After 50 years and 200 papers, what can the Midspan cohort studies tell us about our mortality?

Objective: To distil the main findings from published papers on mortality in three cohorts involving over 27,000 adults, recruited in Scotland between 1965 and 1976 and followed up ever since. Method: We read and summarized 48 peer-reviewed papers about all-cause and cause-specific mortality in these cohorts, published between 1978 and 2013. Results: Mortality rates were substantially higher among cigarette smokers in all social classes and both genders. Exposure to second-hand smoke was also damaging. Exposure to higher levels of black smoke pollution was associated with higher mortality. After smoking, diminished lung function was the risk factor most strongly related to higher mortality, even among never-smokers. On average, female mortality rates were much lower than male but the same risk factors were predictors of mortality. Mortality rates were highest among men whose paternal, own first and most recent jobs were manual. Specific causes of death were associated with different life stages. Upward and downward social mobility conferred intermediate mortality rates. Low childhood cognitive ability was strongly associated with low social class in adulthood and higher mortality before age 65 years. There was no evidence that daily stress contributed to higher mortality among people in lower social positions. Men in manual occupations with fathers in manual occupations, who smoked and drank >14 units of alcohol a week had cardiovascular disease mortality rates 4.5 times higher than non-manual men with non-manual fathers, who neither smoked nor drank >14 units. Men who were obese and drank >14 units of alcohol per day had a mortality rate due to liver disease 19 times that of normal or underweight non-drinkers. Among women who never smoked, mortality rates were highest in severely obese women in the lowest occupational classes. Conclusion: These studies highlight the cumulative effect of adverse exposures throughout life, the complex interplay between social circumstances, culture and individual capabilities, and the damaging effects of smoking, air pollution, alcohol and obesity

Dipole models and parton saturation in ep scattering

In this contribution we briefly review the current status of the dipole models and parton saturation on the basis of results presented at the HERA-LHC workshops in the years 2006-2008. The problem of foundations of the dipole models is addressed within the QCD formalism. Some limitations of the models and open problems are pointed out. Furthermore, we review and compare the currently used dipole models and summarise the applications to describe various sets of HERA data. Finally we outline some of the theoretical approaches to the problem of multiple scattering and saturation.Comment: 9 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the HERA-LHC Workshop, CERN-DESY, 2006-200

Economics of Enhanced Livestock Production

Production Economics,

Comparing the Profitability of Beef Production Enterprises in North Dakota

Agricultural Finance, Production Economics,

Effect of tobacco smoking on survival of men and women by social position: a 28 year cohort study

<b>Objective:</b> To assess the impact of tobacco smoking on the survival of men and women in different social positions. <b>Design:</b> A cohort observational study. <b>Setting:</b> Renfrew and Paisley, two towns in west central Scotland. <b>Participants:</b> 8353 women and 7049 men aged 45-64 years recruited in 1972-6 (almost 80% of the population in this age group). The cohort was divided into 24 groups by sex (male, female), smoking status (current, former, or never smokers), and social class (classes I + II, III non-manual, III manual, and IV + V) or deprivation category of place of residence. <b>Main outcome measure:</b> Relative mortality (adjusted for age and other risk factors) in the different groups; Kaplan-Meier survival curves and survival rates at 28 years. <b>Results:</b> Of those with complete data, 4387/7988 women and 4891/6967 men died over the 28 years. Compared with women in social classes I + II who had never smoked (the group with lowest mortality), the adjusted relative mortality of smoking groups ranged from 1.7 (95% confidence interval 1.3 to 2.3) to 4.2 (3.3 to 5.5). Former smokers’ mortalities were closer to those of never smokers than those of smokers. By social class (highest first), age adjusted survival rates after 28 years were 65%, 57%, 53%, and 56% for female never smokers; 41%, 42%, 33%, and 35% for female current smokers; 53%, 47%, 38%, and 36% for male never smokers; and 24%, 24%, 19%, and 18% for male current smokers. Analysis by deprivation category gave similar results. <b>Conclusions:</b> Among both women and men, never smokers had much better survival rates than smokers in all social positions. Smoking itself was a greater source of health inequality than social position and nullified women’s survival advantage over men. This suggests the scope for reducing health inequalities related to social position in this and similar populations is limited unless many smokers in lower social positions stop smoking

An Evaluation of the Social Validity of the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Program

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) programs are emerging high school programs emphasizing immersive, real-life professional experiences for students. CAPS programs endeavor to facilitate student-centered partnerships between business and public education to produce personalized learning experiences for students centered around the completion of real-world industry projects. To ensure successful educational programs, leaders must consider more than simple outcome data or statistical descriptions of the program’s reliability and validity. Successful leaders of schools must also determine the program’s value from the perspective of the stakeholders it purports to serve—that is, by its social validity. Understanding what consumers of education do and do not find valuable is crucial when developing, implementing, and evaluating educational programs. Unfortunately, this type of evaluation is seldom utilized and has resulted in a nearly inaudible stakeholder voice in public education and its programs. This study evaluated the dimensions of social validity associated with the CAPS program from the perspective of both students and industry partners as consumers. Social validity data was collected via a modified Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS). Participants were asked to rate CAPS programs by agreeing or disagreeing with each of 20 BIRS statements. Respondents included 459 students and 107 industry partners from twelve CAPS programs in six states. Data from both students and industry partners were analyzed to determine the social validity of CAPS programs. Both students and industry partners rated CAPS programs impressively high on both its acceptability and its effectiveness. CAPS programs are well-positioned to continue to provide positive educational outcomes and experiences to both students and industry partners

Medieval churches on the Spanish frontier : how elite emulation in architecture contributed to the transformation of a territorial expansion into Reconquista.

This dissertation examines the architectural evidence in the ongoing debate surrounding the demographical and political value of the shifting Iberian frontier of the tenth through twelfth centuries. In particular, it seeks to problematize the current generalization of rural stone churches in the central Duero River basin as “repopulation” churches. Using postcolonial theory and comparative analysis, this project argues that the construction of stone churches on sacred sites at the frontier was a useful strategy employed by those seeking to establish authority over existing indigenous and heterogeneous populations. Convincing arguments were needed to not only justify the usurpation of power but more importantly, to persuade diverse inhabitants to submit their men and resources to the goals of the new order. Crucial to the appearance of legitimacy in a would-be ruler was the “restoration” of significant churches on holy topographies, the focus of chapters two and three. The template for a successful restoration included: the selection of a sacred landscape with a pre-conquest history, architectural forms associated with both the ecclesiastic hierarchy and Christian and Muslim political powers, and painting and sculpture that bolstered the patron’s claims of legitimate authority. These frontier restorations were deliberately modeled on the strategies employed by kings and abbots seeking to expand their influence over large tracts of land, for example, the holdings of San Millán de la Cogolla (Rioja) and San Juan de la Peña (Huesca). By using elite architectural elements at meaningful sites, non-royal patrons articulated their authority and the favor of God at frontier churches like San Baudelio de Berlanga (Soria) and Santa Maria de Wamba (Valladolid), the case studies for this project. While the specific ways in which patrons constructed churches varied according to place and time, the themes of “restoration” and lordship are pervasive. Over time, the symbolic dissemination of the idea that sacred centers had been “restored” to Iberian Christendom helped to transform a rationalization of territorial expansion into a heroic, Hispanic Reconquista

Atom Formation Rates Behind Shock Waves in Hydrogen and the Effect of Added Oxygen, July 1965 - July 1966

Formation rate of atomic hydrogen behind shock waves in hydrogen-argon mixture

Crambe as a Specialty Crop in North Dakota

Production Economics,

The Financial Status of North Dakota Farmers and Ranchers: January 1, 1985, Survey Results

Agricultural Finance,