The Status of Underage Drinking and Laws in Missouri

Underage drinking presents a serious public health problem in the United States with 10.7 million youth ages 12-20 reporting consumption of alcohol. Twenty-eight percent of youth ages 12-20 report using alcohol within the past 30 days. Additionally, underage youth consumed 19.7 percent of all alcohol in 1999, spending $22.5 billion on beer, wine, and liquor. Underage drinking contributes to a host of public health problems such as homicide, suicide, injury, drowning, burns, property crime, high risk sex, fetal alcohol syndrome, and alcohol poisoning. In addition to these concerns, research indicates early onset of alcohol use is a strong predictor of alcohol dependence later in life. Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and are two and a half times more likely to become abusers of alcohol than those who begin drinking at age 21. In Missouri, one out of four youth begins using alcohol before the age of 13

A Quantitative Study of the Relationships between Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction among Older People with Vision Impairment and Comorbid Conditions

The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence and effects of vision impairment co-existing with other comorbid conditions. Utilizing the 2008 National Health Interview Survey, the most recent nationally representative data including expanded vision, health conditions, and activity questions, this study examined the effect of vision impairment co-existing with selected comorbid conditions among non-institutionalized older adults age ≥ 55 years. Specifically, this study compared 4 groups: (a) older adults with neither vison impairment nor comorbid conditions, (b) older adults with vision impairment only, (c) older adults with comorbid conditions only, and (d) older adults with both vision impairment and each of the comorbid conditions to examine the prevalence and effect of vision impairment and comorbid conditions on selected mobility and vision activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Using complex sample techniques to conduct frequency analyses and logistic regression procedures, this study compared these groups of older adults to document the likelihood of experiencing mobility and vision activity limitations, and participatory restrictions. These results suggest that older adults reporting vision impairments are a heterogeneous population, overwhelmingly use corrective lenses, and experience substantial mobility and vision activity limitations, and participatory restrictions; however, relatively few report using low vision aids or rehabilitation services. In addition, these results revealed, even when controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, region of residence, and health status, older adults with vision impairment and any of the selected comorbid conditions were statistically significantly more likely to report mobility and vision activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Moreover, when comparing older adults reporting vision impairment co-existing with comorbid conditions older adults reporting either vision impairment only or a comorbid condition only, the results suggest vision impairment had the largest statistically significant effect on the likelihood of mobility or vision activity limitations, or participatory restriction in 29 of the 44 logistic regression analyses. These findings are significant as vision impairment is framed as a public health concern, and can inform improvements in programs and services for older adults. Finally, these findings highlight the need for expanded research examining the effect of specific eye diseases and comorbid conditions among older adults

A Quantitative Study of the Relationships between Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction among Older People with Vision Impairment and Comorbid Conditions

The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence and effects of vision impairment co-existing with other comorbid conditions. Utilizing the 2008 National Health Interview Survey, the most recent nationally representative data including expanded vision, health conditions, and activity questions, this study examined the effect of vision impairment co-existing with selected comorbid conditions among non-institutionalized older adults age ≥ 55 years. Specifically, this study compared 4 groups: (a) older adults with neither vison impairment nor comorbid conditions, (b) older adults with vision impairment only, (c) older adults with comorbid conditions only, and (d) older adults with both vision impairment and each of the comorbid conditions to examine the prevalence and effect of vision impairment and comorbid conditions on selected mobility and vision activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Using complex sample techniques to conduct frequency analyses and logistic regression procedures, this study compared these groups of older adults to document the likelihood of experiencing mobility and vision activity limitations, and participatory restrictions. These results suggest that older adults reporting vision impairments are a heterogeneous population, overwhelmingly use corrective lenses, and experience substantial mobility and vision activity limitations, and participatory restrictions; however, relatively few report using low vision aids or rehabilitation services. In addition, these results revealed, even when controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, region of residence, and health status, older adults with vision impairment and any of the selected comorbid conditions were statistically significantly more likely to report mobility and vision activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Moreover, when comparing older adults reporting vision impairment co-existing with comorbid conditions older adults reporting either vision impairment only or a comorbid condition only, the results suggest vision impairment had the largest statistically significant effect on the likelihood of mobility or vision activity limitations, or participatory restriction in 29 of the 44 logistic regression analyses. These findings are significant as vision impairment is framed as a public health concern, and can inform improvements in programs and services for older adults. Finally, these findings highlight the need for expanded research examining the effect of specific eye diseases and comorbid conditions among older adults

Tax loss carryovers in a competitive environment

The fact that incumbent firms can immediately deduct research and development (R&D) investments from taxable income is generally believed to give them a strategic advantage over new firms that cannot deduct the investment cost, but instead generate a net operating tax loss carryover. Using an analytical model, we show that this conventional wisdom need not hold in a competitive environment. We examine operating and investment decisions in a duopolistic industry in which an initial investment in R&D yields an immediate tax benefit for one firm, but creates a net operating loss carryover for the other firm. If both firms invest in R&D, the firm with the net operating loss carryover makes more aggressive capital investment decisions following successful R&D. This may deter the incumbent firm from investing in R&D despite the lower after‐tax costs of this investment. Changing the tax loss carryover rules would thus not only affects start‐up or loss firms, but would also affect the investment decisions of profitable firms in the same industry

Geological and Climatic Survey, Camp Bowie Military Reservation Brownwood, Texas

Most of the data presented here were digitized from printed paper originals of the U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000-scale, 7.5-minute topographic maps of the Brownwood and Indian Creek quadrangles (U.S. Geological Survey, 1979b, 1980) (fig. 1); a few stream segments and drainage divides were digitized from the adjoining Blanket Springs and Zephyr quadrangles to the east (U.S. Geological Survey, 1979b, 1979c) (fig. 1). Drainage divides were determined by examination of topographic contours. Geologic contacts were transferred from aerial photographs that were used in the compilation of the Brownwood sheet of the Geologic Atlas of Texas (Kier and others, 1976). Generalized soil boundaries were digitized from enlargements of figure 14 in Nance and Wermund (1993).Bureau of Economic Geolog

Levee Foundation Remediation Using the Deep Mix Method

Hurricane Katrina was responsible for hundreds of deaths, billions of dollars of damage, and left the levee system in New Orleans in a state of disrepair. Many levees that make up the Flood Protection system for New Orleans were overtopped and sustained considerable damage. This case history will look at one section of levee in New Orleans East designated LPV (Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity) -111 that is 5.3 miles in length. LPV-111 was overtopped and breeches occurred adjacent to structures. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was tasked to not only repair the levee, but also to raise the effective height to provide the One Hundred Year level of protection by increasing the levee crown from Elevation 17’ to Elevation 28’. A conventional levee with stability berms was quickly ruled out due to the limited right-of-way that existed due to the close proximity of the Bayou Sauvage Wildlife Refuge. In order to stabilize the weak soils underlying the existing levee, the USACE decided to improve the characteristics of the soils by utilizing the Deep Mixing Method (DMM). The DMM would create a stable foundation on which the height of the levee could be increased while also controlling overall settlement and provide lateral stability to resist future storm surges. The project consisted of stabilizing more than 1.6 million cubic yards of soil to depths up to approximately 70’ while using over 460,000 tons of binder consisting of both Ordinary Portland Cement and Blast Furnace Slag. Eight deep mixing rigs were used to successfully complete the project while working around the clock for a total of 14 months. The project was an outstanding technical success and is the largest deep mixing project in the world, outside of Japan