Health Care Reform for Children With Public Coverage

Compares private and public coverage for low-income children. Explores the implications of proposed changes to Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs and creation of an insurance exchange for their coverage and access to health care

Optimisation of framed child restraints

This thesis documents a study into the effects of various parameters on the performance of Framed Child Seats (FCS) for automobiles. The work investigated the effect of three different sets of parameters: FCS design parameters, vehicle design parameters and occupant biomechanical parameters. The work was conducted at Middlesex University using a combination of experimental crash testing and computerised crash simulations. The experimental crash tests were conducted using the Road Safety Engineering Laboratory, Middlesex University impact test rig and the computerised simulations were conducted using MADYM03D software. The performance of the FCS configuration was assessed in terms of the potential injury to a child occupant in a 50 km/h frontal impact to ECE R44 test specification. All the FCS design parameters examined were shown to have a potential effect on the performance of the FCS. In particular FCS footprint area was shown in the experimental tests to have a significant affect on the performance. A large flat footprint was observed to reduce chest acceleration by 33%, although this was at the expense of a large increase in forward head excursion. Various vehicle design parameters were shown, by MADYM03D simulation, to have a considerable affect on FCS performance. A standardised semi-rigid or rigid anchorage system is recommended to overcome such problems in real vehicles. The biomechanical work was largely based around the potential for injury to the occupant's neck. An improved MADYM03D representation of the dummy neck was developed for this work and several factors were examined. Chin-chest contact, head mass and neck fulcrum for bending were all shown to have a potential affect on the likelihood of injury. Limitations of both experimental crash testing and computerised simulations were identified during this work and are discussed in this thesis

Comments on the scalar propagator in AdS x S and the BMN plane wave

We discuss the scalar propagator on generic AdS_{d+1} x S^{d'+1} backgrounds. For the conformally flat situations and masses corresponding to Weyl invariant actions the propagator is powerlike in the sum of the chordal distances with respect to AdS_{d+1} and S^{d'+1}. In all other cases the propagator depends on both chordal distances separately. We discuss the KK mode summation to construct the propagator in brief. For AdS_5 x S^5 we relate our propagator to the expression in the BMN plane wave limit and find a geometric interpretation of the variables occurring in the known explicit construction on the plane wave.Comment: 7 pages, Fortsch.Phys. style, Talk given at 36th International Symposium Ahrenshoop on the Theory of Elementary Particles: Recent Developments in String/M- Theory and Field Theory, Wernsdorf, Germany, 26-30 Aug 200

Self assembled materials for solar cell application

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Materialien und Aufbauten für Hybrid Solarzellen entwickelt und erforscht. rnDer Vergleich zweier bekannter Lochleitermaterialien für Solarzellen in einfachen Blend-Systemen brachte sowohl Einsicht zur unterschiedlichen Eignung der Materialien für optoelektronische Bauelemente als auch neue Erkenntnisse in Bereichen der Langzeitstabilität und Luftempfindlichkeit beider Materialien.rnWeiterhin wurde eine Methode entwickelt, um Hybrid Solarzelle auf möglichst unkomplizierte Weise aus kostengünstigen Materialien darzustellen. Die „Eintopf“-Synthese ermöglicht die unkomplizierte Darstellung eines funktionalen Hybridmaterials für die optoelektronische Anwendung. Mithilfe eines neu entwickelten amphiphilen Blockcopolymers, das als funktionelles Templat eingesetzt wurde, konnten mit einem TiO2-Precursor in einem Sol-Gel Ansatz verschiedene selbstorganisierte Morphologien des Hybridmaterials erhalten werden. Verschiedene Morphologien wurden auf ihre Eignung in Hybrid Solarzellen untersucht. Ob und warum die Morphologie des Hybridsystems die Effizienz der Solarzelle beeinflusst, konnte verdeutlicht werden. Mit der Weiterentwicklung der „Eintopf“-Synthese, durch den Austausch des TiO2-Precursors, konnte die Solarzelleneffizienz von 0.15 auf 0.4 % gesteigert werden. Weiterhin konnte die Übertragbarkeit des Systems durch den erfolgreichen Austausch des Halbleiters TiO¬2 mit ZnO bewiesen werden.rnNew materials and assemblies were designed and tested for hybrid solar cell application. A simple blending approach was used to prepare hybrid solar cells in a convenient, cheap and fast method. Nano crystalline TiO2 rods were blended with different hole conducting materials and tested in solar cell devices. Comparing their performance in photovoltaic devices, while experimental conditions are kept identical, showed that the choice of solvent and photovoltaic characterization conducted in inert atmosphere is of different influence for different hole conducting materials. External influences as long term stability were investigated.rnIn comparison to the blend approach a new one-pot approach was invented to prepare a nanostructured, multi-functional material with orthogonal properties. It consists of TiO2 as a functional metal oxide and a new amphiphilic block-copolymer poly(ethyleneoxide)-b-poly(triphenylamine) (PEO-b-PTPA) that was synthesized. The hybrid material was obtained within a single step via self assembly in solution. Therefore a method had to be found to obtain crystalline TiO2 under mild conditions. Within the materials synthesis the block-copolymer not only acts as a templating agent but also adds an electronic functionality to the resulting hybrid material. During the synthesis a variety of self assembled morphologies ranging from spheres to wires were created in a controlled fashion. The obtained morphology depends on the weight fraction of the polymer, solvent, TiO2 precursor and acid. Studying films on silicon wafers with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) a ternary phase diagram could be mapped whereas the crystallinity of TiO2 could be proved by high resolution-TEM. Different morphologies of this self assembled hybrid material were tested for solar cell application. Even for devices with layer thicknesses of the active material below 10 nm power conversion efficiencies up to 0.15 % at 1 sun and 1.5 AM were observed. The solar cell efficiency was increased with further development of the one-pot approach by changing the precursor. A polyethyleneglycole modified titanate was used as precursor in combination with the functional block copolymer PEO-b-PTPA. Again self-assembled network morphologies were obtained and tested in solar cell devices. While the formation of percolating networks is of general importance the solar cell performance was found to depend on the morphological design of the hybrid material. With the aid of conductive scanning force microscopy, it was proven to preserve a percolating network despite an increase of the active layer thickness. In combination with a special functionalized Ti-precursor hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells having a maximum power conversion efficiency of 0.4 % at 1 sun and 1.5 AM were obtained.r

Mindfulness in Traditional Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study

Empirically tested research suggests the effectiveness and applicability of mindfulness interventions in psychotherapy to treat or provide supplemental treatment to a variety of mental health disorders, to improve the therapeutic alliance, and to promote self-care and use of self in clinicians. Despite the successes of mindfulness in the mental health community, only a select culture of clinicians utilize mindfulness techniques in their practice. In order to explore how mindfulness can impact the therapeutic process, a qualitative study was conducted. Seven clinicians who currently practice mindfulness and who utilize mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions in clinical practice were interviewed. The interviews explored the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy in four sub-topics: 1. How mindfulness can impact the clinician in terms of self-care and perceived therapeutic ability; 2. How mindfulness education/techniques can impact the client; 3. How relational mindfulness can affect the therapeutic relationship between clinician and client; and 4. The challenges and implications of using mindfulness in a therapeutic setting. Using grounded-theory to analyze the data, seven major themes were suggested in the findings. The themes consisted of the following: selfcare; affect regulation in the clinician and the client; populations with sub themes of anxiety, trauma, and psychosis; client and clinician relationship/connection; language; access; and culture. The findings imply that mindfulness is beneficial for clinician selfcare and as an intervention for a variety of mental health populations by allowing for greater affect regulation. The findings also imply that mindfulness can positively impact the therapeutic relationship by allowing the therapist to remain grounded, present, and authentic in interactions with clients. However, the findings identified that language and cultural aspects may create barriers to the effectiveness of mindfulness. Despite the identified themes, the limited sample size did not allow for generalization of the findings. Further research should be directed towards the understanding of how mindfulness can impact the clinician, client, and therapeutic relationship in clinical education and practice

Mindfulness in Traditional Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study

Empirically tested research suggests the effectiveness and applicability of mindfulness interventions in psychotherapy to treat or provide supplemental treatment to a variety of mental health disorders, to improve the therapeutic alliance, and to promote self-care and use of self in clinicians. Despite the successes of mindfulness in the mental health community, only a select culture of clinicians utilize mindfulness techniques in their practice. In order to explore how mindfulness can impact the therapeutic process, a qualitative study was conducted. Seven clinicians who currently practice mindfulness and who utilize mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions in clinical practice were interviewed. The interviews explored the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy in four sub-topics: 1. How mindfulness can impact the clinician in terms of self-care and perceived therapeutic ability; 2. How mindfulness education/techniques can impact the client; 3. How relational mindfulness can affect the therapeutic relationship between clinician and client; and 4. The challenges and implications of using mindfulness in a therapeutic setting. Using grounded-theory to analyze the data, seven major themes were suggested in the findings. The themes consisted of the following: selfcare; affect regulation in the clinician and the client; populations with sub themes of anxiety, trauma, and psychosis; client and clinician relationship/connection; language; access; and culture. The findings imply that mindfulness is beneficial for clinician selfcare and as an intervention for a variety of mental health populations by allowing for greater affect regulation. The findings also imply that mindfulness can positively impact the therapeutic relationship by allowing the therapist to remain grounded, present, and authentic in interactions with clients. However, the findings identified that language and cultural aspects may create barriers to the effectiveness of mindfulness. Despite the identified themes, the limited sample size did not allow for generalization of the findings. Further research should be directed towards the understanding of how mindfulness can impact the clinician, client, and therapeutic relationship in clinical education and practice