In recent years, there have been many updates in hormonal emergency contraception. Levonorgestrel emergency contraception has been available for several years to prevent pregnancy when used within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure, and it was recently approved for nonprescription status for patients aged 17 years or older. Current research suggests that the primary mechanism of action is delaying ovulation. Ulipristal is the newest emergency contraception, available by prescription only, approved for use up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure. The primary mechanism of action is delaying ovulation. When compared with levonorgestrel emergency contraception, ulipristal was proven noninferior in preventing pregnancy. Evidence suggests that ulipristal does not lose efficacy from 72-120 hours; however, more studies are warranted to support this claim. Many misconceptions and controversies about hormonal emergency contraception still exist. Research does not support that increased access to emergency contraception increases sexual risk-taking behavior. Several studies suggest that health care providers, including pharmacists, could benefit from increased education about emergency contraception. It is important for pharmacists to remain up-to-date on the most recent hormonal emergency contraception products and information, as pharmacists remain a major point of access to emergency contraception.

Since June of 2013, Plan B and its generics have been available over-the-counter without age restriction nationwide. Even so, pharmacy-based economic, physical, and staff-associated barriers still exist, potentially leading adolescent customers to fail to obtain emergency contraception (EC) in a sufficiently timely manner to prevent pregnancy. This study explores these pharmacy-based barriers to EC in the state of Kentucky focusing on comparisons of urban and non-urban pharmacies and chain and private pharmacies. Using a secret-shopper survey technique, the researcher called 220 Kentucky pharmacies acting as a 15-year-old girl seeking information about EC. Among other findings, a logistic regression analysis revealed that private pharmacies were 97% less likely to carry EC compared to chain pharmacies (OR= .027; p

Den 1 april 2016 blev det i Sverige lagligt att skaffa barn för ensamstående kvinnor med hjälp av assisterad befruktning. Tidigare har denna möjlighet endast funnits utomlands. Kvinnor som genomgått denna process kallas i litteraturen för solomammor. Syftet med den här studien är att ta reda på hur solomammor resonerar och fattar beslut i processen kring att bli förälder på egen hand och hur det upplevs när barnet har fötts. Åtta kvinnor mellan 30-43 år, från olika delar av Sverige, intervjuades med en induktiv semistrukturerad ansats. Efter en tematisk analys framkom tre huvudteman samt tio underteman. Resultatet visade att det initialt är en känsla av stress i olika former som får respondenterna att börja fundera på att bli solomammor. De flesta såg det först som en plan b, ett andrahandsval, men omvärderade det sedan till en plan a. Normer och etiska aspekter kring att barnet inte kommer ha en biologisk pappa försvårade beslutet. En sårbarhet och ensamhet i att vara den enda föräldern men en stor glädje över barnet och en stöttande omgivning kännetecknade känslorna när barnet kommit. Att vården har en medvetenhet om att det är ett beslut som fattas i flera steg är av största vikt. Det är en process som fortgår efter att barnet är fött och att samhället, exempelvis via förskola och skolor, informerar om att det finns olika sätt att bilda familj på ökar möjligheterna till att både kvinnor och barn i den här familjeformen känner sig inkluderade.

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective form of contraception that is 75%-89% effective in preventing pregnancies within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception is a type of hormonal contraception, containing high doses of estrogen and progestin (ethinyl estradiol plus levonorgestrel) or progestin only (levonorgestrel). Wider access to emergency contraception has the potential to decrease the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously denied any over-the-counter (OTC) access to emergency contraception and only recently approved it for OTC status for women 18 years old and over; therefore, pharmacists continue to play a critical role in providing access to emergency contraception. For example, pharmacists can answer women's questions, dispel misconceptions, advise medical colleagues, and provide important information about the medication to clients. Although emergency contraception is a safe and effective medication, many pharmacists and pharmacies throughout the U.S. have either refused to fill prescriptions of emergency contraception or have refused to carry and stock emergency contraception. Pharmacists' perceptions and practice affect whether women have access to this form of contraception and whether pharmacies carry this medication. In addition, pharmacists' behavior, professional conduct, and ethical practice and training have major implications for public health and access to care for women, children, and families. This study has two purposes: First, because the attitudes and dispensing practices among pharmacists may be related to their understanding of the medication, a review of pharmacy school curricula in the U.S. was conducted, and involved (a) an assessment of course content related to emergency contraception and (b) an analysis of how this content is perceived by pharmacy students. The second purpose of the study is to assess emergency contraception knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and dispensing practices of pharmacists and to determine if pharmacists' emergency contraception knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are predictive of their dispensing practices. To reach these ends, a mixed-methods study design was employed using mixed methods data analysis techniques including coding methods, univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression.

There is growing interest in commercial aircraft formation flight as a means of reducing both airspace congestion and the carbon footprint of air transportation. Wake vortex surfing has been researched extensively and proven to have significant fuel-saving benefits, however, commercial air transportation has yet to take advantage of these formation benefits due to understandable safety concerns. The realization of these formations requires serious consideration of formation contingencies and safety during closer-in maneuvering of large commercial aircraft. Formation contingency scenarios are much more complex than those of individual aircraft and have not yet been studied in depth. This thesis investigates the utility of optimization modeling in providing insight into generation of aircraft escape paths for formation contingency planning. Three high-altitude commercial aircraft formation scenarios are presented; formation join, formation emergency exit, and formation escape. The model-generated paths are compared with pilot-generated escape plans using the author’s pilot expertise. The model results compare well with pilot intuition and are useful in presenting solutions not previously considered, in evaluating separation requirements for improvement of escape path planning and in confirming the viability of the pilot-generated plans. The novel optimization model formulation presented in this thesis is the first model shown to be capable of generating escape paths comparable to pilot- generated escape plans and is also the first to incorporate avoidance of persistent and drifting wake turbulence within the formation.

This dissertation consists of three chapters on labor economics. The first two chapters focus on education, and the third examines inequality and incarceration. Chapter one explores whether college students strategically delay exiting college in response to poor labor market conditions. It exploits variation in U.S. state unemployment rates to identify the causal impact of unemployment rates on time to graduation. Strategic delay is observed among both men and women. Results indicate that students delay graduation by approximately 0.4 months for each percentage point increase in junior-year unemployment rates, implying the average student delays by approximately half a semester during a typical recession. Effects are greatest for men with freshman majors in education, professional and vocational technologies, the humanities, business, and the sciences, and for women in education, the sciences, or undeclared. Delays are robust to fluctuations in students’ in-school work hours, earnings, and job market conditions. Chapter two assesses the impact of over-the-counter access to emergency contraception on women’s educational attainment using variation in access produced by state legislation since 1998. Approximately 5% of American women of reproductive age experience an unintended pregnancy annually, indicating a significant unmet need for contraception. Results indicate that cohorts with greater access to emergency contraception are more likely to graduate from high school and attain the associate’s degree. Effects for high school graduation are most pronounced among black women, while increases in associate’s degree attainment are driven primarily by white and Hispanic women. Chapter three explores the relationship between incarceration and generational inequality. Using a calibrated OLG model of criminal behavior with race, inheritance and endogenous education, I calculate how much longer prison sentences, and a higher likelihood of capture and conviction contribute to income inequality. Results indicate that changes to criminal policy mirroring those of the “tough on crime” legislation of the 1980s and 1990s, including an 18% increase in criminal apprehension and a 68% increase in prison sentence length, have little impact on inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient. Instead, the model provides evidence that these enhanced enforcement measures deter crime and decrease incarceration rates. / text