LATAM Intelligent Filter for Education (LIFE)

The LIFE system is designed to inspire primary-aged students in Latin American schools to pursue higher education in STEM related fields. We hope the students educate others in their community about the public health implications stemming from the lack of clean water and grow to bring about more lasting solutions to the water crisis. Many family’s lives are stymied by the inability to access clean drinking water, with many students ending up spending hours carrying water or spending time recovering water themselves in lieu of attending school. The LIFE team created a tabletop water filter and pump system accompanied by an app that will act as an educational tool for ten Latin American schools, with more on the horizon. This project was designed with both the needs of the teachers and students in mind but also frugality and ease of use by a wide variety of peri urban and urban communities as well as other quantifiable design metrics. The LIFE system is made up of two parts, the Intelligent Filter and the app. The water filter is designed to remove the top contaminants of our target audience: lead, arsenic, nitrates, fecal contamination (E. coli, Salmonella, etc.), and pesticides. The app is complete with full learning modules and interactive components to engage with the students and guides for teachers. The project was successful at a local school test and approved by our clients at the PASSAGE project and Frugal Innovation Hub. It will be replicated in the near future to be distributed to the different communities by our client, PASSAGE

Health care provider perceptions of a query-based health information exchange: barriers and benefits

BackgroundHealth information exchange (HIE) systems are implemented nationwide to integrate health information and facilitate communication among providers. The Nebraska Health Information Initiative is a state-wide HIE launched in 2009. Objective The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of health care providers’ perspectives on a query-based HIE, including barriers to adoption and important functionality for continued utilization. MethodsWe surveyed 5618 Nebraska health care providers in 2013. Reminder letters were sent 30 days after the initial mailing. ResultsA total of 615 questionnaires (11%) were completed. Of the 100 current users, 63 (63%) indicated satisfaction with HIE. The most common reasons for adoption among current or previous users of an HIE (N = 198) were improvement in patient care (N = 111, 56%) as well as receiving (N = 95, 48%) and sending information (N = 80, 40%) in the referral network. Cost (N = 233, 38%) and loss of productivity (N = 220, 36%) were indicated as the ‘major barriers’ to adoption by all respondents. Accessing a comprehensive patient medication list was identified as the most important feature of the HIE (N = 422, 69%). ConclusionsThe cost of HIE access and workflow integration are significant concerns of health care providers. Additional resources to assist practices plan the integration of the HIE into a sustainable workflow may be required before widespread adoption occurs. The clinical information sought by providers must also be readily available for continued utilization. Query-based HIEs must ensure that medication history, laboratory results and other desired clinical information be present, or long-term utilization of the HIE is unlikely.

Incoherent non-Fermi liquid scattering in a Kondo lattice

One of the most notorious non-Fermi liquid properties of both archetypal heavy-fermion systems [1-4] and the high-Tc copper oxide superconductors [5] is an electrical resistivity that evolves linearly with temperature, T. In the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 [5], this linear behaviour was one of the first indications of the presence of a zero-temperature instability, or quantum critical point. Here, we report the observation of a unique control parameter of T-linear scattering in CeCoIn5, found through systematic chemical substitutions of both magnetic and non-magnetic rare-earth, R, ions into the Ce sub-lattice. We find that the evolution of inelastic scattering in Ce1-xRxCoIn5 is strongly dependent on the f-electron configuration of the R ion, whereas two other key properties -- Cooper-pair breaking and Kondo-lattice coherence -- are not. Thus, T-linear resistivity in CeCoIn5 is intimately related to the nature of incoherent scattering centers in the Kondo lattice, which provides insight into the anomalous scattering rate synonymous with quantum criticality [7].Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (published version

Safer Sex as the Bolder Choice: Testosterone Is Positively Correlated with Safer Sex Behaviorally Relevant Attitudes in Young Men

Introduction.  Higher testosterone (T) is tied to risk‐taking, especially in financial domains but also in health domains relevant to acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, safer sex constructs could themselves carry the possibility of “social risk” due to sexual stigma or embarrassment, or could involve boldness or confidence because they could represent status displays of frequent sexual activity. Aim.  To determine how T and behaviorally relevant attitudes about sexual risk‐taking are linked, to better understand biopsychosocial aspects of sexual health related to STIs. Methods.  In 78 first‐year male college students, we examined correlations between salivary T and behaviorally relevant safer sex attitudes assessed via questionnaires. Main Outcome Measures.  T, via saliva; safer sex attitudes, via a composite and the University of California, Los Angeles Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale (MCAS). Results.  Higher T was significantly correlated with higher scores on the following: safer sex likelihood composite, r (73) = 0.33, P  = 0.003; the MCAS safer sex resilience, r (32) = 0.36, P  = 0.037; and the MCAS condom purchase comfort, r (32) = 0.37, P  = 0.031. Associations between T and safer sex likelihood and resilience were still robust after controlling for potential confounds, though the association between T and purchase comfort diminished to a trend. Conclusions.  Higher T was positively linked with safer sex attitudes, especially those most closely tied to STI risk avoidance. Thus, future research and interventions for STI prevention should address the possibility that safer sex may be paradoxically perceived as a “bold” or “risky” choice even as it decreases STI risk. van Anders SM, Goldey KL, Conley TD, Snipes DJ, and Patel DA. Safer sex as the bolder choice: Testosterone is positively correlated with safer sex behaviorally relevant attitudes in young men. J Sex Med 2012;9:727–734.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90413/1/j.1743-6109.2011.02544.x.pd