Barriers to Obtaining Healthcare in the United States

One barrier to obtaining healthcare in the United States (U.S.) has been the type of healthcare insurance that someone has. It is important for nurses to understand the impact of the patient’s access to care, which is a factor in their health outcomes. Health insurance, race and ethnicity, income, and zip code are at the top of a long list of social determinants of health that affects where and how they receive care. To find out more about how barriers to obtaining healthcare affect outcomes, I researched various types of barriers around the country. It is important to understand how outcomes of care are affected by roadblocks that prevent patients from obtaining care. This thesis will include a review of the research literature to examine how barriers to healthcare, such as insurance, affect patient outcomes and continuity of care. Literature that is discussed includes racial and ethnic disparities of care and treatment, continuity of care for those with chronic diseases, and emergency department use in relation to insurance. Based on the findings of the research examined in the literature review, a proposal for further research is presented

The impact of co-occurring tree and grassland species on carbon sequestration and potential biofuel production

We evaluated how three co-occurring tree and four grassland species influence potentially harvestable biofuel stocks and above- and belowground carbon pools. After 5 years, the tree Pinus strobus had 6.5 times the amount of aboveground harvestable biomass as another tree Quercus ellipsoidalis and 10 times that of the grassland species. P. strobus accrued the largest total plant carbon pool (1375 gCm -2 or 394 gCm -2 yr), while Schizachyrium scoparium accrued the largest total plant carbon pool among the grassland species (421 gCm -2 or 137 gCm -2 yr). Quercus ellipsoidalis accrued 850 gCm -2, Q. macrocarpa 370 gCm -2, Poa pratensis 390 gCm -2, Solidago canadensis 132 gCm -2, and Lespedeza capitata 283 gCm -2. Only P. strobus and Q. ellipsoidalis significantly sequestered carbon during the experiment. Species differed in total ecosystem carbon accumulation from -21.3 to 1169.8 gCm -2 yr compared with the original soil carbon pool. Plant carbon gains with P. strobus were paralleled by a decrease of 16% in soil carbon and a nonsignificant decline of 9% for Q. ellipsoidalis. However, carbon allocation differed among species, with P. strobus allocating most aboveground in a disturbance prone aboveground pool, whereas Q. ellipsoidalis, allocated most carbon in less disturbance sensitive belowground biomass. These differences have strong implications for terrestrial carbon sequestration and potential biofuel production. For P. strobus, aboveground plant carbon harvest for biofuel would result in no net carbon sequestration as declines in soil carbon offset plant carbon gains. Conversely the harvest of Q. ellipsoidalis aboveground biomass would result in net sequestration of carbon belowground due to its high allocation belowground, but would yield lower amounts of aboveground biomass. Our results demonstrate that plant species can differentially impact ecosystem carbon pools and the distribution of carbon above and belowground

Ecosystem Jenga!

Students are often taught that ecosystems are delicately balanced, But what. exactly, does this mean? How do we help students relate what they learn in the classroom about ecosystems to the world immediately around them? As scientists who work closely with middle school students as part of a National Science Foundation-funded Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education program called Project Fulcrum. we have learned that abstract concepts, such as delicately balanced ecosystem, are often not truly understood. We addressed this concern in a seventh-grade science classroom in Lincoln. Nebraska. by introducing students to locally threatened saline wetlands and the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle (see Figure 1). To give students a tangible model of an ecosystem and have them experience what could happen if a component of that ecosystem were removed, we developed a hands-on. inquiry-based activity that visually demonstrates the concept of a delicately balanced ecosystem through a modification of the popular game Jenga. This activity can be modified to fit classrooms in other regions by focusing on a locally endangered plant or animal. which can be determined by contacting local governmental agencies (e.g .. Department of Natural Resources)

Biochar amendment of grassland soil may promote woody encroachment by Eastern Red Cedar

Although carbon (C) additions to soil have been used in restoration to combat invasive species through changes in soil nitrogen (N) availability, carbon amendments to soil derived from plant material can impact soil N availability in a species-specific manner. As such, amendment-driven feedbacks on N may impact invasive species success and woody encroachment. Soil amendments like biochar, which is often added to soil to increase C storage in grassland systems, may unintentionally encourage woody encroachment into these grasslands by changing soil N dynamics. Few studies have examined biochar impacts on non-agricultural species, particularly invasive species. Woody encroachment of Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) into grasslands provides an ideal context for examining the impact of biochar in grasslands. In the greenhouse, we examined the effect of biochar or leaf litter derived from native and exotic grasses on J. virginiana seedling growth. Juniperus virginiana seedlings grew 40% bigger in biochar amended soil as compared to seedlings grown in litter amended soil. Additionally, we found a more than 2 order of magnitude increase in available NH4+ in the biochar treatments compared to the litter amended soils. Furthermore we found that biochar feedstock type did not have an impact on the effect of biochar, as both native and exotic grass biochar had similar impacts on soil N levels and J. virginiana growth. Our work suggests that once grassland litter is converted to biochar, species impacts on soil N may disappear. In conclusion, our data suggests soil amendments of biochar may encourage woody encroachment into grasslands

μ-Bromido-dibromido-μ-hydroxido-bis­[(4S)-2-halo-6-(4-isopropyl-4,5-dihydro­oxazol-2-yl)pyridine]dicopper(II) (halo: Cl/Br = 3:1)

The crystal structure of the title complex, [Cu2Br3(OH)(C11H13Br0.5Cl1.5N2O)2], consists of two (2-halo-6-oxazolin­yl)pyridine·CuBr units bridged by a Br atom and a hydroxide group. The CuII atoms are five-coordinate with an (N,N)BrCu(Br)(OH) distorted tetra­gonal–pyramidal core, and relatively short contacts to the bridging atoms (Cu—μ-OH and Cu—μ-Br). There are two symmetry-independent half-mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, which differ only in the arrangement of the isopropyl group. The mol­ecules are located on a twofold rotation axes

Nutrient addition shifts plant community composition towards earlier flowering species in some prairie ecoregions in the U.S. Central Plains

e0178440, 15 p.The distribution of flowering across the growing season is governed by each species' evolutionary history and climatic variability. However, global change factors, such as eutrophication and invasion, can alter plant community composition and thus change the distribution of flowering across the growing season. We examined three ecoregions (tall-, mixed, and short-grass prairie) across the U.S. Central Plains to determine how nutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and potassium (+micronutrient)) addition alters the temporal patterns of plant flowering traits. We calculated total community flowering potential (FP) by distributing peakseason plant cover values across the growing season, allocating each species' cover to only those months in which it typically flowers. We also generated separate FP profiles for exotic and native species and functional group. We compared the ability of the added nutrients to shift the distribution of these FP profiles (total and sub-groups) across the growing season. In all ecoregions, N increased the relative cover of both exotic species and C3 graminoids that flower in May through August. The cover of C4 graminoids decreased with added N, but the response varied by ecoregion and month. However, these functional changes only aggregated to shift the entire community's FP profile in the tall-grass prairie, where the relative cover of plants expected to flower in May and June increased and those that flower in September and October decreased with added N. The relatively low native cover in May and June may leave this ecoregion vulnerable to disturbance induced invasion by exotic species that occupy this temporal niche. There was no change in the FP profile of the mixed and short-grass prairies with N addition as increased abundance of exotic species and C3 graminoids replaced other species that flower at the same time. In these communities a disturbance other than nutrient addition may be required to disrupt phenological patterns

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Prevent Persistent Hypersensitivity in an Orofacial Neuropathic Pain Model

Chronic orofacial pain is a significant health problem requiring identification of regulating processes. Involvement of epigenetic modifications that is reported for hindlimb neuropathic pain experimental models, however, is less well studied in cranial nerve pain models. Three independent observations reported here are the (1) epigenetic profile in mouse trigeminal ganglia (TG) after trigeminal inflammatory compression (TIC) nerve injury mouse model determined by gene expression microarray, (2) H3K9 acetylation pattern in TG by immunohistochemistry, and (3) efficacy of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors to attenuate development of hypersensitivity. After TIC injury, ipsilateral whisker pad mechanical sensitization develops by day 3 and persists well beyond day 21 in contrast to sham surgery. Global acetylation of H3K9 decreases at day 21 in ipsilateral TG. Thirty-four genes are significantly (p \u3c 0.05) overexpressed in the ipsilateral TG by at least two-fold at either 3 or 21 days post-trigeminal inflammatory compression injury. The three genes most overexpressed three days post-trigeminal inflammatory compression nerve injury are nerve regeneration-associated gene ATF3, up 6.8-fold, and two of its regeneration-associated gene effector genes, Sprr1a and Gal, up 174- and 25-fold, respectively. Although transcription levels of 25 of 32 genes significantly overexpressed three days post-trigeminal inflammatory compression return to constitutive levels by day 21, these three regeneration-associated genes remain significantly overexpressed at the later time point. On day 21, when tissues are healed, other differentially expressed genes include 39 of the top 50 upregulated and downregulated genes. Remarkably, preemptive manipulation of gene expression with two HDAC inhibitors (HDACi\u27s), suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA) and MS-275, reduces the magnitude and duration of whisker pad mechanical hypersensitivity and prevents the development of a persistent pain state. These findings suggest that trigeminal nerve injury leads to epigenetic modifications favoring overexpression of genes involved in nerve regeneration and that maintaining transcriptional homeostasis with epigenetic modifying drugs could help prevent the development of persistent pain

Substitutional disorder in the substituted nixantphos ligand C39H32Br0.27Cl0.73NOP2

The structure of 10-(3-bromo/chloro­prop­yl)-4,6-bis­(diphenyl­phosphino)-10H-phenoxazine, C39H32Br0.27Cl0.73NOP2, shows chloro/bromo substitutional disorder in a 3:1 ratio. For application as a ligand in catalysis, the intra­molecular P⋯P distance of 4.263 (2) Å is relevant. The phenoxazine ring system is essentially planar

How do nutrients change flowering in prairies?

Farmers today apply more synthetic fertilizers to farm fields than ever before – but not all of these nutrients are used by crops: some fertilizer escapes through the air, soil, or water. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium flow off farm fields when it rains, billow into the air when fields are plowed, and drift with the wind to other areas. Extra nutrients are also released to the air when people burn fossil fuels. We wanted to find out: what happens when these extra nutrients land on wild prairie ecosystems? How do its wild plants respond? Do they all just grow better? Or could there be any negative side effects? To answer these questions, we systematically added nutrients to experimental patches of prairie. We found that these added nutrients (specifically nitrogen) made early-season plants thrive while reducing the amount of late-season plants, but only in some prairie types. This change could have serious implications for the way prairie ecosystems function