Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future

Analyzes trends in federal spending on children's health in 2010, changes over the past fifty years, factors that affect Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and implications for federal spending

Dental Implant Supported Restorations Improve Quality of Life in Osteoporotic Women

Introduction. The aim of this study is to compare the quality of life (QoL) in partially edentulous osteoporotic women who have missing teeth restored with dental implant retained restorations with those who do not and, secondarily, to report the rate of osteonecrosis in this sample. Methods. 237 participants completed the Utian QoL survey, a 23-question document measuring across psychosocial domains of well-being including occupational, health, emotional, and sexual domains which together contribute to an overall score. The subset of participants having dental implant supported prosthesis (64) was compared to the subset having nonimplant supported fixed restorations (47), the subset having nonimplant supported removable restorations (60), and the subset having no restoration of missing teeth (66). Results. ANOVA showed significant difference in all QoL domains between the four subsets (p<0.05). Although 134 reported oral bisphosphonate and 51 reported IV bisphosphonate use, no signs of ONJ were identified in any participants. Conclusion. These findings show implant retained oral rehabilitation has a statistically significant impact over nonimplant and traditional fixed restorations, removable restorations, and no restoration of missing teeth in far reaching areas including occupational, health, emotional, sexual, and overall QoL. These findings also support future examination of psychosocial outcomes associated with oral rehabilitation and the incorporation of oral health into women’s health promotion

Detection of Malassezia spp. from healthy cattle and cattle with otitis by direct xamination and culture

The occurrence of bovine external otitis in tropical regions is predominantly assigned to parasitic infestations . These infections represent a significant problem and can be associated with vestibular disease and death. Yeasts of the genus Malassezia are members of the normal microbiota on human and animal skin, and may also be associated with bovine parasitic otitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the genus Malassezia in healthy cattle and cattle with otitis by direct microscopic examination and culture. Specimens of 1010 cattle were collected with sterile swabs, inoculated onto Mycosel medium, supplemented with olive oil, and incubated at 32oC for one week. In addition, 200 cattle (143 healthy and 57 with otitis) were also evaluated by direct microscopic examination using a Gram staining method to detect Malassezia spp.. Using the direct examination of the specimens no significant difference was observed between the presence of Malassezia spp. from 143 healthy animals (30.7%) and from 57 animals with otitis (26.3%). Culture was positive for Malassezia spp. in 329 (38.12%) of a total of 863 healthy cattle and in 93 (63.27%) of 147 cattle with otitis (

Chemische und strukturelle Untersuchung des Alterungsverhaltens von kommerziellen Dreiwegekatalysatoren

In der Automobilindustrie werden zur Gewährleistung der Dauerhaltbarkeit nach der Europäischen Abgasnorm üblicherweise zeitlich geraffte Motorprüfstandsalterungen zur Herstellung gealterter Dreiwegekatalysatoren verwendet. Diese Katalysatoren sollen je nach Abgasnorm einem straßengealterten Katalysator mit einer Laufleistung von z.B. 100.000 km entsprechen. Aus wirtschaftlichen Gesichtspunkten wäre es wünschenswert, zum Erreichen einer gewünschten Katalysatorschädigung beispielsweise die Alterungstemperatur der Prüfstandsalterung zu erhöhen und somit Alterungs- und Entwicklungszeit gegenüber einer Straßenalterung einzusparen. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit kommerzielle Dreiwegekatalysatoren bei General Motors Powertrain – Germany GmbH unter Variation der Alterungstemperatur und -dauer am Motorenprüfstand gealtert und mit einem 100.000 km straßengealterten Katalysator verglichen. Anschließend wurden die Katalysatoren unter anderem hinsichtlich Aktivität, Kristallstruktur und chemischer Zusammensetzung mittels unterschiedlicher Analytikmethoden (REM, TEM, BET, XRD, XAS, RFA) untersucht und die Ergebnisse gegenübergestellt. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass die durchgeführten Prüfstandsalterungen bezüglich der Performance der Umsetzung unverbrannter Kohlenwasserstoffe und Kohlenmonoxid die Straßenalterung überhöht abbilden. Die Umsetzung von Stickoxiden wird hingegen gut durch die Prüfstandsalterung abgebildet. Nach Röntgenbeugung und anschließender Rietveldverfeinerung konnte nach vorliegender Literaturlage erstmals ein Strukturmodell für einen Washcoat eines kommerziellen Dreiwegekatalysators aufgestellt und die Phasenumwandlung des Sauerstoffspeichermaterials Cer/Zirkonoxid an prüfstandsgealterten Katalysatoren aber nicht am straßengealterten System detektiert werden. Diese strukturellen Ergebnisse decken sich mit den Ergebnissen aus dem Sauerstoffeinspeicherverhalten der Katalysatoren. Somit konnte im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit die Änderung der Sauerstoffspeicherfähigkeit auf strukturelle Änderungen von Washcoat¬bestandteilen zurückgeführt werden. Zusätzlich wurden ebenfalls die Agglomerisation der Edelmetallpartikel, die Sinterung des Washcoatbasismaterials und die Vergiftung der Katalysatoren durch z.B. Motoröladditive untersucht. Von einer Erhöhung der Alterungstemperatur während der Prüfstandsalterung zur Verkürzung der Alterungs¬dauer muss abgeraten werden. Hierbei entsteht thermisch induziert eine verschärfte Desaktivierung durch z.B. Agglomeration von Aktivmetall oder Phasenseparation des Sauerstoffspeichermaterials. Weiterhin wird die Schädigung des gesamten Monolithen verschärft, aber die lokalen thermischen Schädigungen der Straßenalterung nur ungenügend durch die Prüfstandsalterung abgebildet

beobachtungen an einer kolonie von Ithomiinae (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) in einem waldstück der westkordillere Kolumbiens : liste der gattungen und arten und der damit verbundenen mimetischen komplexen.

Objetivos. Este trabajo tiene como propósito identificar una población de mariposas Ithomiinae que habita un fragmento de bosque subtropical ubicado en el piedemonte este de la cordillera Occidental de Colombia en el departamento de Caldas y, en segunda instancia, conocer la flora en la que conviven. Resultados. Se listan un total de 42 especies pertenecientes a 23 géneros de Ithomiinae. Alcance. Se encontró además que buena parte de ellas están involucradas en complejos miméticos y crípticos con otras familias y especies de mariposas del lugar. Conclusiones. Se resalta la importancia de la dinámica ecológica resultante de dicha asociación y se busca completar el catálogo de especies propias del cinturón cafetero de Colombia.Ziele. Der Hauptzweck dieser Arbeit ist die Identifizierung einer Schmetterlingspopulation der Gattung Ithomiinae die in einem subtropischen Waldstück vorkommt welches sich in den östlichen Ausläufern der Westkordillere Kolumbiens im Departemento von Caldas befindet, und zweitens die Flora zu kennen, in der diese Population vorkommt. Ergebnisse. Es wurden Insgesamt 42 Ithomiinae Arten und 23 Gattungen beschrieben. Kenntnisse. Es wurde festgestellt, dass einige Arten in mimetischen und kryptischen Komplexen mit anderen Schmetterlingsfamilien und Arten der Region vorkommen. Schlussfolgerungen. Die Bedeutung der ökologischen Dynamik welche sich aus dieser Gemeinschaft ergibt wird hervorgehoben. Außerdem soll das Verzeichnis der vorkommenden typischen Arten der Kaffeeanbauzone Kolumbiens ergänzt werden

Depressive Symptoms following Recent Sexual Assault: The Role of Drug and Alcohol Use, Acute Stress, and Assault Characteristics

Sexual assault is a common traumatic experience that can have a wide-ranging impact on psychological functioning, including experience of depressive symptoms. While many studies have examined lifetime rates of depression among those with sexual assault history, less is known regarding risk factors for depressive symptoms following recent sexual assault. The study examined whether drug use history is uniquely related to depressive symptoms following recent assault. Method: N = 65 individuals (5.4% female; 73.8% white; M(SD)age = 28.89 (10.29)) who had recently experienced sexual assault (less than 60 days) and completed a SAMFE were interviewed via phone and completed questionnaires regarding depressive and acute/posttraumatic stress symptoms and substance use history. Demographic information as well as information related to the assault was also collected. Results: 68.7% of the sample reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores ≥ 12). In a linear mixed model, drug use was significantly related depressive symptoms (β = .19, p = .04), even controlling for acute/posttraumatic stress (β = .72, p .05). Conclusion: Results highlight the potential role of drug use in increasing risk for experiencing clinically significant depressive symptoms following recent assault

Super-Maxwellian Helium Evaporation from Pure and Salty Water

Helium atoms evaporate from pure water and salty solutions in super-Maxwellian speed distributions, as observed experimentally and modeled theoretically.The experiments are performed by monitoring the velocities of dissolved He atoms that evaporate from microjets of pure water at 252 K and 4–8.5 molal LiCl and LiBr at 232–252 K. The average He atom energies exceed the flux-weighted Maxwell-Boltzmann average of 2RT by 30% for pure water and 70% for 8.5m LiBr. Classical molecular dynamics simulations closely reproduce the observed speed distributions and provide microscopic insight into the forces that eject the He atoms from solution. Comparisons of the density profile and He kinetic energies across the water-vacuum interface indicate that the He atoms are accelerated by He–water collisions within the top 1-2 layers of the liquid. We also find that the average He atom kinetic energy scales with the free energy of solvation of this sparingly soluble gas. This free-energydifference reflects the steeply decreasing potential of mean force on the He atoms in the interfacial region, whose gradient is the repulsive force that tends to expel the atoms. The accompanying sharp decrease in water density suppresses the He–water collisions that would otherwise maintain a Maxwell-Boltzmanndistribution, allowing the He atom to escape at high energies. Helium is especially affected by this reduction in collisions because its weak interactions make energy transfer inefficient

Field Assessment of a Model Tuberculosis Outbreak Response Plan for Low-Incidence Areas

Background: For a regional project in four low-incidence states, we designed a customizable tuberculosis outbreak response plan. Prior to dissemination of the plan, a tuberculosis outbreak occurred, presenting an opportunity to perform a field assessment of the plan. The purpose of the assessment was to ensure that the plan included essential elements to help public health professionals recognize and respond to outbreaks. Methods: We designed a semi-structured questionnaire and interviewed all key stakeholders involved in the response. We used common themes to assess validity of and identify gaps in the plan. A subset of participants provided structured feedback on the plan. Results: We interviewed 11 public health and six community stakeholders. The assessment demonstrated that (1) almost all of the main response activities were reflected in the plan; (2) the plan added value by providing a definition of a tuberculosis outbreak and guidelines for communication and evaluation. These were areas that lacked written protocols during the actual outbreak response; and (3) basic education about tuberculosis and the interpretation and use of genotyping data were important needs. Stakeholders also suggested adding to the plan questions for evaluation and a section for specific steps to take when an outbreak is suspected. Conclusion: An interactive field assessment of a programmatic tool revealed the value of a systematic outbreak response plan with a standard definition of a tuberculosis outbreak, guidelines for communication and evaluation, and response steps. The assessment highlighted the importance of education and training for tuberculosis in low-incidence areas

A brief summary of production parameters for sustainable peasant fish farming in the andean region

Objetivos: Los factores relevantes en la producción acuícola son los parámetros físicos y químicos del agua, como la temperatura y el oxígeno entre otros, los cuales influyen directamente en procesos bioquímicos y fisiológicos de plantas y animales. Resultados: El desequilibrio del oxígeno disuelto se deriva generalmente de un inadecuado manejo del cuerpo de agua, un deficiente cálculo de la biomasa íctica, exceso de materia orgánica, contaminaciones, ocasionándose hasta un 60% de las pérdidas en un cultivo. Conclusiones: Se busca recopilar brevemente y dar énfasis en algunos conceptos básicos de la calidad del agua, alternativas en la infraestructura de los estanques, una biomasa íctica sugerida y la utilización de plantas forrajeras comunes de la zona andina para una piscicultura campesina sostenible.Objectives: Th e relevant factors in aquaculture production are the physical and chemical parameters of water, such as temperature and oxygen, among others, which directly influence the biochemical and physiological processes of plants and animals. Results: The imbalance of the dissolved oxygen, usually derives from an inadequate water body management, a deficient calculation of the fish biomass, excess of organic matter, and contamination, causing up to 60% of the losses in a crop. Conclusions: The aim is to briefly collect and emphasize on some basic concepts of water quality, alternatives in pond infrastructure, a suggested fish biomass, and the use of common forage plants of the Andean zone for sustainable peasant fish farming

Experiences of the cultivation of mulberry Morus alba L., 1753 (ROSALES: MORACEAE) and its use in feeding nile tilapia -Oreochromis niloticus, Trew, 1984- (PERCIFORMES: CICHLIDAE) for food security programs in the tropics

Objetivos: Considerar como una de las alternativas viables para la disminución de costos de alimento en los programas de seguridad alimentaria la utilización de plantas forrajeras comunes de zonas tropicales, en las dietas de los peces. Metodología: Se recopilaron las experiencias exitosas obtenidas por 20 años en la Estación Piscícola de la Universidad de Caldas, utilizando la morera (Morus alba) como planta forrajera y suministrada a la tilapia nilótica (Oreochromis niloticus) en fase de levante y engorde. Resultados: Se han obtenido crecimientos en estanques entre 0,6 a 1,2 g/pez/día con suministro de morera fresca y una conversión de 1,9 y la harina de hoja de morera incluida en alimentos balanceados dio como resultado un crecimiento promedio de 1,6 g/pez/día. Conclusiones: Se sugiere el suministro de las hojas de morera de manera fresca a los peces o incluir la harina de la hoja de morera seca en el alimento balanceado, lográndose un reemplazo de la torta de soya en un 4%, para producciones piscícolas campesinas o comerciales pequeñas.Objectives: To consider the use of common forage plants of tropical zones in the diets of fish as one of the viable alternatives for the reduction of food costs in food security programs. Methodology: The successful experiences obtained for 20 years in the fish farm at Universidad de Caldas using mulberry (Morus alba) as a forage plant and provided to the Nilotic tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the raising and fattening phase were gathered. Results: Growth between 0.6 to 1.2 g /fish/day in ponds has been obtained with fresh mulberry supply and a conversion of 1.9 and mulberry leaf meal included in balanced feed, resulted in average growth of 1.6 g /fish/day. Conclusions: It is suggested to supply the mulberry leaves to the fish in a fresh way or to include the dry mulberry leaf meal in the balanced feed, achieving a 4% replacement of the soybean cake for peasants’ fish farms or small producers