The Community Safety Net and Prescription Drug Access for Low-Income, Uninsured People

Examines strategies adopted by hospitals and community health centers to maintain access to affordable brand name and generic prescription drugs. Based on site visits to twelve nationally representative communities

The health and well-being of older adults with dual sensory impairment (DSI) in four countries

Objectives Dual sensory impairment (DSI) is a combination of vision and hearing impairments that represents a unique disability affecting all aspects of a person’s life. The rates of DSI are expected to increase due to population aging, yet little is known about DSI among older adults (65+). The prevalence of DSI and client characteristics were examined among two groups, namely, older adults receiving home care services or those residing in a long-term care (LTC) facility in four countries (Canada, US, Finland, Belgium). Methods Existing data, using an interRAI assessment, were analyzed to compare older adults with DSI to all others across demographic characteristics, functional and psychosocial outcomes. Results In home care, the prevalence of DSI across the four countries ranged from 13.4% to 24.6%; in LTC facilities, it ranged from 9.7% to 33.9%. Clients with DSI were more likely to be 85+, have moderate/severe cognitive impairment, impairments in activities of daily living, and have communication difficulties. Among residents of LTC facilities, individuals with DSI were more likely to be 85+ and more likely have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Having DSI increased the likelihood of depression in both care settings, but after adjusting for other factors, it remained significant only in the home care sample. Conclusions While the prevalence of DSI cross nationally is similar to that of other illnesses such as diabetes, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease, we have a limited understanding of its affects among older adults. Raising awareness of this unique disability is imperative to insure that individuals receive the necessary rehabilitation and supportive services to improve their level of independence and quality of life

Gamma-band synchronization in the macaque hippocampus and memory formation

Increasing evidence suggests that neuronal synchronization in the gamma band (30–100 Hz) may play an important role in mediating cognitive processes. Gamma-band synchronization provides for the optimal temporal relationship between two signals to produce the long-term synaptic changes that have been theorized to underlie memory formation. Although neuronal populations in the hippocampus oscillate in the gamma range, the role of these oscillations in memory formation is still unclear. To address this issue, we recorded neuronal activity in the hippocampus while macaque monkeys performed a visual recognition memory task. During the encoding phase of this task, hippocampal neurons displayed gamma-band synchronization. Additionally, enhanced gamma-band synchronization during encoding predicted greater subsequent recognition memory performance. These changes in synchronization reflect enhanced coordination among hippocampal neurons and may facilitate synaptic changes necessary for successful memory encoding

Characteristics of a New Carbonaceous Chondrite, Metal-Rich-Lithology Found in the Carbonaceous Chondrite Breccia Aguas Zarcas

The Aguas Zarcas meteorite fell in Costa Rica on 23 April 2019 at 21:07 local time, with a total mass of about 27 kg. Hundreds of fusion-crusted stones ranging from 0.1 to 1868 g were recovered (The Meteoritical Bulletin). The meteorite was classified as a CM chondrite, but some lithlogies show a different texture to that of CM. In this study, we investigated the petrography, mineral-ogy, chemistry, and isotopic composition of an unusual Metal-rich-lithology from this fresh fall

Markierungsversuche und Modellierung zur Bewertung der Gefährdung eines Trinkwasserbrunnens

Kurzfassung: In einem Porengrundwasserleiter aus Niederterrassenschottern bei Pratteln, Schweiz, wurde ein Markierungsversuch mit Uranin durchgeführt, um die Gefährdung eines Trinkwasserbrunnens durch ein 760 m talaufwärts gelegenen Ablagerungsstandort zu bewerten. Dabei wurde eine maximale Abstandsgeschwindigkeit von 127 m/d und ein Wiedererhalt von 0,93 % festgestellt. Der Tracer wurde auch in zwei intermediären Beobachtungsbrunnen nachgewiesen. Diese Studie diskutiert die Ursachen dieser hohen Fließgeschwindigkeit. Durch drei verschiedene analytische Modelle konnten die Durchgangskurven simuliert und Transportparameter bestimmt werden. Erst die Anwendung eines zweidimensionalen numerischen Modells (FEFLOW) mit vereinfachter Geometrie liefert aber eine hydrogeologisch konsistente, mögliche Erklärung aller Versuchsergebnisse. Demnach handelt es sich vermutlich um einen relativ homogenen Grundwasserleiter. Der steile Gradient (6 ‰) und die hohe Durchlässigkeit (3 · 10-2 m/s) verursachen die hohen Fließgeschwindigkeiten. Der Hauptteil der Tracerwolke strömt seitlich an den Brunnen vorbei. Durch später durchgeführte Kleinpumpversuche wurde diese Modellvorstellung weitgehend bestätigt. Diese Befunde sollten bei Schutz- und Sanierungskonzepten berücksichtigt werde

Searching for Organics Preserved in 4.5 Billion Year Old Salt

Our understanding of early solar system fluids took a dramatic turn a decade ago with the discovery of fluid inclusion-bearing halite (NaCl) crystals in the matrix of two freshly fallen brecciated H chondrite falls, Monahans and Zag. Both meteorites are regolith breccias, and contain xenolithic halite (and minor admixed sylvite -- KCl, crystals in their regolith lithologies. The halites are purple to dark blue, due to the presence of color centers (electrons in anion vacancies) which slowly accumulated as 40K (in sylvite) decayed over billions of years. The halites were dated by K-Ar, Rb-Sr and I-Xe systematics to be 4.5 billion years old. The "blue" halites were a fantastic discovery for the following reasons: (1) Halite+sylvite can be dated (K is in sylvite and will substitute for Na in halite, Rb substitutes in halite for Na, and I substitutes for Cl). (2) The blue color is lost if the halite dissolves on Earth and reprecipitates (because the newly-formed halite has no color centers), so the color serves as a "freshness" or pristinity indicator. (3) Halite frequently contains aqueous fluid inclusions. (4) Halite contains no structural oxygen, carbon or hydrogen, making them ideal materials to measure these isotopic systems in any fluid inclusions. (5) It is possible to directly measure fluid inclusion formation temperatures, and thus directly measure the temperature of the mineralizing aqueous fluid. In addition to these two ordinary chondrites halite grains have been reliably reported in several ureilites, an additional ordinary chondrite (Jilin), and in the carbonaceous chondrite (Murchison), although these reports were unfortunately not taken seriously. We have lately found additional fluid inclusions in carbonates in several additional carbonaceous chondrites. Meteoritic aqueous fluid inclusions are apparently relatively widespread in meteorites, though very small and thus difficult to analyze

Heavy-Quark Diffusion and Hadronization in Quark-Gluon Plasma

We calculate diffusion and hadronization of heavy quarks in high-energy heavy-ion collisions implementing the notion of a strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma in both micro- and macroscopic components. The diffusion process is simulated using relativistic Fokker-Planck dynamics for elastic scattering in a hydrodynamic background. The heavy-quark transport coefficients in the medium are obtained from non-perturbative $T$-matrix interactions which build up resonant correlations close to the transition temperature. The latter also form the basis for hadronization of heavy quarks into heavy-flavor mesons via recombination with light quarks from the medium. The pertinent resonance recombination satisfies energy conservation and provides an equilibrium mapping between quark and meson distributions. The recombination probability is derived from the resonant heavy-quark scattering rate. Consequently, recombination dominates at low transverse momentum ($p_T$) and yields to fragmentation at high $p_T$. Our approach thus emphasizes the role of resonance correlations in the diffusion and hadronization processes. We calculate the nuclear modification factor and elliptic flow of $D$- and $B$-mesons for Au-Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and compare their decay-electron spectra to available data. We also find that a realistic description of the medium flow is essential for a quantitative interpretation of the data.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figure