Government-Assisted Rental Accommodations: Should They Accommodate Homeowners with Unmet Needs?

Stephen Golant, a national expert on elderly housing concerns, describes the types and seriousness of housing problems facing elders nationally and in Maine. Although older adults are predominantly homeowners, national policymakers often downplay the needs of this group and hand over responsibility to state and local governments. The author reviews arguments that cynics have offered for deemphasizing older homeowners’ needs, and discusses various solutions to meet those needs. He poses the question: Do we unrealistically romanticize aging in place? As the title of the article suggests, Golant proposes that a good solution to the needs of older homeowners is to increase the availability of government-assisted rental accommodations, ideally accompanied by supportive services

Assisted living : a potential solution to Canada\u27s long-term care crisis

By 2020, 29% of Canada\u27s seniors will be in the 75-84 age bracket, and 13% will be aged 85 and over. How they live and who will look after them will become increasingly urgent problems. While Canada has primarily depended on extended family and nursing homes to care for their elderly, Dr. Stephen Golant, a U.S.-Canada senior Fulbright scholar, suggests there is another way. Over a five-month period spent at Simon Fraser University\u27s Gerontology Research Centre, Dr. Golant evaluated the current state of Canada\u27s housing policy for the elderly and urged all levels of government to look at new strategies to provide for this growing group of elderly seniors. In particular, Dr. Golant suggests the establishment of Assisted Living Facilities, a more resort-like setting targeted at upper-middle and high income seniors

Luminescence of phosphorus doped silica glass

This work is supported by Material Science program IMIS2 of Latvia.A fiber preform with P-doped silica core is studied by luminescence methods. P-doped silica was synthesized via the SPCVD method on a substrate tube made of pure silica glass F300. Two luminescence bands were detected under excitation of the F2 excimer laser (157 nm). One band is in UV range at 4.6 eV (265 nm) with two time constants ~ 30 ns and 5 μs and the other at 3.1 eV (400 nm) with time constant ~ 5.5 ms. Fast decay of the blue band with time constant ~ 20 ns was also observed. The main excitation band of the UV luminescence is at 7.1 eV (~ 170 nm) and that for blue band is at 6.3 eV (~ 195 nm). These bands belong to two different luminescence centers, however, both are associated with the presence of phosphorus. The UV band is similar to the one observed in many different oxide materials containing phosphorus and is ascribed to PO43- complex ion. The blue band is ascribed to a twofold coordinated phosphorus. Both the blue and the UV luminescences participate in the recombination process due to electron trapping. These luminescences appear due to thermal stimulation upon recombination of liberated self-trapped holes. Other than the detected phosphorus-related oxygen-hole-centers, there is no other recombination luminescence.IMIS2; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Digital literacy linked to engagement and psychological benefits among breast cancer survivors in Internet-based peer support groups

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Objective: Internet-based peer support groups (ISGs) represent an innovative, scalable approach to addressing information and support needs of cancer survivors. However, this innovation may not benefit survivors equally due to population variance in digital literacy. This study examined how digital literacy influences level of engagement in and psychological benefits from participating in ISGs for breast cancer (N = 183). Methods: Secondary analysis of data from a randomised trial of ISGs that included behavioural measures of engagement, subjective ratings and psychological distress symptoms. Results: Digital literacy was positively related to education level (p =.005). Relative to women with high digital literacy, those with lower digital literacy were more likely to report difficulties using the ISG and to value the user's guide and facilitator assistance (all p's <.05). Digital literacy was negatively correlated with computer anxiety pre-intervention, distress before and after online chat during the intervention and post-intervention depressive symptoms (all p's <.05). Conclusion: Low digital literacy is associated with computer anxiety and barriers to ISG use, as well as distress during and after ISG use. Digital literacy must be taken into account when designing or delivering innovative digital interventions for cancer survivors

Collisional cross sections and momentum distributions in astrophysical plasmas: dynamics and statistical mechanics link

We show that, in stellar core plasmas, the one-body momentum distribution function is strongly dependent, at least in the high velocity regime, on the microscopic dynamics of ion elastic collisions and therefore on the effective collisional cross sections, if a random force field is present. We take into account two cross sections describing ion-dipole and ion-ion screened interactions. Furthermore we introduce a third unusual cross section, to link statistical distributions and a quantum effect originated by the energy-momentum uncertainty owing to many-body collisions, and propose a possible physical interpretation in terms of a tidal-like force. We show that each collisional cross section gives rise to a slight peculiar correction on the Maxwellian momentum distribution function in a well defined velocity interval. We also find a possible link between microscopical dynamics of ions and statistical mechanics interpreting our results in the framework of non-extensive statistical mechanics.Comment: 8 page

Tapinarof Cream 1% Once Daily for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis: Case Photography of Clinical Outcomes from Three Phase 3 Trials

Tapinarof cream 1% (VTAMA(®); Dermavant Sciences, Inc.) is a non-steroidal, topical, aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat plaque psoriasis in adults and under investigation for the treatment of psoriasis in children down to 2 years of age, and for atopic dermatitis in adults and children down to 2 years of age. The PSOARING phase 3 clinical trial program evaluated tapinarof cream 1% once daily (QD) in adults with mild to severe plaque psoriasis for up to 52 weeks (NCT03956355, NCT03983980, NCT04053387). Here we present case photography documenting outcomes in the PSOARING trials. Cases illustrate various outcomes across different body areas, including responses meeting the formal FDA-mandated regulatory endpoint of a Physician Global Assessment (PGA) score of 0 (clear) or 1 (almost clear) and a decrease of at least 2 points from baseline at week 12, meaningful clinical improvement not meeting this formal endpoint, patient-reported outcomes, and pre-specified adverse events of special interest (AESIs). Tapinarof cream 1% QD demonstrated rapid and highly statistically significant efficacy, with improvements in disease activity and quality of life. In addition, a high rate (40.9%; n = 312/763) of complete disease clearance (PGA = 0) was achieved, and improvements exceeding National Psoriasis Foundation treatment goals were demonstrated. After first achieving complete disease clearance (PGA = 0), patients treated with tapinarof experienced an approximately 4-month remittive effect off therapy. Incidence and severity of folliculitis and contact dermatitis AESIs were generally mild or moderate, localized to the site of application, and associated with low discontinuation rates. Medical images are of importance in trials of dermatologic therapies to inform clinical decision-making and enhance patient assessment. Tapinarof cream 1% QD is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with mild to severe plaque psoriasis, with clinically relevant improvements seen early in the course of treatment. Clinicaltrials.gov numbers: NCT03956355, NCT03983980, NCT04053387

Improving Undergraduate Astronomy Students' Skills with Research Literature via Accessible Summaries: A Case Study with Astrobites-based Lesson Plans

Undergraduate physics and astronomy students are expected to engage with scientific literature as they begin their research careers, but reading comprehension skills are rarely explicitly taught in major courses. We seek to determine the efficacy of lesson plans designed to improve undergraduate astronomy (or related) majors' perceived ability to engage with research literature by using accessible summaries of current research written by experts in the field. During the 2022-2023 academic year, twelve faculty members incorporated lesson plans using accessible summaries from Astrobites into their undergraduate astronomy major courses, surveyed their students before and after the activities, and participated in follow-up interviews with our research team. Quantitative and qualitative survey data clearly show that students' perceptions of their abilities with jargon, identifying main takeaways of a paper, conceptual understanding of physics and astronomy, and communicating scientific results all improved with use of the tested lesson plans. Additionally, students show evidence of increased confidence of their abilities within astronomy after exposure to these lessons, and instructors valued a ready-to-use resource to incorporate reading comprehension in their pedagogy. This case study with Astrobites-based lesson plans suggests that incorporating current research in the undergraduate classroom through accessible literature summaries may increase students' confidence and ability to engage with research literature, as well as their preparation for participation in research and applied careers.Comment: Submitted to PRPE

Pharmacy Compounding Regulation in the German Pharmaceutical Market. Part 1. Basic Regulatory Provisions (Review)

SCIENTIFIC RELEVANCE. There is a need to move towards an appropriate system of quality assurance in pharmacy compounding. At the same time, the development of a Russian regulatory system for pharmacy compounding requires a broad understanding of international experience.AIM. This study aimed at analysing the basic principles of pharmacy compounding regulation in the Federal Republic of Germany in order to identify best practices and determine ways to improve the legal and regulatory framework for compounding pharmacies in the Russian Federation.DISCUSSION. According to German law, pharmacies may dispense compounded medicinal products on an oral request from a patient. The German regulatory framework provides a mechanism delineating medicinal products compounded by pharmacies and those manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. The geographical and quantitative restrictions combined with the neutral pricing policy for pharmacies facilitate the establishment of a highly effective pharmaceutical supply system. In practice, this system helps set uniform prices for medicinal products throughout Germany while preventing pharmacy chains from monopolising the pharmaceutical market. These regulations can be considered regulatory mechanisms operating at the regional (land) level. Moreover, it is of key importance that German legislation divides compounded medicinal products into stock and extemporaneous preparations.CONCLUSIONS. German pharmaceutical practice features a number of innovations that can be borrowed for Russian pharmaceutical practice. Russian pharmaceutical legislation may benefit from adopting the concept of a “request from an individual” for dispensing compounded medicinal products that do not contain prescription-only active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In order to improve the efficiency of the use of pharmaceutical-quality raw materials, including APIs, it is necessary to identify cases in which regular pharmacies can receive or purchase compounded medicinal products from compounding pharmacies and cases in which compounding pharmacies can purchase APIs from other compounding pharmacies. The authors recommend considering the possibility of defining the role, functions, and powers of self-regulating professional pharmacy organisations at various levels of governance in this social sphere of activity. Furthermore, the authors recommend creating a Russian mechanism to mitigate the risks of stock shortages and/or limited supply of medicinal products that would be similar to the German “standard authorisation” system and would encompass compounding pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies