Behavioral experiments in health economics

The state-of-the-art literature at the interface between experimental and behavioral economics and health economics is reviewed by identifying and discussing ten areas of potential debate about behavioral experiments in health. By doing so, the different streams and areas of applications of the growing field of behavioral experiments in health are reviewed, by discussing which significant questions remain to be discussed, and by highlighting the rationale and the scope for the further development of behavioral experiments in health in the years to come

The Expression of Periostin in Dental Pulp Cells

Abstract Introduction: The proper regulation of the dentin-pulp complex is intimately related through crucial cell-matrix interactions and important bioactive proteins. The proteins modulating these interactions are highly expressed during development and implicated in tissue repair and regeneration. Within this context, periostin is essential for ECM stability, collagen fibrillogenesis, and tissue healing. Periostin is regulated by TGF-β1 in response to biomechanical challenges in the PDL. In the scope of the dental pulp, periostin expression is reported during development and active dentinogenesis, but has yet to be evaluated in dental pulp cells specifically. We hypothesize that periostin is expressed by DPCs in response to TGF-β1 and biomechanical stimulation, which has implications in dental pulp tissue healing and regeneration. Aims: 1) To determine if periostin is expressed by DPCs and to analyze the effect in response to TGF-β1 2) To analyze the influence of biomechanical stimulation on the expression of periostin in DPCs, 3) To analyze the influence of periostin on the expression of collagen in DPCs. Methods: Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), human dental pulp fibroblasts (DPF), and murine odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23) were treated with different concentrations of TGF-β1 or different regimens of biomechanical stimulation to evaluate periostin expression. Cells were also treated with periostin to evaluate the effect on collagen. Western blot and ELISA were used to evaluate protein expression. RNA analysis was performed by qRT-PCR and a Total Collagen Assay was utilized to evaluate collagen. Statistical analysis was performed by Student T-test and ANOVA with Fisher’s LSD test. Results: Each cell line expressed periostin protein and mRNA. TGF-β1 supplementation resulted in significant changes of periostin expression. Biomechanical stimulation acts to induce changes in periostin expression. No statistically significant differences were found in total collagen expression. Conclusions: Expression of periostin was identified in each of the dental pulp cell lines, which can be regulated by TGF-β1. DPSC are the most responsive cells to stimulation. Continued research and evaluation is needed to determine the potential therapeutic ability of periostin within the dental pulp.Master of ScienceEndodontics, School of DentistryUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107978/1/The Expression of Periostin in Dental Pulp Cells - Robert Wiesen (2).pd

Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is developing as a framework that can inform educational interventions designed to facilitate individual and collective action to protect health, yet EHL measurement poses several challenges. While some studies have measured environmental health knowledge resulting from interventions, few have incorporated skills and self-efficacy. In this study, a process-focused EHL instrument was developed, using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument as a model and tailoring it for the context of private well contamination with toxic metals. Forty-seven (47) participants, including undergraduate students and residents of communities with contaminated well water, piloted a prototype EHL instrument alongside NVS. Results suggested a moderate degree of correlation between NVS and the EHL prototype, and significant differences in scores were observed between students and residents. Responses to a self-efficacy survey, tailored for drinking water contaminated with arsenic, revealed significant differences between students and residents on items related to cost and distance. In response to open-ended questions, participants identified a range of potential environmental contaminants in drinking water and deemed varied information sources as reliable. This study highlights differences in knowledge and self-efficacy among students and residents and raises questions about the adequacy of EHL assessments that mimic formal education approaches

Impact of the JET ITER-like wall on H-mode plasma fueling

JET ITER-like wall (ILW) experiments show that the edge density evolution is strongly linked with the poloidal distribution of the ionization source. The fueling profile in the JET-ILW is more delocalized as compared to JET-C (JET with carbon-based plasma-facing components PFCs). Compared to JET-C the H-mode pedestal fueling cycle is dynamically influenced by a combination of plasma–wall interaction features, in particular: (1) edgelocalized modes (ELMs) induced energetic particles are kinetically reflected on W divertor PFCs leading to distributed refueling away from the divertor depending on the divertor plasma configuration, (2) delayed molecular re-emission and outgassing of particles being trapped in W PFCs (bulk-W at the high field side and W-coated CFCs at the low field side) with different fuel content and (3) outgassing from Be co-deposits located on top of the highfield side baffle region shortly after the ELM. In view of the results of a set of well diagnosed series of JET-ILW type-I ELMy H-mode discharges with good statistics, the aforementioned effects are discussed in view of H-mode pedestal fueling capacity. The ongoing modelling activities with the focus on coupled core-edge plasma simulations and plasma–wall interaction are described and discussed also in view of possible code improvements required.EURATOM 63305

Beryllium global erosion and deposition at JET-ILW simulated with ERO2.0

The recently developed Monte-Carlo code ERO2.0 is applied to the modelling of limited and diverted discharges at JET with the ITER-like wall (ILW). The global beryllium (Be) erosion and deposition is simulated and compared to experimental results from passive spectroscopy. For the limiter configuration, it is demonstrated that Be self-sputtering is an important contributor (at least 35%) to the Be erosion. Taking this contribution into account, the ERO2.0 modelling confirms previous evidence that high deuterium (D) surface concentrations of up to similar to 50% atomic fraction provide a reasonable estimate of Be erosion in plasma-wetted areas. For the divertor configuration, it is shown that drifts can have a high impact on the scrape-off layer plasma flows, which in turn affect global Be transport by entrainment and lead to increased migration into the inner divertor. The modelling of the effective erosion yield for different operational phases (ohmic, L- and H-mode) agrees with experimental values within a factor of two, and confirms that the effective erosion yield decreases with increasing heating power and confinement.EURATOM 63305

The formation of physician altruism

We study how patient-regarding altruism is formed by medical education. We elicit and structurally estimate altruistic preferences using experimental data from a large sample of medical students ( = 733) in Germany at different progress stages in their studies. The estimates reveal substantial heterogeneity in altruistic preferences of medical students. Patient-regarding altruism is highest for freshmen, significantly declines for students in the course of medical studies, and tends to increase again for last year students, who assist in clinical practice. Also, patient-regarding altruism is higher for females and positively associated to general altruism. Altruistic medical students have gained prior practical experience in healthcare, have lower income expectations, and are more likely to choose surgery and pediatrics as their preferred specialty

Defect-induced condensation and central peak at elastic phase transitions

Static and dynamical properties of elastic phase transitions under the influence of short--range defects, which locally increase the transition temperature, are investigated. Our approach is based on a Ginzburg--Landau theory for three--dimensional crystals with one--, two-- or three--dimensional soft sectors, respectively. Systems with a finite concentration $n_{\rm D}$ of quenched, randomly placed defects display a phase transition at a temperature $T_c(n_{\rm D})$, which can be considerably above the transition temperature $T_c^0$ of the pure system. The phonon correlation function is calculated in single--site approximation. For $T>T_c(n_{\rm D})$ a dynamical central peak appears; upon approaching $T_c(n_{\rm D})$, its height diverges and its width vanishes. Using an appropriate self--consistent method, we calculate the spatially inhomogeneous order parameter, the free energy and the specific heat, as well as the dynamical correlation function in the ordered phase. The dynamical central peak disappears again as the temperatur is lowered below $T_c(n_{\rm D})$. The inhomogeneous order parameter causes a static central peak in the scattering cross section, with a finite $k$ width depending on the orientation of the external wave vector ${\bf k}$ relative to the soft sector. The jump in the specific heat at the transition temperatur of the pure system is smeared out by the influence of the defects, leading to a distinct maximum instead. In addition, there emerges a tiny discontinuity of the specific heat at $T_c(n_{\rm D})$. We also discuss the range of validity of the mean--field approach, and provide a more realistic estimate for the transition temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 11 ps-figures, to appear in PR