together over time, and visibility was again empirically distinct from openness of sexual orientation.Study 1 (N = 1,627 gay men; N = 848 lesbians) involved participants recruited from LGBT organizations and online resources (e.g., Facebook). These participants completed an online survey assessing the main stress, coping, and health model integrated from several theoretical perspectives. Among the various findings, stigma visibility was associated with more frequent experiences of discrimination. Stigma visibility primarily operated through experiences of discrimination to affect mental and physical health, though in both positive and negative ways. For example, experiences of discrimination predicted increases in the internalization of stigma and lowered sense of control, harming health and well-being. Experiences of discrimination also increased social identification with similarly stigmatized others, which improved health outcomes.Study 2 (N = 67 gay men; N = 47 lesbians) was a daily diary survey distributed to a subset of participants from Study 1 who scored either high or low on the stigma visibility measure. Participants completed one survey per day for a total of 10 days. Results corroborate the key finding from Study 1: stigma visibility is indirectly associated with compromised mental and physical health via experiences of discrimination. That is, gay men and lesbians who are more visible experience relatively more discrimination on a day-to-day basis. Experiences of discrimination reduce health, thereby linking stigma visibility with various health-related outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, and physical illness). Results of this dissertation research inform how the visibility of stigmatized identities may be related to stigma-related stressors, psychosocial coping resources, and ultimately both mental and physical health. The empirically-tested model suggests reasons why some stigmatized group members report poor health while other members remain relatively healthy and resilient in the face of their social disadvantage. While these studies focus on gay men and lesbians, the results may apply to members of other stigmatized groups that differ in the degree to which they are more or less visible. Research identifying factors that put certain minority group members at risk for worse health outcomes relative to other members is vital to address health disparities; the visibility of minority identities appears to be one such risk factor