Probing elastic and inelastic breakup contributions to intermediate-energy two-proton removal reactions

The two-proton removal reaction from 28Mg projectiles has been studied at 93 MeV/u at the NSCL. First coincidence measurements of the heavy 26Ne projectile residues, the removed protons and other light charged particles enabled the relative cross sections from each of the three possible elastic and inelastic proton removal mechanisms to be determined. These more final-state-exclusive measurements are key for further interrogation of these reaction mechanisms and use of the reaction channel for quantitative spectroscopy of very neutron-rich nuclei. The relative and absolute yields of the three contributing mechanisms are compared to reaction model expectations - based on the use of eikonal dynamics and sd-shell-model structure amplitudes.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review C (Rapid Communication

Elastic breakup cross sections of well-bound nucleons

The 9Be(28Mg,27Na) one-proton removal reaction with a large proton separation energy of Sp(28Mg)=16.79 MeV is studied at intermediate beam energy. Coincidences of the bound 27Na residues with protons and other light charged particles are measured. These data are analyzed to determine the percentage contributions to the proton removal cross section from the elastic and inelastic nucleon removal mechanisms. These deduced contributions are compared with the eikonal reaction model predictions and with the previously measured data for reactions involving the re- moval of more weakly-bound protons from lighter nuclei. The role of transitions of the proton between different bound single-particle configurations upon the elastic breakup cross section is also quantified in this well-bound case. The measured and calculated elastic breakup fractions are found to be in good agreement.Comment: Phys. Rev. C 2014 (accepted

The direct healthcare costs associated with psychological distress and major depression : A population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada

The objective of our study was to estimate direct healthcare costs incurred by a population-based sample of people with psychological distress or depression. We used the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well Being and categorized individuals as having psychological distress using the Kessler-6, major depressive disorder (MDD) using DSM-IV criteria and a comparison group of participants without MDD or psychological distress. Costs in 2013 USD were estimated by linking individuals to health administrative databases and following them until March 31, 2013. Our sample consisted of 9,965 individuals, of whom 651 and 409 had psychological distress and MDD, respectively. Although the age-and-sex adjusted per-capita costs were similarly high among the psychologically distressed ($3,364, 95$2,791, $3,937) and those with MDD ($3,210, 95% CI: $2,413,$4,008) compared to the comparison group ($2,629, 95$2,312, $2,945), the population-wide excess costs for psychological distress ($441 million) were more than twice that for MDD ($210 million) as there was a greater number of people with psychological distress than depression. We found substantial healthcare costs associated with psychological distress and depression, suggesting that psychological distress and MDD have a high cost burden and there may be public health intervention opportunities to relieve distress. Further research examining how individuals with these conditions use the healthcare system may provide insight into the allocation of limited healthcare resources while maintaining high quality care

The social geography of unmarried cohabitation in the USA, 2007-2011

US studies of marriage and cohabitation have mainly highlighted the social and racial differentials as they were observed in cross-sections, and have as a result essentially focused on the "pattern of disadvantage". The evolution of such social differentials over time and space reveals that this pattern of disadvantage has clearly persisted, but that it is far from covering the whole story. Historically, there has been a major contribution to the rise of cohabitation by white college students, and later on young white adults with higher education continued to start unions via cohabitation to ever increasing degrees. Only, they seem to move into marriage to a greater extent later on in life than other population segments. Also, the religious affiliation matters greatly: Mormons and evangelical Christians have resisted the current trends. Furthermore this effect is not only operating at the individual but at the contextual level as well. Conversely, even after controls for competing socio-economic explanations, residence in areas (either counties or PUMA-areas) with a Democratic voting pattern is related to higher cohabitation probabilities. And, finally, different legal contexts at the level of States also significantly contributed to the emergence of strong spatial contrasts. Hence, there is a concurrence of several factors shaping the present differentiations, and the rise of secular and liberal attitudes, i.e. the "ethics revolution", is equally a part of the explanation

Medicaid Expenditures on Psychotropic Medications for Children in the Child Welfare System

Abstract Objective: Children in the child welfare system are the most expensive child population to insure for their mental health needs. The objective of this article is to estimate the amount of Medicaid expenditures incurred from the purchase of psychotropic drugs ? the primary drivers of mental health expenditures ? for these children. Methods: We linked a subsample of children interviewed in the first nationally representative survey of children coming into contact with U.S. child welfare agencies, the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), to their Medicaid claims files obtained from the Medicaid Analytic Extract. Our data consist of children living in 14 states, and Medicaid claims for 4 years, adjusted to 2010 dollars. We compared expenditures on psychotropic medications in the NSCAW sample to a propensity score-matched comparison sample obtained from Medicaid files. Results: Children surveyed in NSCAW had over thrice the odds of any psychotropic drug use than the comparison sample. Each maltreated child increased Medicaid expenditures by between $237 and$840 per year, relative to comparison children also receiving medications. Increased expenditures on antidepressants and amphetamine-like stimulants were the primary drivers of these increased expenditures. On average, an African American child in NSCAW received $399 less expenditure than a white child, controlling for behavioral problems and other child and regional characteristics. Children scoring in the clinical range of the Child Behavior Checklist received, on average,$853 increased expenditure on psychotropic drugs. Conclusion: Each child with child welfare involvement is likely to incur upwards of $1482 in psychotropic medication expenditures throughout his or her enrollment in Medicaid. Medicaid agencies should focus their cost-containment strategies on antidepressants and amphetamine-type stimulants, and expand use of instruments such as the Child Behavior Checklist to identify high-cost children. Both of these strategies can assist Medicaid agencies to better predict and plan for these expenditures.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98497/1/cap%2E2011%2E0135.pd

Routes for breaching and protecting genetic privacy

We are entering the era of ubiquitous genetic information for research, clinical care, and personal curiosity. Sharing these datasets is vital for rapid progress in understanding the genetic basis of human diseases. However, one growing concern is the ability to protect the genetic privacy of the data originators. Here, we technically map threats to genetic privacy and discuss potential mitigation strategies for privacy-preserving dissemination of genetic data.Comment: Draft for comment