Joseph Robidoux III, the 1780 Battle of St. Louis, & the St. Louis Robidoux Legacy

The Robidoux family has been part of the history of Missouri on both sides of the state dating to the Revolutionary War period. Stephen Kling places Robidoux’s role into historical perspective

Practicum 2012 - 2013: LIFT Boston Client Well Being Study

A Boston based non-profit and a team of public policy PhD students engaged in several months of collaborative problem identification and goal setting focused on the effectiveness of the organization’s unique service delivery model. The nonprofit uses volunteer advocates and a goal-oriented process with no eligibility criteria to assist clients in distress. We collected administrative data, administered a survey, and conducted interviews to explore client well-being

Uplifting: Improvements in Boston Area Client Well-Being

LIFT-Boston, a local non-profit organization, entered into a collaborative partnership in September 2012 with McCormack Graduate School Public Policy Ph.D. students and faculty to develop and execute a research project. The goals of this endeavor were to assist LIFT-Boston in understanding the outcomes associated with its services and enable the organization to further pursue service goals. The primary research questions respond to the organization’s most fundamental questions. These include how the organization’s unique service model impacts clients across several objective and subjective dimensions of well-being. Secondary questions focus on how these impacts may translate into increases or decreases in student achievement within a family. To answer these lines of inquiry, the MPT employed a multi-method design, analyzing administrative, survey, observational, interview, spatial, and focus group data. Findings show that LIFT clients tend to be adults, aged 45 years or older and more than 50% of LIFT-Boston clients live alone. Nearly half of LIFT-Boston client are unemployed with nearly 67% receiving food stamp benefits. Besides employment, LIFT-Boston clients report problems with housing and housing expenses. Regression results show that LIFT-Boston may increase objective client well-being in housing and food stamp assistance, showing increase of 17.5% in food stamp receipt for LIFT-Boston clients and an 18.6% decrease in housing issues. Overall, findings suggest that LIFT-Boston offers a unique set of services to adult clients in the Boston area. Clients experience caring and respectful relationships when collaborating with LIFT advocates. While limited changes in objective well-being were observed, interviews suggest that clients’ self-confidence is greatly increased when small steps are made toward larger life goals. Limited evidence suggests adult well-being may translate to students, although much deeper analysis is needed. While a low survey response rate must be considered when interpreting findings, this report contributes to the scholarly knowledge based in areas including strength based case management, subjective/objective well-being measures, and student achievement. Steps for further scholarly research, as well as potential organizational changes for LIFT-Boston, are suggested

Schwarzschild black hole lensing

We study strong gravitational lensing due to a Schwarzschild black hole. Apart from the primary and the secondary images we find a sequence of images on both sides of the optic axis; we call them {\em relativistic images}. These images are formed due to large bending of light near r = 3M (the closest distance of approach r_o is greater than 3M). The sources of the entire universe are mapped in the vicinity of the black hole by these images. For the case of the Galactic supermassive ``black hole'' they are formed at about 17 microarcseconds from the optic axis. The relativistic images are not resolved among themselves, but they are resolved from the primary and secondary images. However the relativistic images are very much demagnified unless the observer, lens and source are very highly aligned. Due to this and some other difficulties the observation of these images does not seem to be feasible in near future. However, it would be a great success of the general theory of relativity in a strong gravitational field if they ever were observed and it would also give an upper bound, r_o = 3.21 M, to the compactness of the lens, which would support the black hole interpretation of the lensing object.Comment: RevTex, 5 eps files are included, observational difficulties are discussed and there are some changes in presentatio

Can Plan Recommendations Improve the Coverage Decisions of Vulnerable Populations in Health Insurance Marketplaces?

OBJECTIVE: The Affordable Care Act's marketplaces present an important opportunity for expanding coverage but consumers face enormous challenges in navigating through enrollment and re-enrollment. We tested the effectiveness of a behaviorally informed policy tool--plan recommendations--in improving marketplace decisions. STUDY SETTING: Data were gathered from a community sample of 656 lower-income, minority, rural residents of Virginia. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted an incentive-compatible, computer-based experiment using a hypothetical marketplace like the one consumers face in the federally-facilitated marketplaces, and examined their decision quality. Participants were randomly assigned to a control condition or three types of plan recommendations: social normative, physician, and government. For participants randomized to a plan recommendation condition, the plan that maximized expected earnings, and minimized total expected annual health care costs, was recommended. DATA COLLECTION: Primary data were gathered using an online choice experiment and questionnaire. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Plan recommendations resulted in a 21 percentage point increase in the probability of choosing the earnings maximizing plan, after controlling for participant characteristics. Two conditions, government or providers recommending the lowest cost plan, resulted in plan choices that lowered annual costs compared to marketplaces where no recommendations were made. CONCLUSIONS: As millions of adults grapple with choosing plans in marketplaces and whether to switch plans during open enrollment, it is time to consider marketplace redesigns and leverage insights from the behavioral sciences to facilitate consumers' decisions

Sustained remission of rheumatoid arthritis with a specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant: a case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The mainstay of pharmacologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis includes the use of disease-modifying agents like sulfasalazine and methothrexate, and more recently, anti-tumor necrosis factor-α agents. Depression remains a major co-morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and is thought to contribute to disability and mortality in these patients. Evidence now suggests that a biologic link exists between substrates responsible for inflammatory conditions and mood disorders. Most of this evidence comes from preclinical studies. Nevertheless, more research into this area is helping us to understand the possible mechanisms through which these conditions interact with each other.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe a 60-year-old Indian man with rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed 15 years ago who had minimal response to multiple therapies with disease-modifying agents and whose arthritis symptoms surprisingly remitted when he was started on a specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, three years ago, for co-morbid major depression. This remission has been maintained with this medication, and the patient is currently not taking any antirheumatoid medications.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Possible mechanisms linking substrates of mood disorders and inflammation are reviewed in this case report, particularly the serotonergic system. Evidence seems to suggest a significant interaction between the serotonergic systems and inflammation. This interaction seems to be bidirectional. An understanding of this relation is most important to gain insight not only into pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this condition, but also into how treatments for these conditions may complement each other and possibly provide greater therapeutic options in both of these disabling conditions.</p

Constructing meaning about the delinquency of young girls in public-housing neighbourhoods

UID/SOC/04647/2013 SFRH/BPD/116119/2016Rooted in the theoretical approaches of social ecology and in childhood studies, the Ph.D. research project on which this paper is based aimed to achieve a better understanding of children’s socialization processes in multi-problematic spaces, particularly concerning their involvement in violence and delinquency. A case study based on ethnographic research and child-centred methods was carried out in six public-housing neighbourhoods in Portugal, which were chosen because they had relatively high levels of social deprivation, violence and crime. The specificity of the social group under study—children aged from 6 to 12 years old—and their living conditions, led us to extend the data collected by trying to learn, from the girls, the reasoning and the meanings they assign to their own actions in daily social practices. The intention was to study the features of girls’ socialization in the field through their own accounts of their lives and to examine their perspectives on offending behaviours. The genderized process of social learning in delinquency identified in the girls’ conversation is an important variable, as familial and social experiences tend to facilitate their entry into delinquency. The transmission of delinquent values takes place essentially within the female family circle or via female peers, rather than from the influence of male individuals.authorsversionpublishe

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in women in Benin, West Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cervical cancer ranks as the first most frequent cancer among women in Benin. The major cause of cervical cancer now recognized is persistent infection of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). In Benin there is a lack of screening programs for prevention of cervical cancer and little information exists regarding HPV genotype distribution.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cervical cells from 725 women were examined for the presence of viral DNA by means of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) multiplex-based assay with the amplification of a fragment of L1 region and of E6/E7 region of the HPV genome, and of abnormal cytology by Papanicolaou method. The association between HPV status and Pap test reports was evaluated. Socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics were also related.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 18 different HPV types were identified, with a prevalence of 33.2% overall, and 52% and 26.7% among women with and without cervical lesions, respectively. Multiple HPV infections were observed in 40.2% of HPV-infected women. In the HPV-testing group, the odds ratio for the detection of abnormal cytology was 2.98 (95% CI, 1.83-4.84) for HPV positive in comparison to HPV negative women. High risk types were involved in 88% of infections, most notably HPV-59, HPV-35, HPV-16, HPV-18, HPV-58 and HPV-45. In multiple infections of women with cytological abnormalities HPV-45 predominated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides the first estimates of the prevalence of HPV and type-specific distribution among women from Benin and demonstrates that the epidemiology of HPV infection in Benin is different from that of other world regions. Specific area vaccinations may be needed to prevent cervical cancer and the other HPV-related diseases.</p

Percepção de estudantes de psicologia sobre a informática em sua formação profissional

Neste artigo analisa-se uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, cujo objetivo era explorar a percepção de 45 alunos de psicologia de diferentes universidades da cidade de Santiago do Chile, sobre a incorporação da informática como apoio para a aprendizagem em sua formação profissional. A informação foi coletada através de entrevistas semiestruturadas e analisou-se mediante o processo de codificação da Teoría Fundamentada. Os resultados mostram como categorias principais, o conhecimento da informática, a valoração da informática, e os fatores que obstaculizam o uso desta. Da codificação seletiva se desprende uma alta valoração da informática como ferramenta econômica e cômoda, mas também se observa uma alta reticência dos alunos diante de sua utilização no trabalho profissional tradicional do psicólogo. Encontraram-se fatores pessoais e institucionais nos que se baseia a valoração, a motivação e o nível de conhecimento dos estudantes diante do uso de ferramentas informáticas.This paper analyses a qualitative research aimed to exploring the perception of 45 psychology students from different universities in Santiago de Chile, about incorporating information systems to support learning in their professional training. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and their analysis was based on Grounded Theory's coding process. Results show that the major categories are computer knowledge, appreciation of computers and factors that hinder their use. From the selective coding a positive evaluation emerges of information systems as an economic and useful tool. However, there is also a high reluctance on the part of the students regarding the use of such tools in the psychologist' traditional professional work. Personal and organizational factors were found as bases for students' assessment, motivation and level of knowledge facing the use of these tools.En este artículo se analiza una investigación de naturaleza cualitativa, cuyo objetivo era explorar la percepción de 45 alumnos de psicología de diferentes universidades de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, sobre la incorporación de la informática como apoyo para el aprendizaje en su formación profesional. La información se recolectó a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y se analizó mediante el proceso de codificación de la Teoría Fundamentada. Los resultados muestran como categorías principales, el conocimiento de la informática, la valoración de la informática, y los factores que obstaculizan el uso de ésta. De la codificación selectiva se desprende una alta valoración de la informática como herramienta económica y cómoda, pero también se observa una alta reticencia de los alumnos frente a su utilización en el trabajo profesional tradicional del psicólogo. Se encontraron factores personales e institucionales en los cuales se fundamenta la valoración, la motivación y el nivel de conocimiento de los estudiantes frente al uso de herramientas informáticas