The future of the U.S. nuclear energy industry

NSF-RANN Grant no.SIA73-07871 A02 and the Ford Foundatio

DEMAND FOR TANF IN MISSISSIPPI

The federal to state devolution of welfare programs accent the need for state and local policy makers to anticipate aggregate welfare demand. Pooled regression analysis using six years of county-level Mississippi TANF data identified effects of rurality, education, unemployment, poverty levels, and family structure on caseload numbers.Food Security and Poverty, Public Economics,

An Evaluation of Columbia Villa/Tamaracks Community Service Intervention Project

The Community Service Intervention Program (CSlP) is a unique public agency response to a multifaceted set of problems confronting low income residents living in Oregon \u27s largest public housing project. The primary goals of the CSIP are to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime among residents, and to improve the quality of life of the families living in Columbia Villa/Tamaracks. The evaluation of the CSIP combined a number of different research methods, on different analytical levels, to provide a summary assessment. Data were collected from individuals, from agencies, and from police records in a post facto analysis of the CSIP. Recommendations include: a higher profile by the County to coordinate, plan, manage, and evaluate services according to a set of carefully chosen set of objectives; a longitudinal evaluation of CSIP efforts; greater involvement by Columbia Villa/Tamaracks residents; greater job opportunities and job training for Columbia Villa/Tamaracks residents; additional participation in the CSIP by the Fire Department, Tri-Met, Metro (Solid Waste), and DEQ

Diversity and repertoire of IgW and IgM VH families in the newborn nurse shark

BACKGROUND: Adult cartilaginous fish express three immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes, IgM, IgNAR and IgW. Newborn nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, produce 19S (multimeric) IgM and monomeric/dimeric IgM(1gj), a germline-joined, IgM-related VH, and very low amounts of 7S (monomeric) IgM and IgNAR proteins. Newborn IgNAR VH mRNAs are diverse in the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) with non-templated nucleotide (N-region) addition, which suggests that, unlike in many other vertebrates, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) expressed at birth is functional. IgW is present in the lungfish, a bony fish sharing a common ancestor with sharks 460 million years ago, implying that the IgW VH family is as old as the IgM VH family. This nurse shark study examined the IgM and IgW VH repertoire from birth through adult life, and analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of these gene families. RESULTS: IgM and IgW VH cDNA clones isolated from newborn nurse shark primary and secondary lymphoid tissues had highly diverse and unique CDR3 with N-region addition and VDJ gene rearrangement, implicating functional TdT and RAG gene activity. Despite the clear presence of N-region additions, newborn CDR3 were significantly shorter than those of adults. The IgM clones are all included in a conventional VH family that can be classified into five discrete groups, none of which is orthologous to IgM VH genes in other elasmobranchs. In addition, a novel divergent VH family was orthologous to a published monotypic VH horn shark family. IgW VH genes have diverged sufficiently to form three families. IgM and IgW VH serine codons using the potential somatic hypermutation hotspot sequence occur mainly in VH framework 1 (FR1) and CDR1. Phylogenetic analysis of cartilaginous fish and lungfish IgM and IgW demonstrated they form two major ancient gene groups; furthermore, these VH genes generally diversify (duplicate and diverge) within a species. CONCLUSION: As in ratfish, sandbar and horn sharks, most nurse shark IgM VH genes are from one family with multiple, heterogeneous loci. Their IgW VH genes have diversified, forming at least three families. The neonatal shark Ig VH CDR3 repertoire, diversified via N-region addition, is shorter than the adult VDJ junction, suggesting one means of postnatal repertoire diversification is expression of longer CDR3 junctions

A Case-Mix System for Children and Youth With Developmental Disabilities

Limited funding across health and social service programs presents a challenge regarding how to best match resources to the needs of the population. There is increasing consensus that differences in individual characteristics and care needs should be reflected in variations in service costs, which has led to the development of case-mix systems. The present study sought to develop a new approach to allocate resources among children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as part of a system-wide Medicaid payment reform initiative in Arkansas. To develop the system, assessment data collected using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health-Developmental Disability instrument was matched to paid service claims. The sample consisted of 346 children and youth with developmental disabilities in the home setting. Using automatic interactions detection, individuals were sorted into unique, clinically relevant groups (ie, based on similar resource use) and a standardized relative measure of the cost of services provided to each group was calculated. The resulting case-mix system has 8 distinct, final groups and explains 30% of the variance in per diem costs. Our analyses indicate that this case-mix classification system could provide the foundation for a future prospective payment system that is centered around stability and equitability in the allocation of limited resources within this vulnerable population

A Case-Mix System for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Effective management of publicly funded services matches the provision of needed services with cost-efficient payment methods. Payment systems that recognize differences in care needs (eg, case-mix systems) allow for greater proportions of available funds to be directed to providers supporting individuals with more needs. We describe a new way to allocate funds spent on adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) as part of a system-wide Medicaid payment reform initiative in Arkansas. Analyses were based on population-level data for persons living at home, collected using the interRAI ID assessment system, which were linked to paid service claims. We used automatic interactions detection to sort individuals into unique groups and provide a standardized relative measure of the cost of the services provided to each group. The final case-mix system has 33 distinct final groups and explains 26% of the variance in costs, which is similar to other systems in health and social services sectors. The results indicate that this system could be the foundation for a future case-mix approach to reimbursement and stand the test of “fairness” when examined by stakeholders, including parents, advocates, providers, and political entities

Creating a Primary Care Track in Prelicensure Nursing Education

BACKGROUND: RNs practicing in primary care (PC) increase access to health care and contribute to better patient outcomes and cost savings, yet undergraduate nursing education traditionally focuses on disease-oriented care. This article describes a curricular track for infusing PC prelicensure programs. METHOD: PC content is threaded across four semesters with targeted assignments and clinical experiences. Providing clinical immersion experiences with practicing RNs as preceptors in community and PC settings is a key component of this initiative. RESULTS: Student feedback has been favorable. Students stated they gained insight to the role of RNs in PC through class assignments and clinical rotations. Graduating seniors were offered employment in PC settings where they completed their practicum clinical rotations. CONCLUSION: The PC track contributes to building a nursing workforce to meet health care demands and promote health equity. Nurse educators interested in infusing PC content throughout the curriculum can adapt this model for all student populations

Spaceborne P-Band MIMO SAR for Planetary Applications

The Space Exploration Synthetic Aperture Radar (SESAR) is an advanced P-band beamforming radar instrument concept to enable a new class of observations suitable to meet Decadal Survey science goals for planetary exploration. The radar operates at full polarimetry and fine (meter scale) resolution, and achieves beam agility through programmable waveform generation and digital beamforming. The radar architecture employs a novel low power, lightweight design approach to meet stringent planetary instrument requirements. This instrument concept has the potential to provide unprecedented surface and near-subsurface measurements applicable to multiple Decadal Survey Science Goals