Monitoring the Impact of Health Reform on Americans 50-64: Medicaid Expansion and Marketplace Implementation Increased Health Coverage

This survey shows that the share of 50- to 64-year-olds without health insurance fell between December 2013 and March 2014. In states that expanded their Medicaid programs, a greater share of previously uninsured adults gained coverage, particularly among groups that have traditionally faced barriers to obtaining it. The survey also found that the newly insured differed in key ways from those who reported being insured for all of the past 12 months. On average, more were low income, and more reported that they had had trouble paying medical bills. This paper is part of a series that looks at the experience of 50- to 64-year-olds during the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Effect of the nitrogen source on glutamine and alanine biosynthesis in Neurospora crassa. An in vivo 15N nuclear magnetic resonance study

The influences of different nitrogen sources on the relative rates of biosynthesis of glutamine and alanine have been studied by 15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of intact Neurospora crassa mycelia suspensions. The rate of glutamine synthesis was fastest after growth in media deficient in free ammonium ion, whereas it was slowest following growth in media containing both glutamic acid and glutamine. The reverse trend was observed for the biosynthesis of alanine. A competition between the two biosynthetic pathways for the same substrate, glutamic acid, was found to limit the rate of alanine synthesis when glutamine synthesis was rapid. The observed in vivo rates of these reactions are compared to the reported specific activities of the enzymes catalyzing the reactions, and implications of these results for nitrogen regulation of these pathways under various physiological conditions are discussed

Monitoring the Impact of Health Care Reforms on Americans 50-64: Awareness and Coverage Expectations

This survey found widespread awareness among Americans ages 50 to 64 about the new health insurance Marketplace that had been created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Those with the most to gain from the ACA -- the uninsured and those with nongroup (individual) insurance -- expressed the greatest interest in using the Marketplace to learn about new coverage options. Most of those already insured expected to keep their same source of coverage in 2014, whereas the uninsured had mixed expectations. This paper is part of a series that looks at the experiences of 50- to 64-year-olds during the ACA's first open enrollment period

Monitoring the Impact of Health Reform on Americans 50-64: Use of Insurance Marketplaces

This survey found that 9 out of 10 Americans ages 50 to 64 were aware of the new health insurance Marketplace that had been created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The survey found that, despite widespread awareness of the Marketplace among this age group, relatively few who knew about the Marketplace were interested in using it to acquire new coverage. The survey also found that 50- to 64-year-olds' use of the Marketplace varied widely by health insurance status and income. This paper is part of a series that looks at the experiences of 50- to 64-year-olds during the ACA's first open enrollment period

Musical Sound: A Mathematical Approach to Timbre

What is the mathematical reasoning behind the ear’s ability to distinguish two completely different musical sounds? In answering this question, one must call to mind a fundamental term with regards to music: timbre

Orality and the Reader: Cultural and Transcultural Elements in Achebe’s Girls at War

Cette communication examine l’oralité textuelle dans deux nouvelles de Chinua Achebe, “Uncle Ben’s Choice” et “The Sacrificial Egg,” tiré de son recueil, Girls at War (1972); en plus, elle analyse les résultats de deux sondages qui mesurent la compréhension de ces textes par des étudiants du département d’anglais à l’université chinoise de Hong Kong. Les résultats du premier sondage indiquent que les étudiants remarquent bien les éléments d’oralité dans ces nouvelles; néanmoins, il est difficile de faire des généralisations concernant l’impact de l’oralité sur le processus de lire. Les résultats du deuxième sondage suggèrent que les éléments culturels et transculturels jouent aussi un rôle dans la compréhension des textes qui contiennent des éléments d’oralité. L’analyse de ces nouvelles de Achebe et les résultats des sondages montrent que l’oralité textuelle peut prendre des formes compliquées et peut avoir des effets esthétiquement riches

Orality and the Reader: Cultural and Transcultural Elements in Achebe’s Girls at War

Cette communication examine l’oralité textuelle dans deux nouvelles de Chinua Achebe, “Uncle Ben’s Choice” et “The Sacrificial Egg,” tiré de son recueil, Girls at War (1972); en plus, elle analyse les résultats de deux sondages qui mesurent la compréhension de ces textes par des étudiants du département d’anglais à l’université chinoise de Hong Kong. Les résultats du premier sondage indiquent que les étudiants remarquent bien les éléments d’oralité dans ces nouvelles; néanmoins, il est difficile de faire des généralisations concernant l’impact de l’oralité sur le processus de lire. Les résultats du deuxième sondage suggèrent que les éléments culturels et transculturels jouent aussi un rôle dans la compréhension des textes qui contiennent des éléments d’oralité. L’analyse de ces nouvelles de Achebe et les résultats des sondages montrent que l’oralité textuelle peut prendre des formes compliquées et peut avoir des effets esthétiquement riches

Performance of Portland Limestone Cements: Cements Designed to Be More Sustainable That Include up to 15% Limestone Addition

In 2009, ASTM and AASHTO permitted the use of up to 5% interground limestone in ordinary portland cement (OPC) as a part of ASTM C150/AASHTO M85. When this project was initiated a new proposal was being discussed that would enable up to 15% interground limestone to be considered in ASTM C595/AASHTO M234 cement. This project was initiated to provide rapid feedback to INDOT for use in discussions regarding these specifications (this has become ASTM C595/AASHTO M240). PLC is designed to enable more sustainable construction which may significantly reduce the CO2 that is embodied in the built infrastructure while extending the life of cement quarries. The physical and chemical properties of the cementitious materials used in this study were examined. PLC is typically a finer cement (10 to 30% Blaine fineness) with a reduction in the coarse clinker particles (\u3e20µm) and an increase in fine particles which are primarily limestone. Isothermal calorimetry and chemical shrinkage results imply that these PLC materials have a similar or slight greater reaction and would be able to be used interchangeably with OPC in practice as it relates to the rate of reaction. The PLC mortars exhibited relatively similar activation energies compared to the corresponding OPCs allowing the maturity method to be used by INDOT for both the PLC and OPC systems. The mechanical properties of OPC and PLC were generally similar with the PLC typically having slightly higher early age strengths but similar 28 day strengths. No significant change in drying shrinkage or restrained shrinkage cracking was observed for the PLC when compared with OPC (Barrett et al. 2013). The PLC has similar volumes of permeable voids as the OPC. The chloride diffusion coefficients in the PLC systems may range from 0 to 30% higher than the OPCs. The PLC showed synergistic benefits when paired with fly ash. Based on the available literature and available testing results INDOT could consider PLC, as specified in accordance with ASTM C-595/AASHTO M 240, to be a suitable option for use in INDOT concrete applications