TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Gadhafi vows Libya will defend …
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Bidding war starts in Texas Rangers auction
Billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and a group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan were locked in a fierce bidding war for the Texas Rangers early Thursday, with each side adding millions to the pot in a rare and contentious bankruptcy court auction.
Just before midnight, the group led by team president Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg made a bid of $365 million in cash _ a portion of its total bid _ and dropped provisions worth $12 million.
Cuban's group countered with a $390 million cash offer, part of a $598 million bid and that's where things stood as the hearing stretched into Thursday, with no end in sight.
The …
Alabama State women win SWAC track title
Defender staff report
Led by the splendid performance by Jewell Wells, the Alabama State women's track team captured the 2007 SWAC championship at Troy State (Ala.) University.
Wells, a senior, captured the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 10,000-meter run. She also placed second in the 1,500 meter run.
The Lady Hornets won the overall team title with 190 overall points while Southern was second with 156 points.
Pacing the Southern effort was senior Monica Robinson who took first in the pole vault, second in the long jump and third in the high jump.
Meanwhile, the Grambling men captured their second straight SWAC men's title with 181 points, easily …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
IBM's Palmisano Made $20.9M in 2007
IBM Corp.'s chairman and chief executive, Samuel J. Palmisano, enjoyed an 11 percent raise in compensation to $20.9 million in 2007, a year in which the technology company increased its profits and stock price.
In a regulatory filing Monday, IBM said Palmisano, 56, was paid $1.8 million in salary and $5.8 million in a bonus-like payout under IBM's incentive plan. He also got options and stock equivalents worth $12.3 million when they were issued.
Another $988,479 came to Palmisano through various perks, including $406,235 worth of travel on IBM aircraft, $364,162 in dividend …
A-B to take vote on Clydesdales in Super Bowl
Anheuser-Busch isn't saying "neigh" just yet to putting its Clydesdales in the Super Bowl.
The longtime Super Bowl advertising leader will ask fans starting later Friday to vote on three possible Budweiser ads on the brand's Facebook page. One of them includes the company's trademark Clydesdale horses. All are by advertising agency DDB.
Earlier this …
Frank Peoples
NY shoplifter leaves hospice, sent back to jail
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York judge who released a shoplifter from jail so she could spend her dying days in a hospice has ordered her back to jail.
Nassau County Judge Francis Ricigliano (reh-sih-glee-AH'-noh) received information Tuesday from the Long Island hospice that Diane McCloud could live another six months. A doctor earlier this month had indicated the 48-year-old was near …
Consumer spending falls in September, incomes flat
U.S. consumer spending plunged in September by the largest amount in nine months, reflecting the end of the government's "Cash for Clunkers" auto sales program. Incomes, the fuel for future spending, were flat.
While the government reported that the overall economy grew in the July-September period, signaling the end of the worst recession in seven decades, the weakness in spending and incomes as the quarter ended underscores the fragility of the recovery.
Economists worry that the recovery could falter in coming months if households cut back on spending to cope with rising unemployment, heavy debt loads and tight credit conditions.
…Touching Home
Test results: Should children know how they have scored onstandardized achievement tests?
"Darn right," said H.D. Hoover, director of the Iowa BasicSkills Testing Program at the University of Iowa. "They're the onesthat worked their tails off on these tests for four or five hours. .. . I feel very strongly that if kids are going to put effort intothese kinds of things then they need the results shared with them."
Keeping test results from children can send the wrong message."Youngsters know that they have taken a test; it's natural for themto want to know how they did and unfair not to offer them theresults," said Carolyn Callahan, director of the National …
Mark Traisman: Studded Tires May Damage The Road
At the recent meeting of the Regional Association of Local Motorists, the idea of the government to impose an additional tax for owners of motor vehicles with studded tires was brought up for discussion by the Association leader, Mark Traisman. He said that authorities believe such tires detrimental to roadway; they say, deep ruts appear in the asphalt on outer lanes of the major highways.
According to surveys results, in large cities there are hundreds thousand vehicles that have studded tires in summer. In winter, studded tires are used by nearly three million drivers. It damages the road surface and increases the risk of accidents.
"Do you think it is necessary to legally prohibit using studded tires in summer? - Mark Traisman addressed to his colleagues. – “For example, in Austria there are mountain roads, but studded tires are strictly prohibited. In snow and ice, drivers wear chains that are removed on the freeway. According to Swedish law, you can use the studs, but driving on controversial tires in summer is subject to severe penalties. Similar practice is common in other countries, too".
What choices do drivers have? To pay taxes or use all-season tires, as suggested by Mark Traisman. "For example, I myself have the four-wheel drive, so all-seasons tires are quite enough, if you do not go to the country. Riding with them is more comfortable and less noisy. And studded tires make driving on the asphalt worse and harder to slow down".
Of course, not everyone has the luxury of a four wheel drive car. But there is another argument in favor of all-season tires: riding on “studs” in summer can increase gasoline consumption by 6%, and tire rubber gets worn out twice as fast. Each driver is proposed to calculate the cost-effective option on their own and government and citizens choose traffic safety and roads without potholes.
Review: 'Breaking Dawn' romantic but melancholy
Various artists, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 Original Soundtrack" (Atlantic Records)
Just about everyone is familiar with the "Twilight" tale of romantic woe between a vampire and a human. The first part of the fourth and final installment, "Breaking Dawn," out in theaters on Friday, finally sees the two star-crossed lovers, Bella and Edward, get married; hence, the soundtrack brings about a vibe of a love that has finally settled into something coherent. But along with fulfillment, the lyrics are touched by a strange sadness (Maybe they're just channeling werewolf Jacob's grief at being left out of this).
Bruno Mars, the most prominent name on the soundtrack, …
Wood shoots 4-under 67, leads by 2 at Wentworth
Chris Wood of England shot a 4-under 67 Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the BMW PGA Championship.
Robert Karlsson of Sweden shot a course-record 62 for the lowest round since the European PGA event was first played on the course in 1955. He's two strokes behind Wood in a tie for second with Danny Willett (70).
Karlsson flew home to Monaco on Friday thinking he'd missed the cut at 3 over. He got a phone call saying he was playing on the weekend. He flew to Paris, slept for two hours, then paid $11,000 for a private jet to take him to London, arriving at the course an hour before tee time.
He made nine birdies on Wentworth's …
Danger in the night
It's 1 a.m. in Englewood, and Steve Wiedersberg's cab glides pastprostitutes under street lights and young men in the shadows as hethinks back about a year, when he pulled up to an abandoned buildingon a dark street and his fare started to get fidgety.
"I should have known something was up, but I was tired. Youknow, you get to working nights and you get tired. He puts a gun tomy head and a knife to my throat and says: `You know what time it is.Give me your money.' "
The $15 Wiedersberg had on him wasn't enough.
"I said to him: `A hero ain't nothing but a sandwich and I ain'tlying to you.' Then he told me we were going into an abandonedbuilding," …
FIFA not yet ready to act on Nigeria interference
FIFA is studying a report before possibly taking action against Nigeria for government interference after the team's first-round exit at the World Cup.
Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the team on Wednesday to sit out international competition for two years as punishment for its poor showing.
FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said Thursday that Nigeria's government has told FIFA about the ban.
"We have been now officially informed of that and we are looking at this case," Maingot said at a daily World Cup briefing. "We need a little bit of time."
FIFA rules demand that national federations manage their affairs independently or face suspension from world football. National and club teams then cannot play in international competitions, and football officials are barred from attending meetings.
"This is clearly outlined in the FIFA statutes," said Maingot, but adding that "we are not at the step of taking sanctions."
Earlier this week, FIFA president Sepp Blatter restated his disapproval of politicians meddling in football's affairs when asked about a French government inquiry into the team's shambolic display at the World Cup.
Blatter said football officials "can really rely on FIFA in case of political interference _ even if it is at the presidential level."
A spokesman for Jonathan said Wednesday that the government will also investigate corruption allegations surrounding the football federation.
All funds directed toward the federation would be examined and "all those found wanting will be sanctioned," spokesman Ima Niboro said.
Nigeria is scheduled to receive prize money of $8 million (euro6.5 million) from FIFA for participating in the World Cup.
Nigerian Football Federation spokesman Ademola Olajire told The Associated Press on Thursday that policemen came into their offices in Abuja after Jonathan announced his decision to pull the team from international matches.
However, Olajire said the officers came after they received information about an anti-government protest planned at the office.
Olajire said the federation remained open for business and that officials had yet to receive any communication from the government. Other leaders at the federation declined to speak with an AP reporter.
Spokesmen for Nigeria's federal police force and its chief anti-corruption agency denied Thursday that their organizations raided the football federation. They also said they had no knowledge of any ongoing investigation.
Known as the Super Eagles, Nigeria was eliminated from the World Cup with only one point after a 2-2 draw with South Korea in its last game.
Nigeria lost to Argentina 1-0 in its Group B opener, and was beaten 2-1 by Greece in a game that turned on the first-half red card to its midfielder Sani Kaita.
Nigeria is next scheduled to play in early September, at home to Madagascar in a qualifier for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
A standoff between the government and football's governing body could threaten Nigeria's place in the FIFA-run Under-20 Women's World Cup, which kicks off July 13 in Germany.
Nigerian club side Heartland also could lose its spot in the African Champions League. Heartland is one of eight teams to reach the group stage of the continental competition, and is scheduled to host Egypt's Al-Ahly in two weeks' time.
The dispute has arisen despite Nigeria being represented on FIFA's ruling executive committee. Amos Adamu has had a seat on the powerful 24-man body since 2006.
___
Associated Press Writers Bashir Adigun in Abuja, Nigeria, and Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Turbulence injures passengers on flight to Miami
Paramedics at Miami International Airport treated at least six passengers who complained of bumps and bruises from turbulence Friday on an American Airlines flight from Argentina, authorities said.
At least one passenger was transferred on a stretcher, said Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue spokesman Arnold Piedrahita.
Flight 908 was making a descent into the airport before 7 a.m. when it hit severe turbulence at 30,000 feet, American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said. The "fasten seat belt" light was on.
Six people _ two flight attendants and four passengers _ were taken to the hospital with back and neck injuries. Their conditions were not immediately available.
"Flight attendants, at that altitude, would still be up for duty," Smith said. He could not say if the passengers were walking around the cabin or in their seats.
The Boeing 777 carrying 246 passengers and 14 crew members from Buenos Aires landed safely, Smith said.
American flight attendants were scheduled to picket at the airport Friday morning to protest poor working conditions. That protest was planned before the incident.
Bae Comes Under Fire
Bristol employer and defence group BAE Systems has been criticisedover pretax losses of more than GBP600 million which result from aGBP750 million charge for delays on two major MoD contracts.
Delays with the group's contracts to deliver three submarines,Astute, Artful and Ambush, and 18 Nimrod anti-submarine aircraft,resulted in costs climbing to more than GBP1.4 billion above theoriginally agreed price of GBP5.5 billion for the work.
On Wednesday the company, which employs 600 people at its Filtonsite, announced that it had struck a deal whereby it would takeresponsibility for GBP750 million of that and the taxpayer would payan extra GBP700 million.
Yesterday it emerged that as a result of the delays, the company,which is the UK's biggest defence contractor, reported a pre-taxloss of GBP616 million.
That compares with profits of GBP70 million the previous year, andit is the group's worst result since the early 1990s.
In the past year Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the company wasno longer British because more than half its shareholders wereforeign.
That comment came at a time when BAE was competing with Frenchrival Thales for the contract to build the Royal Navy's nextgeneration of aircraft carriers.
It won the role of prime contractor on the project but the designcontract went to Thales.
It has also had to issue a statement denying rumours of boardroomdissent.
Stuart Louden, of Clifton stockbrokers Hargreaves Lansdown said:"The shares are potentially cheap and if they get some of thecontracts they are hoping for it could be quite an interesting stockat these levels.
"But there are better value stocks and better run businesses.
"It's a huge monolithic business that no one has been able toreally grab hold of and turn into an efficient company for the 21stcentury." Philip Lawrence, director of the aerospace research centreat UWE, leads a team that has developed a new programme of managementfor handling large contracts.
He said the MoD's drive to cut costs might have led companies,including BAE Systems, to offer unrealistic bids and he said a newapproach was needed to the way contracts were managed.
He said: "There's no doubt the Astute submarine contract and theNimrod are programmes that have been badly managed. If I was BAE I'dhold up my hands to that." BAE Systems chairman Sir Richard Evanssaid yesterday that now the two contracts were resolved, the companywas in a good position to move forward.
He said: "The management team has moved swiftly to address seriousissues in our UK programmes.
"The outlook for our business in the UK is now much improved andcomplements our strong and growing position in the UK."
Escape from fire
A man in a flat with no smoke alarms had a lucky escape when thecooker in his kitchen caught fire while he was asleep. Fire crewswere called to Linley Close in Twerton last Thursday night toreports of a fire in a six-storey block of flats. When they arrivedthey found the first floor flat was smoke-logged, and they wereunable to get an answer from inside. Two firefighters forced theirway in and found a man asleep. He was taken outside and treated forsmoke inhalation by paramedics, before being taken to the RoyalUnited Hospital as a precaution. The fire was caused by a pan leftunattended on the cooker which had caught fire, causing extensivesmoke damage to the flat.
Firefighters put it out, and then spent time fitting smokealarms, as there was none in the flat.
Chinese ports investor COSCO Pacific says 2007 net profit rose 47 percent
Chinese ports investor COSCO Pacific Ltd. said Monday its 2007 net profit rose 47 percent from a year earlier, lifted by the sale of its stake in a Hong Kong lender and strong demand for container ports.
Net profit for the year ended Dec. 31 rose to US$427.8 million (euro273 million) from US$291.1 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 0.5 percent to US$298.9 million (euro152.5 million) from US$297.5 million.
The company derives most of its profit from ports in which it has a stake of less than 50 percent. The profit contributions from these investments are included in its financial statement, but not the revenue.
COSCO Pacific, a unit of state-owned shipping operator COSCO Holdings Ltd., recommended a final dividend of 3.92 U.S. cents (2.5 euro cents), down from 4.15 U.S. cents in 2006. It also recommended a special final dividend of 2.20 U.S. cents (1.4 euro cents).
COSCO Pacific has stakes in container terminals in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Belgium.
In August, the company sold its 20 percent holding in Chong Hing Bank Ltd. for HK$2.09 billion (US$268 million; euro170 million), booking a gain of US$90.7 million (euro57.69) million from the sale.
Rangers 8, Astros 3
| Houston | Texas | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ab r h bi | ab r h bi | |||
| Bourgs rf | 4 1 1 0 | Kinsler 2b | 5 1 0 0 | |
| Bourn cf | 3 1 1 0 | Andrus ss | 4 1 1 0 | |
| Kppngr 2b | 4 1 2 0 | JHmltn lf | 4 2 2 2 | |
| Ca.Lee dh | 3 0 0 1 | ABeltre 3b | 4 1 3 2 | |
| Michals lf | 4 0 2 2 | MiYong dh | 4 0 1 1 | |
| CJhnsn 3b | 4 0 0 0 | N.Cruz rf | 3 0 1 1 | |
| Wallac 1b | 4 0 0 0 | Morlnd 1b | 4 2 1 1 | |
| Barmes ss | 3 0 0 0 | Tegrdn c | 4 0 0 0 | |
| Corprn c | 2 0 1 0 | Gentry cf | 4 1 3 1 | |
| AngSnc ph | 1 0 0 0 | |||
| Totals | 32 3 7 3 | Totals | 36 8 12 8 |
| Houston | 000 | 200 | 010—3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 331 | 000 | 01x—8 |
E_C.Johnson (8). DP_Texas 1. LOB_Houston 6, Texas 6. 2B_Keppinger (4), Mi.Young (20), Gentry (5). 3B_J.Hamilton (2). HR_Moreland (9). SB_Bourn (30), Gentry 3 (9). SF_Ca.Lee, N.Cruz.
| IP | H | R ER BB SO | ||||
| Houston | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happ L,3-9 | 2 2-3 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| An.Rodriguez | 4 1-3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Melancon | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Texas | ||||||
| D.Holland W,6-2 | 7 1-3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| M.Lowe | 2-3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D.Oliver | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
WP_Happ. PB_Corporan. Balk_Happ.
Umpires_Home, Eric Cooper; First, Mark Ripperger; Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Jeff Kellogg.
T_2:46. A_41,205 (49,170).
Netscape's Boom Worries Analysts
Netscape Communications Corp., the maker of popular software thatallows users to browse the Internet, sizzled on Wall Street lastweek. Its shares bolted up ; 2 1/2 times the offering price of $28a share in heavy trading Wednesday; on Nasdaq. The breathtakingdebut had some of Wall Street's bearish pundits howling. How, theyasked, can the stock market be healthy if a company with no earningscan immediately trade with a market capitalization of nearly $2billion? Overall, some analysts believe, the stock market's bigrally has run out of steam, and an absence of new leadership may bewhat sets off a long-awaited correction. LYNCH SAYS STAY PUT: Do you know what you'll do if the stock marketheads south? Smart investors should prepare for the inevitablecorrection "mostly by doing nothing," advised Peter Lynch, whopiloted the immensely profitable Fidelity Magellan Fund. In theSeptember issue of Worth magazine, Lynch urges investors who won'tneed their money for 20 years to use a sharp market decline to buystrong companies on sale. THE BOOK ON COLLEGE: High school graduates preparing to learn theropes in college have some help. Polly Berent, a Seymour, Ind.,parent, has created Getting Ready for College, a guide that drawsfrom the experiences of her son, Jonathan, a 1995 Stanford grad, andmore than a dozen other college students. The book is 36 pages of"tips and quips from students who've been there" - everything fromtransportation tips to advice about clothes, exercise, careerplanning and health care. The book is $6.95, plus $1 shipping, fromMoon Shadow Press, Box 37, Seymour, Ind. 47274. Other guides: GetReal: A Student's Guide to Money and Other Practical Matters, byJames Tenuto and Susan Schwartzwald, and How to Prepare for College,by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler. FUNERAL HOW-TO: Each year, Americans arrange more than 2 millionfunerals for family and friends. Too often, according to the FederalTrade Commission, funeral homes "fail to give consumers the pricelists and other information they're entitled to." The FTC's FuneralRule is designed to make it easier to compare funeral costs byrequiring funeral homes to give consumers a general price list. Thelist also discloses that a casket is not required for a cremationwithout a viewing and other information. For a copy of the free FTCbrochure, "Funerals: A Consumer Guide," write the FTC's PublicReference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20580.
Gannett News Service
Robert Rauschenberg
Jim Rosenquist is as generous in art as he is in politics. No one goes hungry while being exposed to the fields of images in his paintings. His compositions are organized in content and color as if they were a public/social alarm. The alarm is positive. The degree of optimism in his work is by degree, but always there. En masse, the works are a welcome and a celebration of life in the broadest sense.
Jim and I are as unique in our art as we are in our friendship and politics. We celebrate nearly a half century of mutual admiration of our common and uncommon lives.
[Author Affiliation]
Robert Rauschenberg's work will be on view at the Palazzo del Diamanti in Ferrara, Italy, from February to June 2004.
Passengers Are Winners In Great Legroom War
Since recurrent fare wars apparently haven't been pulling inenough business to bolster the ailing airline industry, carriers nowhave embarked on the Great Legroom War.
Passengers seem to have fussed so much about leg cramps andbruised knees that airlines are finally getting the picture. (It'samazing what product improvements are made when business gets bad.)
The battle started in business class, where fares are higher andempty seats thus are more costly to the carriers than those in coach.Virgin Atlantic and Continental currently are squabbling publiclyover who copied whom in the comfort competition.
But concern about providing roomier seats also is spreadingbeyond the velvet curtain.
I recently traveled trans-Atlantic in the coach section on twoAir France planes (a 747 and a 767) and was pleasantly surprised thatI could reach down and slip off my shoes or grab a pen from mypocketbook even with the tray table down and set for dinner (Icouldn't see the in-flight movie very well, but that's anotherstory).
Also recently, when I sampled Kiwi International's new Floridaservice, I reclined my seatback in tandem with the passenger in frontof me for half the flight before I realized it wasn't necessary. Andlast summer, on comfort pioneer Alaska Airlines, my two travelingcompanions and I were amazed that none of us had anyone from the rowahead napping in our breakfast.
TWA has been dangling extra legroom as a passenger lure formonths, and claims to be "the roomiest U.S. carrier in the sky."
We're really on a roll here.
The cover story of the January issue of Frequent Flyer magazine"The Search for the Perfect Airline Seat" - concluded every seatdesign is a compromise that seldom makes everyone happy. But it heldout hope for the future.
Meanwhile, frequent travelers long have requested the bulkheadseats behind cabin divider walls, where passengers never have tocontend with someone else's seatback crowding their space. Theseseats are increasingly reserved for handicapped travelers or familieswith small children, but it never hurts to ask if you think you'regoing to be too cramped elsewhere. Travel agents usually can offerinsights into the configuration of aircraft used on various routes.
The rows adjoining emergency exits will become roomier under anew Federal Aviation Administration rule applying to planes with morethan 60 seats. Last December, the FAA asked airlines to increase thedistance between exit rows from 10 to 20 inches in three-abreastseating and from six to 10 in two-abreast, or to remove the seatimmediately next to the exit, to allow more room for passengers tomaneuver in an emergency. A number of airlines have petitioned forextensions of the deadline, however, according to an FAA spokesman.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Hospitalization in the First Year of Treatment for Schizophrenia
Objective: To determine the rates of hospitalization during the first year of treatment for schizophrenia, using an epidemiologic sample.
Method: We examined inpatient and outpatient administrative databases in the province of Nova Scotia for cases of schizophrenia (ICD-9 code 295 or 298) newly diagnosed during the years 1995 to 1998. We noted the diagnosis site (that is, inpatient or outpatient) and hospitalizations in the year following diagnosis. We also established links to the clinical database maintained by the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP).
Results: Over the 4-year period, we identified 434 unique cases from an at-risk population of 320 000 (yielding a yearly average age-specific incidence rate of 3.3/10 000), of whom 119 had received care from the NSEPP. Of the cases, 54% were initially diagnosed while they were inpatients. In the year following diagnosis, the overall hospitalization rate, excluding initial hospitalizations, was 17%. Patients who were initially diagnosed while inpatients had a higher rate of hospitalization in the first year of treatment (25% vs 7%), compared with those initially diagnosed while outpatients. This relation was also present among patients who received care from the NSEPP.
Conclusions: Of newly diagnosed patients with schizophrenia, 46% were not hospitalized at the time of initial diagnosis. Of all patients, 17% required hospitalization during the first year of treatment, excluding an initial hospitalization, if present. Hospitalization rates in the first year were higher among patients initially hospitalized and among those with a rural residence. Patients requiring hospitalization during the first year form an important target group for improved interventions.
(Can J Psychiatry 2004;49:635-638)
Information on funding and support and author affiliations appears at the end of the article.
Clinical Implications
* Approximately one-half of newly diagnosed patients with schizophrenia do not require inpatient services.
* Patients who are first diagnosed while inpatients and those who reside in rural areas are more likely to require additional inpatient services in the first year of treatment.
* Patients who require hospitalization in the first year of treatment may require targeted interventions to improve outcomes.
Limitations
* Data were drawn from databases established for administrative rather than research purposes.
* Some patients who received previous treatment outside Nova Scotia may have been included.
* Several factors, including illness severity and availability of appropriate outpatient services, are likely to influence hospitalization rates.
Key Words: schizophrenia, early psychosis, hospitalization rates
Over the past decade, interest has increased in designing services to optimize care during the early stages of psychotic disorders (1,2). In designing these services, it will be important to study such service indicators as hospitalization rates and to investigate factors that may influence these indicators.
The province of Nova Scotia is an advantageous setting in which to carry out such studies. Available administrative databases contain all inpatient admissions and outpatient psychiatric contacts. As do all Canadian provinces and territories, Nova Scotia provides universal access to health care.
A prototype Early Psychosis Program, designed to enhance prompt assessment and optimize treatment, has been operating in the province since late 1995 (3). The program has focused on education about the signs and symptoms of early psychosis (4) while also providing expert clinical care for a self-selected convenience sample of first-episode patients (5).
This study measured hospitalization rates during the first year of treatment for schizophrenia in Nova Scotia and identified factors that might influence those rates.
Methods
We accessed administrative health data for the province of Nova Scotia (population 940 000) through the Population Health Research Unit at Dalhousie University, Halifax. At the time of analysis, physician and hospital administrative databases covering the period January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999, were available. Encrypted health card numbers allowed data linkages while ensuring confidentiality. We retained data for Nova Scotia residents aged 15 to 3 5 years (an at-risk population of 320 000) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-9 codes 295 or 298) made between 1995 and 1998, either in hospital or by an outpatient psychiatrist, and with no recorded diagnosis of schizophrenia in the 5 years preceding the year of diagnosis. Physician and hospital administrative databases were cross-checked to determine whether the first diagnosis was made in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Location of residence allowed cases to be identified as residing either in the only urban centre, Halifax (population 360 000), or elsewhere. Linkage with databases maintained by the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP) allowed us to identify patients who received care from that program. We identified hospitalizations in the first year after diagnosis where schizophrenia was the primary diagnosis.
We used logistic regression to determine the odds of having at least 1 hospitalization in the year following diagnosis when we controlled for age, sex, location of residence, and initial diagnosis site (that is, an inpatient vs an outpatient setting). We obtained research ethics approval for the study from the Ethics Review Board of the Capital District Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Results
We identified 434 new cases over the 4-year study period, of whom 95% were assigned ICD-9 code 295. Given an at-risk population of approximately 320 000, the yearly average incidence rate was 3.3/10 000.
Table 1 summarizes demographic characteristics and hospitalization rates. Of the patients, 236 (54%) were hospitalized at the time of initial diagnosis. Excluding hospitalization at the time of diagnosis, 74 patients (17%) were hospitalized at least once in the year after their initial diagnosis.
Table 1 also compares patients first diagnosed while they were inpatients with those first diagnosed as outpatients. The groups did not differ significantly with regard to age. However, compared with outpatients, inpatients were significantly more likely to be women, were more likely to reside outside the urban area, and were less likely to have had contact with the NSEPP. Finally, inpatients were more likely to be hospitalized in the year following diagnosis (25% vs 7% for outpatients).
Using the variables in Table 1, results from a logistic regression model for the probability of having at least 1 hospitalization in the first year after diagnosis demonstrated that sex and age at diagnosis were not significantly associated with the probability of hospitalization. Residence outside the urban area (odds ratio 1.71) and initial diagnosis while an inpatient (odds ratio 2.87) were significantly associated with a higher probability of hospitalization in the first year.
Of the 434 patients, 119 received care from the NSEPP. Compared with the entire sample, these patients were significantly younger, were more likely to have received their first diagnosis as outpatients, and were less likely to be hospitalized in the year following diagnosis. The hospitalization rate in the first year after diagnosis was 8%. In a logistic regression model that also included the site of initial diagnosis, having received care from the NSEPP did not significantly determine hospitalization in the first year after diagnosis.
Discussion
Three findings emerge from this study. First, nearly one-half of the patients were not hospitalized during the process of initial diagnosis. second, excluding an initial hospitalization, slightly less than one-fifth of the patients required hospitalization during the first year of treatment after diagnosis. Third, hospitalization in the first year of treatment was higher for patients first diagnosed in hospital and for patients who lived outside the single urban area in Nova Scotia.
Before discussing these points, 2 methodological issues should be noted. First, the databases used were established for administrative rather than research purposes. As has been recently noted (6), administrative databases provide a cost-effective means for studying the health of specific populations. Conversely, they have limitations. For example, although all the diagnoses were made by a psychiatrist, diagnostic interrater reliability cannot be established. As well, it should be noted that the databases use ICD-9 coding, rather than the DSM-IV criteria with which Canadian clinicians are more familiar. A second limitation involves the possibility that some patients who were first diagnosed in another jurisdiction and later moved to Nova Scotia could have been mistakenly identified as new cases. That said, the incidence rate determined is very similar to that reported elsewhere (7), suggesting there were few such cases.
We derived 2 different hospitalization rates from the current results. The first rate is the percentage of patients hospitalized at the time of first diagnosis. The second rate is the percentage of patients hospitalized during the first year following diagnosis, excluding the initial hospitalization, if there was one.
As to the first rate, the current results indicate that 54% of the patients were hospitalized at the time of first diagnosis. Very similar rates have been reported from the UK (8), from Jamaica (9), and from London, Ontario (10). These results emphasize the point that nearly one-half of all patients with schizophrenia are diagnosed and begin treatment without requiring an inpatient admission.
The second rate measured in this study-hospitalization during the first year of treatment-provides a measure of treatment response. The results yield an overall rate of 17%; that is, 17% of all patients were hospitalized at some point during the first year of treatment, excluding the initial hospitalization, if there was one. Again, very similar rates have been reported from Jamaica (9) and from London, Ontario (10). These figures indicate that, with current treatment, a significant number of patients will need access to inpatient service during their first year of treatment.
The finding that the hospitalization rate during the first year of treatment was higher for patients hospitalized at the time of their initial diagnosis and for those who resided in a rural location requires discussion and further research that goes beyond the scope of this study. Several factors, including severity of presentation, diagnostic uncertainty, and comorbid disorders, are likely to influence hospitalization rates (11).
Given the limitations of the administrative databases used in this study, it is difficult to determine the reasons for the observed differences. Regression analysis indicated that both the initial diagnosis site and urban vs rural residence were independently associated with differences in hospitalization rates. Because the differences in hospitalization rates were present among the subset of patients seen by the NSEPP, differences in clinical practice alone are unlikely to explain this finding.
One likely explanation is that patients hospitalized at the time of diagnosis differ clinically from those diagnosed as outpatients, particularly in terms of the severity of their presentation. This may indicate that the hospitalized patients have a more severe form of disorder and, hence, do not respond as well to the available treatment. Unfortunately, the administrative databases we used in this study do not provide information on clinical severity, and we could not test this explanation. Likewise, the databases do not contain accurate data on comorbid psychiatric or physical disorders that might contribute both to the need for hospitalization and to poorer treatment response.
Regardless of explanations, our study results focus attention on the group of patients who require hospitalization in their first year of treatment. If we assume that the need for hospitalization was associated with a relatively poor treatment response, these patients-17% of the total sample and 25% of initially hospitalized patients-represent a significant subset for whom current treatments are not sufficiently effective. Targeted interventions for these patients could be a useful focus for further research and service development.
Funding and Support
Funding for this study was provided in part by a developmental grant from the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our collaborators in the Population Health Research Unit at Dalhousie University, in particular, Mike Pennock.
R�sum� : L'hospitalisation dans la premi�re ann�e de traitement de la schizophr�nie
Objectif : D�terminer les taux d'hospitalisation durant la premi�re ann�e de traitement de la schizophr�nie, � l'aide d'un �chantillon �pid�miologique.
M�thode : Nous avons examin� les bases de donn�es administratives des patients hospitalis�s et externes de la province de la Nouvelle-Ecosse pour trouver les cas de schizophr�nie (CIM-9 code 295 ou 298) nouvellement diagnostiqu�s de 1995 � 1998. Nous avons not� l'endroit du diagnostic (c.-�-d., patient hospitalis� ou externe) et les hospitalisations dans l'ann�e suivant le diagnostic. Nous avons aussi �tabli des liens aux bases de donn�es cliniques entretenues par le programme de psychose pr�coce de la Nouvelle-Ecosse (NSEPP).
R�sultats : Sur une p�riode de 4 ans, nous avons trouv� 434 cas uniques sur une population � risque de 320 000 (ce qui donne un taux d'incidence moyen annuel selon l'�ge de 3,3/10 000), sur lesquels 119 avaient re�u des soins du NSEPP. Parmi les cas, 53 % ont �t� diagnostiqu�s la premi�re fois tandis qu'ils �taient hospitalis�s. Dans l'ann�e suivant le diagnostic, le taux d'hospitalisation global, en excluant la premi�re hospitalisation, �tait de 17 %. Les patients qui ont �t� diagnostiqu�s la premi�re fois tandis qu'ils �taient hospitalis�s avaient un taux d'hospitalisation plus �lev� dans la premi�re ann�e de traitement (25 % c. 7 %), comparativement � ceux diagnostiqu�s la premi�re fois en tant que patients externes. Cette relation �tait aussi pr�sente chez les patients qui recevaient des soins du NSEPP.
Conclusions : Sur les patients nouvellement diagnostiqu�s schizophr�nes, 46 % n'�taient pas hospitalis�s au moment du diagnostic initial. De tous les patients, 17 % ont eu besoin d'une hospitalisation durant la premi�re ann�e de traitement, en excluant la premi�re hospitalisation, le cas �ch�ant. Les taux d'hospitalisation de la premi�re ann�e �taient plus �lev�s chez les patients hospitalis�s lors du diagnostic initial et chez ceux demeurant en milieu rural. Les patients ayant eu besoin d'une hospitalisation durant la premi�re ann�e de traitement forment un important groupe cible pour des interventions am�lior�es.
[Reference]
References
1. McGorry PD, Jackson HJ. The recognition and management of early psychosis: a preventative approach. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press; 1999.
2. Birchwood M, Fowler D, Jackson C. Early intervention in psychosis: a guide to concepts, evidence and interventions. Chichester (UK): Wiley & Sons; 2000.
3. Whitehorn D, Lazier L, Kopala L. Psychosocial rehabilitation early after the onset of psychosis. Psychiatr Serv 1998;49:1135-7.
4.Crown MJ, Milliken H, Whitehorn D, Alexiadis M, Kopala L. Developing an education resource package to facilitate early detection and optimal treatment: The Sooner the Better Project. Schizophr Res 2003;60:333.
5. Whitehorn D, Brown J, Richard J, Rui Q, Kopala L. Multiple dimensions of recovery in early psychosis, Int J Psychiatry 2002;14:273-83.
6. Goldner EM, Jones W, Waraich P. Using administrative data to analyze the prevalence and distribution of schizophrenia disorders. Psychiatr Serv 2003 ;54:1017-21.
7. Bresnahan MA, Brown AS, Schaefer CA, Begg MD, Wyatt RJ, Susser ES. Incidence and cumulative risk of treated schizophrenia in the prenatal determinants of schizophrenia study. Schizophr Bull 2000:26:297-308.
8. Sipos A, Harrison G, Gunnell D, Amin S, Singh SP. Patterns and predictions of hospitalization in first-episode psychosis. Br J Psychiatry 2001 ; 178:518 -23.
9. Hickling FW, McCallum M, Nooks E, Rogers-Johnson P. Outcome of first contact schizophrenia in Jamaica. West Indian Med J 2001;50:194-7.
10. Malla AK, Norman RM, Manchanada R, McEean TS, Harricharan R, Cortese L, and others. Status of patients with first-episode psychosis after one year of phase-specific community-oriented treatment. Psychiatr Serv 2002;53:458-63.
11. Sridharan B, Arsah P, Marcos M. Hospitalisation in first-episode psychosis. Br J Psychiatry 2002;180:84-5.
[Author Affiliation]
David Whitehorn, PhD, MScN1, Julie C Richard, BSc2, Lili C Kopala, MD, FRCPC3
[Author Affiliation]
Manuscript received July 2003, revised, and accepted October 2003. Previously presented in part at the 8th International Congress on Schizophrenia Research; 2001 April 28-May 2; Whistler (BC).
1 Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program, Capital District Mental Health Program, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
2 Formerly, Research Assistant, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program, Capital District Mental Health Program, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Currently, Medical student, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.
3 Formerly, Founding Director, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program, Capital District Mental Health Program, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Currently, Clinical Professor, Center for Complex Brain Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Address for corresponce: Dr D Whitehorn, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program, 300 Pleasant Street, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 3Z9
e-mail: david.whitehorn@cdha.nshealth.ca
US court temporarily blocks Ala. law requiring schools to check students' immigration status
ATLANTA (AP) — US court temporarily blocks Ala. law requiring schools to check students' immigration status
`Wonder Years,' `thirtysomething' win Emmy `upsets'
Two ABC programs, the yuppie saga "thirtysomething" and "TheWonder Years," the continuing story of a little boy's 1960s growingpains, scored upset victories over heavily favored competitors Sundaynight, capturing Emmys for best drama and best comedy series.
NBC, continuing its over-all dominance of the awards in pastyears, won 11 Emmys, beating out ABC with 10, CBS with five, PBS withone and the pay cable service HBO, competing for the first timealongside the networks, with one.
Fox Broadcasting, which broadcast the 40th annual Emmy Awardslive, was shut out.
The selection of "thirtysomething" as best dramatic series cameas something of a surprise. The show beat out two favored NBCseries, "L.A. Law," which won last year, and the critically acclaimed"St. Elsewhere."
"The Wonder Years," which had only a limited run over ABCearlier this year, was an unexpected winner over three NBC shows,"Cheers," "Night Court" and "The Golden Girls."
Richard Kiley, of "A Year in the Life," in accepting the awardfor best actor in a dramatic series, took a swipe at NBC forcanceling the show. "I have nothing but sadness for the corporatemyopia that killed a fine show," Kiley said.
Lead actress in a dramatic series was Tyne Daly of "Cagney andLacey," winning for the fourth time. Michael J. Fox of "Family Ties"received his third straight Emmy for best actor in a comedy series,and Beatrice Arthur of "Golden Girls" was named best actress in acomedy series.
Larry Drake, whose sensitive portrayal of mentally handicappedoffice worker Benny Stulwitz on NBC's "L.A. Law" won the heart of anation, also captured the respect of his peers when he received theEmmy for best supporting actor in a dramatic series.
And John Larroquette continued his domination of the Emmy forbest supporting actor in a comedy series, walking off his with hisfourth straight statuette for his portrayal of a sleazy attorney onNBC's "Night Court."
Estelle Getty of NBC's "Golden Girls," won best supportingactress in a comedy series. Jane Seymour was named best supportingactress in a mini-series for her portrayal of Maria Callas in ABC's"Onassis: The Richest Man in the World."
John Shea received an Emmy for best supporting actor in amini-series for his work in ABC's "Baby M."
Sunday's Emmys introduced a welcome innovation with thecreation of the "designated accepter" to claim awards for absentwinners.
Tony Danza of "Who's the Boss?" was this year's "designatedaccepter." In accepting Shea's Emmy, Danza cracked, "I didn'tprepare anything because I didn't think he would win."
Best mini-series: "The Murder of Mary Phagan," NBC.
Best drama or comedy special: "Inherit The Wind," NBC.
Best dramatic series: "thirtysomething," ABC.
Best comedy series: "The Wonder Years," ABC.
Lead actor in mini-series: Jason Robards, "Inherit the Wind."
Lead actress in mini-series: Jessica Tandy, "Foxfire," CBS.
Supporting actor in mini-series: John Shea, "Baby M," ABC.
Supporting actress in mini-series: Jane Seymour, "Onassis: theRichest Man in the World," ABC.
Lead actor in dramatic series: Richard Kiley, "A Year in theLife," NBC.
Lead actress in dramatic series: Tyne Daly, "Cagney and Lacey,"CBS.
Supporting actor in dramatic series: Larry Drake, "L.A. Law,"NBC.
Supporting actress, dramatic series: Patricia Wettig,"thirtysomething."
Lead actor in comedy series: Michael J. Fox, "Family Ties," NBC.
Lead actress in comedy series: Beatrice Arthur, "Golden Girls,"NBC.
Supporting actor, comedy series: John Larroquette, "NightCourt," NBC.
Supporting actress in comedy series: Estelle Getty, "GoldenGirls."
Variety, music or comedy program: "Irving Berlin's 100thBirthday Celebration," CBS.
Writing in comedy series: Hugh Wilson, "Frank's Place," CBS.
Writing in dramatic series: Paul Haggis, Marshall Herskovitz,"thirtysomething."
Writing in mini-series or special: William Hanley, "The Attic:the Hiding of Anne Frank," CBS.
Writing in variety or music program: Jackie Mason, "Jackie MasonOn Broadway," HBO.
Directing in comedy series: Gregory Hoblit, "Hooperman," ABC.
Directing in dramatic series: Mark Tinker, "St. Elsewhere," NBC.
Directing in mini-series or special: Lamont Johnson, "GoreVidal's Lincoln," NBC.
Directing of variety or music program: Patricia Birch, HumphreyBurton, "Celebrating Gershwin," PBS.
Individual performance in variety or music program: RobinWilliams, "ABC Presents a Royal Gala," ABC.
Pachuca routs Tecos in InterLiga
Pachuca took advantage of a porous UAG Tecos defense to rout their rivals 4-0 in the opening round of the InterLiga tournament on Friday.
In Friday's other result, Toluca and Morelia played out a 1-1 draw.
Played in the neutral United States, the annual InterLiga is an eight-team event between Mexican clubs to determine the two qualifiers for the upcoming Copa Libertadores _ the South American continental club championship.
Pachuca, just back from the Club World Cup in Japan, went ahead when Paraguayan striker Edgar Benitez scored in the 16th minute after Tecos failed to clear the ball.
The 1-0 halftime advantage was soon doubled when defender Marco Ivan Perez headed home in the 48th minute.
It was 3-0 soon after when midfielder Edy German Brambila scored off a cross in the 57th minute.
Forward Victor Manon capped the scoring on a counter attack in the 89th minute.
In the other Group A round-robin match Morelia went ahead in the 39th minute through defender Fernando Salazar before striker Sergio Santana equalized for Toluca.
Gatto beats Contador to take stage 8 of the Giro
TROPEA, Italy (AP) — Oscar Gatto had to fight off a late charge from race favorite Alberto Contador to win the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday.
Gatto attacked on the final climb to the finish and only Contador broke from the pack to chase him.
"I'm a sprinter, but I've always liked finishes like this, slightly uphill and technically difficult," Gatto said. "I looked around once but didn't see anyone. Then when I looked again, I saw it was a Saxo Bank and thought, 'I wonder if it's Contador'."
"I was slightly worried because I knew I didn't have much left for an eventual sprint. But when I checked one last time near the line, I knew I'd got it and began celebrating."
The pair finished the 217-kilometer (134.5-mile) stage that began in Sapri in 4 hours, 59 minutes, 45 seconds, while Alessandro Petacchi led home the chasing pack to finish five seconds behind in third.
Dutchman Pieter Weening retained the pink jersey for the third consecutive day. He leads with 28 hours, 9 minutes, 49 seconds after he finished among the chasing group.
"Today for me and the team it was simple, only the finish was going to be hard," Weening said. "There were a lot of climbers and I had to be in the front because there could have been a lot of time gaps."
Contador's second place finish lifts him to fifth overall, 13 seconds behind Weening.
"First of all, I want to acknowledge the great work done by my team which kept me in contention until the very end and, because of this, I was able to take a few seconds (off)," Contador said. "It was a dangerous finish so we knew we had to be aware."
Mirko Selvaggi and Leonardo Giordani went on the attack after two kilometers and opened up a lead of 10 minutes, 50 seconds.
The pair held their advantage until 7.5 kilometers from the finish when the sprinters in the peloton finally hauled them in after good work by the Quick Step and HTC-Highroad teams.
Gatto shot from the pack with 2.5 kilometers remaining and even Contador's best efforts were not enough to stop him.
The Giro continues on Sunday with a 169-kilometer (104.7-mile) mountain stage from Messina to Etna. The 21-stage Giro finishes in Milan on May 29.
AP IMPACT: US spent-fuel storage sites are packed
The nuclear crisis in Japan has laid bare an ever-growing problem for the United States — the enormous amounts of still-hot radioactive waste accumulating at commercial nuclear reactors in more than 30 states.
The U.S. has 71,862 tons of the waste, according to state-by-state numbers obtained by The Associated Press. But the nation has no place to permanently store the material, which stays dangerous for tens of thousands of years.
Plans to store nuclear waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain have been abandoned, but even if a facility had been built there, America already has more waste than it could have handled.
Three-quarters of the waste sits in water-filled cooling pools like those at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex in Japan, outside the thick concrete-and-steel barriers meant to guard against a radioactive release from a nuclear reactor.
Spent fuel at Dai-ichi overheated, possibly melting fuel-rod casings and spewing radiation into the air, after Japan's tsunami knocked out power to cooling systems at the plant.
The rest of the spent fuel from commercial U.S. reactors has been put into dry cask storage, but regulators only envision those as a solution for about a century and the waste would eventually have to be deposited into a Yucca-like facility.
The U.S. nuclear industry says the waste is being stored safely at power-plant sites, though it has long pushed for a long-term storage facility. Meanwhile, the industry's collective pile of waste is growing by about 2,200 tons a year; experts say some of the pools in the United States contain four times the amount of spent fuel that they were designed to handle.
The AP analyzed a state-by-state summary of spent fuel data based on information that nuclear power plants voluntarily report every year to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry and lobbying group. The NEI would not make available the amount of spent fuel at individual power plants.
While the U.S. Department of Energy previously reported figures on overall spent fuel storage, it no longer has updated information available. A spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear power plant safety, said the capacities of fuel pools are public record, but exact inventories of spent fuel are tracked in a government database kept confidential for security reasons.
The U.S. has 104 operating nuclear reactors, situated on 65 sites in 31 states. There are another 15 permanently shut reactors that also house spent fuel.
Four states have spent fuel even though they don't have operating commercial plants. Reactors in Colorado, Oregon and Maine are permanently shut; spent fuel from all three is stored in dry casks. Idaho never had a commercial reactor, but waste from the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania is being stored at a federal facility there.
Illinois has 9,301 tons of spent nuclear fuel at its power plants, the most of any state in the country, according to industry figures. It is followed by Pennsylvania with 6,446 tons; 4,290 in South Carolina and roughly 3,780 tons each for New York and North Carolina.
Spent nuclear fuel is about 95 percent uranium. About 1 percent are other heavy elements such as curium, americium and plutonium-239, best known as fuel for nuclear weapons. Each has an extremely long half-life — some take hundreds of thousands of years to lose all of their radioactive potency. The rest, about 4 percent, is a cocktail of byproducts of fission that break down over much shorter time periods, such as cesium-137 and strontium-90, which break down completely in about 300 years.
How dangerous these elements are depends on how easily can find their way into the body. Plutonium and uranium are heavy, and don't spread through the air well, but there is a concern that plutonium could leach into water supplies over thousands of years.
Cesium-137 is easily transported by air. It is cesium-137 that can still be detected in a New Jersey-sized patch of land around the Chernobyl reactor that exploded in the Ukraine in 1986.
Typically, waste must sit in pools at least five years before being moved to a cask or permanent storage, but much of the material in the pools of U.S. plants has been stored there far longer than that.
Safety advocates have long urged the NRC to force utility operators to reduce the amount of spent fuel in their pools. The more tightly packed they are, the more quickly they can overheat and spew radiation into the environment in case of an accident, a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.
Industry leaders say new technology has made fuel pools safer, and regulators have taken some steps since the 9/11 terror attacks to reduce fuel pool risks. Kevin Crowley, who directs the nuclear and radiation studies board at the National Academy of Sciences, says lessons will be learned from the crisis in Japan. And NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko says his agency will review how spent fuel is stored in the U.S.
A 2004 report by the academy suggested that fresh spent fuel, which is radioactively hotter, be spread among older, cooler assemblies in the spent fuel pool. "You're buying yourself time, basically," says Crowley. "The cooler ones can act as a thermal buffer."
First Energy, which runs two nuclear power stations in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania, was able to reconfigure the spent fuel rods in its pools to make more room. Still, the company is now running out of space, says spokesman Todd Schneider. Ohio has 1,136 tons of spent fuel in pools and 37 tons in dry casks.
The casks in the U.S. are kept outdoors, generally on concrete pads, but industry officials insist they are safe. Unlike the pools, the casks don't need electricity; they are cooled by air circulation.
One cask model, selling for $1.5 million, places spent fuel inside a stainless steel canister, which is placed inside an "overpack" — an outside shell composed of a layer of carbon steel, 27 inches (68.58 centimeters) of concrete and another layer of carbon steel. When in place, the system stands 20 feet tall (6 meters) and weighs 150,000 pounds (68,040 kilograms), said Joy Russell, a spokeswoman for manufacturer Holtec International of Florida.
Russell said engineers have designed the system to withstand a crash from an F-16 fighter jet and survive the resulting jet fuel fire.
Plant operators in some states have moved aggressively to dry cask storage. Virginia has 1,533 tons of nuclear waste in dry storage and 1,105 tons in spent fuel pools. Maryland has 844 tons in dry storage and 588 tons in spent fuel pools.
Utilities in Texas, though, have not. There are 2,178 tons kept in spent fuel pools at reactor sites there, and zero in dry casks. In New York, 3,345 tons are in spent fuel pools while only 454 tons are in dry storage.
No cask is totally invulnerable, but the academy report found that radioactive releases from casks would be relatively low.
"If you attacked a fuel cask and managed to put a hole in it, anything that came out, the consequences would be very local," Crowley said.
Casks can be licensed for 20 years, with renewals, said Carrie Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based Southern Co., which has a dozen such casks at its two-reactor Joseph M. Farley plant in Alabama. She said officials have "every expectation" the casks could last "in excess of 100 years by design."
But not the needed tens of thousands of years. For long-term storage, the government had looked to Yucca Mountain. It was designed to hold 77,160 tons — 69,444 tons designated for commercial waste and 7,716 for military waste. That means the current inventory already exceeds Yucca's original planned capacity.
A 1982 law gave the federal government responsibility for the long-term storage of nuclear waste and promised to start accepting waste in 1998. After 20 years of study, Congress passed a law in 2002 to build a nuclear waste repository deep in Yucca Mountain.
The federal government spent $9 billion developing the project, but the Obama administration has cut funding and recalled the license application to build it. Nevadans have fiercely opposed Yucca Mountain, though a collection of state governments and others are taking legal action to reverse the decision.
Despite his Yucca Mountain decision, President Barack Obama wants to expand nuclear power. He created a commission last year to come up with a long-term nuclear waste plan. Initial findings are expected this summer, with a final plan expected in January.
"They are 13 years late," says Terry Pickens, Director of Nuclear Policy at Xcel Energy, the Minneapolis-based utility that operates three reactors in Minnesota. Xcel is building steel-and-concrete cask containers to hold old waste on site, and suing the government periodically to pay for them. "We would like them to get done with what they said they would get done."
Some countries — such as France, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom — reprocess their spent fuel into new nuclear fuel to help reduce the amount of waste.
The remaining waste is solidified into a glass. It needs to be stored in a long-term waste repository, but reprocessing reduces the volume of waste by three-quarters.
Because reprocessing isolates plutonium, which can be used to make a nuclear weapon, Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter put a stop to it in the U.S. The ban was later overturned, but the country still does not reprocess.
France produces 1,300 tons of nuclear waste per year, and reprocesses 940 tons. Still, fuel is only reprocessed once and then it, too, needs to be stored. France is expecting that engineers will eventually succeed in building a new type of nuclear reactor called a fast reactor that will use the waste it can't reprocess as fuel.
"They've kicked the can down the road," says Frank von Hippel, a director of the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University.
Other countries, such as Germany, store spent fuel in casks. Finland is building a repository it says will store waste safely for 100,000 years.
Even though there is no long-term storage in the U.S., utility customers and taxpayers have been paying for it — twice.
Customers have paid $24 billion into a fund Congress established in 1982 to pay for such storage. The charge — a penny for every 10 kilowatt-hours — would typically add up to about $11 a year for a household that received all its electricity from nuclear plants.
Users pay as taxpayers, too — for dry storage. Utilities that have run out of storage space in pools successfully sued the federal government for breach of contract, because it failed to keep to the 1998 deadline to establish long-term storage. By law, the money for dry casks cannot come from the nuclear waste fund, and must come from the federal budget.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Cinram denied visas for workers at US plant
Canadian DVD manufacturer Cinram has been denied a request for visas for 800 foreign workers, including Jamaica and Nepal, to help its Huntsville plant with holiday orders.
The U.S. Department of Labor decision came a year after an investigation began into claims of overpriced, substandard housing for its foreign workers.
But agency officials told The Huntsville Times on Tuesday the request was denied because Cinram didn't adequately justify the need for the workers and had been using a temporary employment agency, Ambassador Staffing, to hire and pay them.
Cinram's plant boasted the single U.S. largest allotment of H2-B visas for unskilled seasonal labor last fall. The plant imported 1,142 workers from five countries, including Jamaica and Nepal.
The company hired the workers through the employment agency to package and sort DVDs for $8 an hour.
Cinram spokeswoman Lyne B. Fisher told The Associated Press on Wednesday the Huntsville plant will have some foreign workers during the winter months, although the number will be greatly reduced from last year. The company has no additional comment, she said.
Despite the Labor Department denial, Cinram may continue to import some foreign workers, The Times said. This summer the newspaper found that Cinram had employed a different temporary certification, a J-1 cultural exchange visa overseen by the U.S. Department of State, to bring dozens of Jamaican college students to work on the factory floor in Huntsville.
The treatment of foreign workers at Cinram's Huntsville plant became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after reports by The Times of some landlords charging triple normal rates with five workers sharing one unit.
Cinram has said it was not involved in the issues with the landlords.
PADRES WIN DESPITE BONDS' EIGHTH HR.(SPORTS)
Byline: Compiled from Post news services
Ryan Klesko homered and drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres overcame an impressive homer by Barry Bonds to beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-3, Wednesday night.
Bonds gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his eighth homer, a 442-foot shot that reached the second deck in right field at Qualcomm Stadium. Bonds is tied for the major league lead with Houston's Lance Berkman, who hit his eighth on Wednesday.
Christiansen pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored-Worrell 1-1, Fikac 1-1. WP-Jarvis. Umpires-Home, Doug Eddings; First, Mike Fichter; Second, John Shulock; Third, Mike Everitt. T-3:00. A-22,438 (66,307).
PHILLIES 7, MARLINS 5 - Scott Rolen, Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal each homered as Philadelphia overcame a four-run deficit.
HBP-by Wolf (PrWilson). WP-Wolf, Penny. Umpires-Home, Joe Brinkman; First, Scott Higgins; Second, Marty Foster; Third, Andy Fletcher. T-2:59. A-6,478 (36,331).
EXPOS 15, CUBS 8 - Vladimir Guerrero hit a bases-loaded triple and single during an eight-run rally in the fourth inning and Montreal came back
from a six-run deficit.
Ohka pitched to 6 batters in the 1st. Inherited runners-scored-Osborne 2-0, Borowski 3-3, BChen 1-1, Tucker 3-0. WP-Bere. Umpires-Home, Larry Poncino; First, Anthony Randazzo; Second, Bruce Froemming; Third, Ed Rapuano. T-3:01. A-4,300 (46,620).
DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 3- Chad Kreuter's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning snapped a tie.
RiWhite pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored-TJones 3-3. IBB-off Hampton (Kreuter) 1. WP-Hampton. Umpires-Home, Mike DiMuro; First, Ed Montague; Second, Mike Van Vleet; Third, Hunter Wendelstedt. T-3:20. A-32,878 (50,449).
CARDINALS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 4 - St. Louis rallied from three runs down to snap Arizona's six-game winning streak.
Inherited runners-scored-Oropesa 2-2. Umpires-Home, Paul Schrieber; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Matt Hollowell; Third, Mark Hirschbeck. T-2:39. A-35,147 (49,033).
PIRATES 3, BREWERS 2 - David Williams allowed two hits in five innings and drove in two runs, and Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of Milwaukee.
Umpires ejected Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez and Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets after an altercation.
Nomura pitched to 1 batter in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored-Beimel 1-0, Buddie 2-0, LVizcaino 1-0. IBB-off DWilliams (JHernandez) 1. HBP-by JsCabrera (Osik), by BSheets (ARamirez), by DWilliams (Jenkins). WP-DWilliams, Lincoln, BSheets. Umpires-Home, Ted Barrett; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Chuck Meriwether. T-2:54. A-17,879 (41,900).
BRAVES 2, METS 1, - Rafael Furcal drove in two runs as Atlanta ended a four-game skid despite starter Greg Maddux's exit after one inning because of back pain.
CAPTION(S):
photo
The Associated Press-Richie Sexson, left, holds Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez as he goes after Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets after being hit by a pitch.
PADRES WIN DESPITE BONDS' EIGHTH HR.(SPORTS)Byline: Compiled from Post news services
Ryan Klesko homered and drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres overcame an impressive homer by Barry Bonds to beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-3, Wednesday night.
Bonds gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his eighth homer, a 442-foot shot that reached the second deck in right field at Qualcomm Stadium. Bonds is tied for the major league lead with Houston's Lance Berkman, who hit his eighth on Wednesday.
Christiansen pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored-Worrell 1-1, Fikac 1-1. WP-Jarvis. Umpires-Home, Doug Eddings; First, Mike Fichter; Second, John Shulock; Third, Mike Everitt. T-3:00. A-22,438 (66,307).
PHILLIES 7, MARLINS 5 - Scott Rolen, Pat Burrell and Mike Lieberthal each homered as Philadelphia overcame a four-run deficit.
HBP-by Wolf (PrWilson). WP-Wolf, Penny. Umpires-Home, Joe Brinkman; First, Scott Higgins; Second, Marty Foster; Third, Andy Fletcher. T-2:59. A-6,478 (36,331).
EXPOS 15, CUBS 8 - Vladimir Guerrero hit a bases-loaded triple and single during an eight-run rally in the fourth inning and Montreal came back
from a six-run deficit.
Ohka pitched to 6 batters in the 1st. Inherited runners-scored-Osborne 2-0, Borowski 3-3, BChen 1-1, Tucker 3-0. WP-Bere. Umpires-Home, Larry Poncino; First, Anthony Randazzo; Second, Bruce Froemming; Third, Ed Rapuano. T-3:01. A-4,300 (46,620).
DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 3- Chad Kreuter's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning snapped a tie.
RiWhite pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored-TJones 3-3. IBB-off Hampton (Kreuter) 1. WP-Hampton. Umpires-Home, Mike DiMuro; First, Ed Montague; Second, Mike Van Vleet; Third, Hunter Wendelstedt. T-3:20. A-32,878 (50,449).
CARDINALS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 4 - St. Louis rallied from three runs down to snap Arizona's six-game winning streak.
Inherited runners-scored-Oropesa 2-2. Umpires-Home, Paul Schrieber; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Matt Hollowell; Third, Mark Hirschbeck. T-2:39. A-35,147 (49,033).
PIRATES 3, BREWERS 2 - David Williams allowed two hits in five innings and drove in two runs, and Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of Milwaukee.
Umpires ejected Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez and Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets after an altercation.
Nomura pitched to 1 batter in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored-Beimel 1-0, Buddie 2-0, LVizcaino 1-0. IBB-off DWilliams (JHernandez) 1. HBP-by JsCabrera (Osik), by BSheets (ARamirez), by DWilliams (Jenkins). WP-DWilliams, Lincoln, BSheets. Umpires-Home, Ted Barrett; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Chuck Meriwether. T-2:54. A-17,879 (41,900).
BRAVES 2, METS 1, - Rafael Furcal drove in two runs as Atlanta ended a four-game skid despite starter Greg Maddux's exit after one inning because of back pain.
CAPTION(S):
photo
The Associated Press-Richie Sexson, left, holds Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez as he goes after Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets after being hit by a pitch.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Bush OKs airlift of equipment to aid Darfur
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush announced the airlift ofequipment and vehicles for the humanitarian effort in Darfur, theviolence-plagued western Sudan region where millions of civilianshave been driven from their homes.
The move is intended to help a joint African Union-United Nationsteam save lives by improving the delivery of humanitarian aid. The26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur has struggled with a lackof troops and transport.
Sitting with Sudan's first vice president, Salva Kiir, in theOval Office, Bush said Monday he waived State Departmentrequirements in order to launch the airlift right away.
Rebels who claim they have been neglected …
Consultant eyes regulation.
Byline: Jeff Casale
With Congress debating the idea of creating a systemic risk regulator, a report by McKinsey & Co. says that may not be the best option for the U.S. economy or the property/casualty industry.
In its report, the New York-based consultant said that while a systemic risk regulator would improve safety and soundness by providing additional oversight of state regulators, it also could lead to confusion, lack of accountability and "costly duplication of effort,'' inefficiency for which customers would pay.
The report, "Improving Property and Casualty Insurance Regulation in the U.S.,'' says the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry …
BIBLICAL, JUDICIAL INTERESTS FOR MINER.(BOOKS)
These are the books on the night table of Roger J. Miner, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Miner, of Hudson, said that the majority of his leisure nighttime reading parallels that of his daytime reading. ``The World of Benjamin Cardozo,'' by Richard Polenberg: ``It's about the judge's personal values on his judicial rulings,'' said Miner. ``Despite his brilliant intellect and excellent writing, he was very much a man of his time. Many of his written opinions are now outdated, particularly in the area of family law.'' ``Fear of Judging,'' by Kate Stith and Jose Carbranes: ``Carbranes is a colleague of mine on the Second Circuit, and his …
As usual, pharmacies are on front lines. (RX/News).
TORONTO -- In the wake of the SARS outbreak, pharmacists throughout greater Toronto report that they are, as usual, used as a first-line source for advice on health matters.
In this case they have been directing patients with plausible symptoms to the dedicated clinics. So far most of them have nor been wearing masks, as their contact with patients is at some distance and is of short duration. Pharmacists, like all other residents, are adhering to advice to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly after hand to hand contacts.
Soon after the emergency started there was a run in all of the area's pharmacies, medical supply and home health care stores for the …
Collision repair and ABS: Smooth stop, or trouble looking for a place to happen?
So there you are. You've once again managed to turn another mangled hunk of metal and plastic into something that resembles the vehicle that came from the factory.This was one of the good ones-no hidden damage to argue with the insurance company about, no six-month wait for parts and the paint is a dead-on match.To top it all off, the customer couldn't be happier with the work you've done. He didn't find a single thing wrong.You happily wave good-bye to each other, and another job comes to an ideal conclusion.
Or so you think. Bright and early the next morning, the car comes back. As you approach the vehicle, you just can't convince yourself that he has returned to once again …
Digital Divide Encompasses More Than Technology.
Byline: Pennsylvania State University
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Dec. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- Access to information technology and training in IT skills are supposed to level the economic playing field for women and low-income minorities, but two Penn State researchers say acquiring that expertise alone doesn't automatically lead to upward mobility.
In fact, the information society may be perpetuating social and economic inequalities by race and gender, say Lynette Kvasny, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, and Eileen Trauth, professor of information sciences and technology.
By themselves, technology and IT skills will not bring …
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)