Private Accreditation as a Substitute for Direct Government Regulation in Public Health Insurance Programs: When Is It Appropriate?

The appropriateness of the use of private accreditation in regulating and defining the quality of health care providers under government health insurance programs is examined. The characteristics of health care institutions and the patients they serve are important considerations

A comparison of three basal vocabularies and supplementary books on three reading levels

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Examination of the Monoamine Oxidase A Gene Promoter on Motivation to Exercise and Levels of Voluntary Physical Activity

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic basis underlying voluntary exercise. Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) is an enzyme that acts on monoamine neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, to cause inactivation. There are several polymorphisms in the promoter region of the MAO-A gene, and these variations change transcriptional activity and the amount of MAO-A produced, leading to alterations in available dopamine levels. Interestingly, polymorphisms in MAO-A have been associated recently with physical activity level. This study sought to determine whether there is an association between motivation to exercise, levels of voluntary physical activity, and MAO-A gene polymorphisms. Methods: Seventy-one participants (age 18-24 years, 13 males & 58 females) completed the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (BREQ-2) to assess their motivation to exercise and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess their level of physical activity. DNA was collected and isolated from a cheek cell sample. The MAO-A genotype was identified using PCR with gene specific primers. MAO-A 3/3 and 4/4 genotype individuals were used for analysis. Results: External motivation to exercise was significantly higher (p \u3c 0.01) in the high transcription 4/4 genotype (x̄=1.11 ± 0.8) compared to the low transcription 3/3 genotype (x̄= 0.39 ± 0.6). Internal motivation to exercise was not different between genotypes. Body mass index and weekly MET minutes estimated by IPAQ were also comparable between genotypes. Conclusion: The results suggest a polymorphism in this monoamine pathway may play a role in increasing sensitivity to external factors that motivate individuals to exercise

Water-filled heat pipe useful at moderate temperatures

Heat pipe is used in the primary heat exchanger for nuclear power plants, as a heat sink for high-power electronic devices, and in a closed-cycle heat rejection mechanism for cryogenic storage tanks. It serves simultaneously as a heat transfer device and as a structural member

Inflation From Symmetry Breaking Below the Planck Scale

We investigate general scalar field potentials \hbox{$V\left(\phi\right)$} for inflationary cosmology arising from spontaneous symmetry breaking. We find that potentials which are dominated by terms of order $\phi^m$ with \hbox{$m > 2$} can satisfy observational constraints at an arbitrary symmetry breaking scale. Of particular interest, the spectral index of density fluctuations is shown to be independent of the specific form of the potential, depending only on the order $m$ of the lowest non-vanishing derivative of $V(\phi)$ near its maximum. The results of a model with a broken ${\rm SO(3)}$ symmetry illustrate these features.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters. 7 Pages, REVTeX. No figure

Healing Community Breath by Breath: A Conversation with Kerrie Trahan

Kerrie Trahan is the founder of Yoganic Flow and Yoga House Detroit. In addition, Trahan holds a Masters of Education in Community Health. In this conversation with Rebecca Kinney, Yoga House Detroit board member and associate professor of American and Ethnic Studies, Trahan, reflects on how her experiences as a black woman and born and raised Detroiter informs her approach to breath, community, and yoga