Health Benefits for the Uninsured: Design and Early Implementation of the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration

Many Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have serious and immediate health care needs, but, under current law, most are not eligible for Medicare until 24 months after they start receiving cash benefits. This policy brief describes a new project that is testing whether providing earlier access to health benefits, as well as other services, for new SSDI beneficiaries who have no other health insurance improves employment and health outcomes

Children\u27s Song-Makers as Messengers of Hope: Participatory Research with Implications for Teacher Educators

Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Suni Paz and six other leading children\u27s musicians in the U.S contributed their experience to this study about the crucial role of music and singing for social justice in children\u27s lives and its shrinking presence in U.S. pre-school and elementary schools. The study built its theoretical framework on arts and music education, transformative education, and folk and socially conscious children\u27s music. Participatory research, based on the revolutionary education theories of Paulo Freire, guided the dialogues with the participants. These activist singer-songwriters were asked how they define social justice, how they involve children in singing, and what songs are especially effective in raising social consciousness with children. They were also asked which factors are causing the decline in children\u27s singing in schools today, and what parents, teachers, teacher-educators, and musicians can do to help children develop greater self-expression, literacy, and social commitment through song-making. The findings revealed consensus about the power of music to convey the values of fairness and sharing among children. Other themes discussed were multiculturalism, overcoming biases, critical thinking, second language acquisition, and conflict resolution. Transformative song-making was found to involve a wide variety of skills: singing, song-leading, song-writing, storytelling, using games and humor, and performing. All are aimed at involving children in 1 participatory singing that is fun and helps them to imagine and create a more just world. The study found many factors that diminish music in schools, from the general impact of the media and consumerism to the specific ways that high stakes testing and the accountability movement are narrowing curriculum. It also provided an extensive list of suggestions from the participants on how to foster singing and music programs that address social justice in elementary schools and pre-schools, including an increased role for outside artists and musicians, better support for classroom teachers who lack confidence in song-making, and the reemphasis of children\u27s music in teacher-preparation programs. The researcher concludes with specific recommendations for action directed to parents, elementary school teachers and administrators, teacher education institutions, and advocates of children\u27s music and social justice education

Telkom and the South African economy : achieving the optimal relationship

Includes bibliography.South Africa needs a modern, sophisticated telecommunications network to ensure economic development and political stability. The same network must also provide affordable and reliable service to a great percentage of the population. The telecommunications industry is currently monopolised by Telkom, a state-owned business enterprise (SBE), and does not appear capable of meeting these basic requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a case for restructuring Telkom and liberalising the telecommunications industry to best serve the needs of the South African economy. The objective for restructuring the telecommunications industry must be to maximise long-term consumer welfare for all South Africans. This paper argues that consumer welfare will be maximised only by dismantling the statutory monopoly structure and moving toward a highly competitive, privately owned telecommunications industry. The economic issues, of course, cannot be discussed realistically without reference to political, social and historical variables, all of which are also considered. By focusing primarily on economic issues, however, this paper strives to avoid the ideological disputes which usually surround discussions of state ownership. This paper focuses on the telecommunications industry because it represents the single most important infrastructural component in a modern economy. It also presents a unique opportunity if managed well, and a grave danger if allowed to continue in its current structure

Miniaturized atmospheric ionization detector

A small scintillator-based detector for atmospheric ionization measurements has been developed, partly in response to a need for better ionization data in the weather-forming regions of the atmosphere and partly with the intention of producing a commercially available device. The device can measure both the count rate and energy of atmospheric ionizing radiation. Here we report results of a test flight over the UK in December 2017 where the detector was flown with two Geiger counters on a meteorological radiosonde. The count rate profile with height was consistent both with the Geigers and with previous work. The energy of incoming ionizing radiation increased substantially with altitude.Comment: Proc 18th Conference on Atmospheric Electricity, Nara, Japan, June 201

Understanding the information needs of users of public information about higher education

Report to HEFCE by Oakleigh Consulting and Staffordshire University. "This study's aims were to carry out research into understanding the needs of intended users (primarily prospective students but with some focus on their advisors and employers) of public information on higher education (HE). The work focussed on England, but also took into account Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland where relevant." - Page 1

Fluid illness

In response to the rising rate of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Guatemala, the public health system established a national community-based dialysis program to enable people living in rural areas to complete treatment in their homes. Here we explore how this newly available, life-prolonging technology has altered local worlds by transforming ESRD from an acute, life-ending illness into a managed chronic condition with an uncertain trajectory. Through case studies, we describe how living with dialysis influences family relations and caregiving in rural Guatemala. We find that dialysis interacts with an insufficient health care system, one that avoids life-ending complications but does not sufficiently manage life-altering symptoms. In addition, the need to care for people with ESRD for an uncertain amount of time may disrupt and strain family-based caregiving networks. Amid this meager health and social welfare infrastructure, life on dialysis exacerbates the chronic insecurity and structural inequality of life in postwar Guatemala. As both life and illness are prolonged through dialysis, the unceasing demands of the treatment and illness strain the webs of obligation and care that Guatemalan families and communities have developed to adapt to their decentralized and fragmented public health care system

Inhibition of RNA polymerase II transcription in human cells by synthetic DNA-binding ligands

Sequence-specific DNA-binding small molecules that can permeate human cells potentially could regulate transcription of specific genes. Multiple cellular DNA-binding transcription factors are required by HIV type 1 for RNA synthesis. Two pyrrole-imidazole polyamides were designed to bind DNA sequences immediately adjacent to binding sites for the transcription factors Ets-l, lymphoid-enhancer binding factor 1, and TATA-box binding protein. These synthetic ligands specifically inhibit DNA-binding of each transcription factor and HIV type 1 transcription in cell-free assays. When used in combination, the polyamides inhibit virus replication by >99% in isolated human peripheral blood lymphocytes, with no detectable cell toxicity, The ability of small molecules to target predetermined DNA sequences located within RNA polymerase II promoters suggests a general approach for regulation of gene expression, as well as a mechanism for the inhibition of viral replication