UA Research Summary No. 18

Health-care spending for Alaskans reached about $7.5 billion in 2010. For comparison, that’s close to half the wellhead value of all the oil produced in Alaska that year. It’s also roughly equal to half the wages Alaskans collected in 2010. The state’s health-care spending has been rising fast, tripling since 1990 and jumping 402010—and at current trends it could double by 2020, reaching more than$14 billion. Here we report on who’s paying the bills, what we’re buying, what’s contributing to the growth, and other aspects of health-care spending. We conclude with a discussion of how Alaska could get better value for its health-care dollars

Virtual acoustics displays

The real time acoustic display capabilities are described which were developed for the Virtual Environment Workstation (VIEW) Project at NASA-Ames. The acoustic display is capable of generating localized acoustic cues in real time over headphones. An auditory symbology, a related collection of representational auditory 'objects' or 'icons', can be designed using ACE (Auditory Cue Editor), which links both discrete and continuously varying acoustic parameters with information or events in the display. During a given display scenario, the symbology can be dynamically coordinated in real time with 3-D visual objects, speech, and gestural displays. The types of displays feasible with the system range from simple warnings and alarms to the acoustic representation of multidimensional data or events

Nobody's responsibility:the precarious position of disabled employees in the UK workplace

Secondary analysis of a qualitative data set of perceived workplace ill-treatment suggests that human resource and occupational health professionals play too subordinate, belated and haphazard a role, compared to ill-equipped line managers, in the de-escalation and resolution of ill-treatment experienced by disabled and ill employees

Effects of Chemical Variation on Competition and Insect Communities Across Solidago altissima Genotypes

Individuals within a plant species can differ greatly from one another, especially regarding the range of chemical compounds produced. However, the functions of many of these chemicals are unknown, but likely include defenses against herbivores, attractants for pollinators and seed dispersers, as well as mechanisms for resource competition. To assess the effects of foliar chemical composition on interspecific plant competition and insect communities, I conducted a common garden and greenhouse experiment using 24 genotypes of the allelopathic species Solidago altissima for which the foliar chemistry had been characterized. Using these data and chemical profiles of S. altissima, I linked foliar chemistry to plant performance, competitive ability and the foliar/floral insect communities. The common garden experiment showed there was great variation in foliar chemistry between the genotypes. Ecological patterns existed between foliar chemistry and plant performance, as foliar chemistry was strongly related to most measures of plant performance across genotypes. Pollinator communities were found to relate with total aboveground biomass, proportion of flower mass, and % light transmittance as well as plant chemistry. The greenhouse experiment showed marked variation in both rhizome and above-ground biomass growth for S. altissima. The above-ground biomass of Abutilon theophrasti, S. scoparium, and S. integrifolium had their biomass significantly reduced via competition with S. altissima. Chemistry significantly affected the biomass of both A. theophrasti and S. scoparium, suggesting that chemistry is a critical driver of competition for S. altissima

PeaceHealth Advance Directives & Palliative Care

Dr. Scott Foster, MD., MPH., Chief Medical Executive for PeaceHealth Medical Group, presented at the Your Voice-Your Choice: Let\u27s Talk About It event on March 22, 2017 at St. Luke\u27s Health Education Center. Dr. Foster highlighted PeaceHealth\u27s commitment to a comprehensive system for understanding, documenting and honoring patient values and goals for care at the end of life in all healthcare settings, including Advance Directives