Medicaid Expansion, Long-Term Care Financing in Retirement States and the Post World War II Birth Cohort

This policy brief contains a formal consideration of ideas discussed during a presentation to the 2012 Syracuse Seminar on Aging. Like most briefs, it will appeal to policy makers and academics craving detailed demographic, fiscal and policy data. Before diving into this brief, I would encourage readers to view the presentation video (available at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bsv8K7DdJFY). As you will see, the seminar was informal and the discussion was wide ranging. In contrast, this brief focuses on limitations faced by states as they finance longterm care. It is primarily concerned with the Medicaid expansion and growing need for care as the post-World War II cohort reaches the age of frailty

Comparison of methods for sampling particulate emissions from tires under different test environments

Traffic-related emissions are strongly criticised by the public because they contribute to climate change and are classified as hazardous to health. Combustion engine emissions have been regulated by limit values for almost three decades. There is currently no legal limit for non-exhaust emissions, which include tire wear particle emissions and resuspension. As a result, the percentage of total vehicle emissions has risen continuously. Some of the particles emitted can be assigned to the size classes of particulate matter (≤10 µm) and are therefore of particular relevance to human health. The literature describes a wide range of concepts for sampling and measuring tire wear particle emissions. Because of the limited number of studies, the mechanisms involved in on-road tests and their influence on the particle formation process, particle transport and the measuring ability can only be described incompletely. The aim of this study is to compare test bench and on-road tests and to assess the influence of selected parameters. The first part describes the processes of particle injection and particle distribution. Based on this, novel concepts for sampling and measurement in the laboratory and in the field are presented. The functionality and the mechanisms acting in each test environment are evaluated on the basis of selected test scenarios. For example, emissions from external sources, the condition of the road surface and the influence of the driver are identified as influencing factors. These analyzes are used to illustrate the complexity and limited reproducibility of on-road measurements, which must be taken into account for future regulations

Analysis of TRWP particle distribution in urban and suburban landscapes, connecting real road measurements with particle distribution simulation

This article deals with methods and measurements related to environmental pollution and analysis of particle distribution in urban and suburban landscapes. Therefore, an already-invented sampling method for tyre road wear particles (TRWP) was used to capture online emission factors from the road. The collected particles were analysed according to their size distribution, for use as an input for particle distribution simulations. The simulation model was a main traffic intersection, because of the high vehicle dynamic related to the high density of start–stop manoeuvres. To compare the simulation results (particle mass (PM) and particle number (PN)) with real-world emissions, measuring points were defined and analysed over a measuring time of 8 h during the day. Afterwards, the collected particles were analysed in terms of particle shape, appearance and chemical composition, to identify the distribution and their place of origin. As a result of the investigation, the appearance of the particles showed a good correlation to the vehicle dynamics, even though there were a lot of background influences, e.g., resuspension of dust. Air humidity also showed a great influence on the recorded particle measurements. In areas of high vehicle dynamics, such as heavy braking or accelerating, more tyre and brake particles could be found

The Joys of Cooking When You’re a Depressed and Anxious Student

En el presente artículo se pretende mostrar cómo las transformaciones del psiquismo humano, a partir del carácter cultural de las producciones y prácticas del hombre, permiten retomar el tema de la subjetividad como nivel cualitativo distintivo de la especie humana. La subjetividad, entendida en la perspectiva aquí defendida, es un proceso inherente al funcionamiento cultural del hombre y al mundo social generado por sus producciones culturales. Estas consideraciones pretenden responder a la exclusión de la subjetividad por el post-estructuralismo y el neo-pragmatismo, apoyada en la idea de que se trababa de una noción que cargaba con las limitaciones del pensamiento moderno. Frente a esta postura, se argumenta que ninguna de estas corrientes de pensamiento tuvo una conciencia teórica sobre la subjetividad, un concepto que, de hecho, va en dirección opuesta a los principios fundamentales que sustentaron la modernidad tardía, apoyada en la idea de ciencia objetiva y en una representación racional del hombre

Tumor and circulating biomarkers in patients with second-line hepatocellular carcinoma from the randomized phase II study with tivantinib

ARQ 197-215 was a randomized placebo-controlled phase II study testing the MET inhibitor tivantinib in second-line hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. It identified tumor MET as a key biomarker in HCC. Aim of this research was to study the prognostic and predictive value of tumor (MET, the receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by the homonymous MNNG-HOS transforming gene) and circulating (MET, hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], alpha-fetoprotein [AFP], vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) biomarkers in second-line HCC. Tumor MET-High status was centrally assessed by immunohistochemistry. Circulating biomarkers were centrally analyzed on serum samples collected at baseline and every 4-8 weeks, using medians as cut-off to determine High/Low status. Tumor MET, tested in 77 patients, was more frequently High after (82%) versus before (40%) sorafenib. A significant interaction (p = 0.04) between tivantinib and baseline tumor MET in terms of survival was observed. Baseline circulating MET and HGF (102 patients) High status correlated with shorter survival (HR 0.61, p = 0.03, and HR 0.60, p = 0.02, respectively), while the association between AFP (104 patients) or VEGF (103 patients) status and survival was non-significant. Conclusions: Tumor MET levels were higher in patients treated with sorafenib. Circulating biomarkers such as MET and HGF may be prognostic in second-line HCC. These results need to be confirmed in larger randomized clinical trials

Factors affecting academic performance of college students in China during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis

IntroductionUnderstanding the factors that affected academic performance of students during the COVID-19 pandemic will help design effective interventions for improving students’ academic performance during emergency situations as well as during regular academic environment. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the factors that explain academic performance of students in China during the pandemic.MethodsData on college students from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies were used, and the final sample consisted of 728 students. Ordered probit regression models were estimated to explain students’ relative performance in the semester when the in-person classes were suspended by using various student and household-related variables and characteristics. To compute missing values in selected variables, a multiple imputation technique was applied.ResultsThe odds of poor academic performance declined with higher Internet use for academic purposes, but Internet use for entertainment increased the probability of being in the poor academic performance. College students who spent more time studying on college work were less likely to have poor academic performance.DiscussionThis study identified the factors (Internet use and study time) associated with academic performance among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results can be used to design policies to improve educational outcomes and to address educational inequalities

Prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: An exploratory analysis from the ARQ197-215 study

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Antecedents to value diminution: A dyadic perspective

© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016. The purpose of this article is to identify the antecedents of diminished value in business-to-business exchange. There is only a limited amount of research on value destruction in the context of service-dominant (S-D) logic and, to the best of our knowledge, no dyadic studies. From a business perspective, awareness of factors that have the potential to impede value creation will enable relationship partners to increase mutual value realization. The article examines the accuracy of the term ‘value co-destruction’ as a blanket description for interaction that results in value reduction, and proposes that, in many instances, ‘value diminution’ may be more appropriate. The study adopts an exploratory, qualitative approach. One-to-one interviews are conducted with clients and their creative agencies. The results suggest that diminished value outcomes are caused by resource deficiencies and resource misuse by both relational partners, separately and jointly. We propose a model of five higher-order antecedents of value diminution: absence of trust, inadequate communication, power/dependence imbalance, inadequate coordination and inadequate human capital

Data access for the 1,000 Plants (1KP) project

© 2014 Matasci et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. The 1,000 plants (1KP) project is an international multi-disciplinary consortium that has generated transcriptome data from over 1,000 plant species, with exemplars for all of the major lineages across the Viridiplantae (green plants) clade. Here, we describe how to access the data used in a phylogenomics analysis of the first 85 species, and how to visualize our gene and species trees. Users can develop computational pipelines to analyse these data, in conjunction with data of their own that they can upload. Computationally estimated protein-protein interactions and biochemical pathways can be visualized at another site. Finally, we comment on our future plans and how they fit within this scalable system for the dissemination, visualization, and analysis of large multi-species data sets