Is Health Insurance Affordable for the Uninsured?

In this paper, we investigate the meaning of affordability' in the context of health insurance. Assessing the relationship between the affordability of coverage and the large number of uninsured in the U.S. is important for understanding the barriers to purchasing coverage for the uninsured and evaluating the role of policy in reducing this number. We propose several definitions of affordability and examine the implications of alternative definitions on estimates of the proportion of currently uninsured who are unable to afford coverage. We find that, depending on the definition, health insurance was affordable to between one-quarter and three-quarters of the uninsured in 2000.

Revisiting digital technologies: envisioning biodigital bodies

In this paper the contemporary practices of human genomics in the 21st century are placed alongside the digital bodies of the 1990s. The primary aim is to provide a trajectory of the biodigital as follows: First, digital bodies and biodigital bodies were both part of the spectacular imaginaries of early cybercultures. Second, these spectacular digital bodies were supplemented in the mid-1990s by digital bodywork practices that have become an important dimension of everyday communication. Third, the spectacle of biodigital bodies is in the process of being supplemented by biodigital bodywork practices, through personal or direct-to-consumer genomics. This shift moves a form of biodigital communication into the everyday. Finally, what can be learned from putting the trajectories of digital and biodigital bodies together is that the degree of this communicative shift may be obscured through the doubled attachment of personal genomics to everyday digital culture and high-tech spectacle.Keywords: genomics, biodigital, bodies, spectacle, everyda

Adoption and Foster Care by Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States

Discussion and debate about adoption and foster care by gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) parents occurs frequently among child welfare policymakers, social service agencies, and social workers. They all need better information about GLB adoptive and foster parents and their children as they make individual and policy-level decisions about placement of children with GLB parents. This report provides new information on GLB adoption and foster care from the U.S. Census 2000, the National Survey of Family Growth (2002), and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (2004)

Status and Enhancement of \u3cem\u3eTrissolcus japonicus\u3c/em\u3e (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) for Biological Control of \u3cem\u3eHalyomorpha halys\u3c/em\u3e (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Northern Utah

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a major insect pest that invades human structures causing nuisance issues and attacks numerous fruit and vegetable crops in Northern America. As this pest threatens $23 billion worth of specialty and agricultural crops in the U.S. and is difficult to manage due to insecticide resistance, control practices such as the use of biological control through egg parasitoid wasps are critical. In its native range of Asia, BMSB populations are controlled primarily by members of the Trissolcus genus such as the samurai wasp, but U.S. native wasps have demonstrated low success of BMSB egg parasitism. An introduced population of the samurai wasp was detected in Utah in 2019, and early research suggests this wasp may provide effective biological control of BMSB. This research focuses on the status and enhancement of the samurai wasp and native parasitoids in northern Utah. Chapter II explores the range of the exotic samurai wasp and native parasitoids in northern Utah’s urban and agricultural areas and factors affecting their prosperity. The samurai wasp exhibited a strong association with BMSB, following its patterns of seasonality, orchard groundcover preference, and reliance on urban landscape resources. Samurai wasps accounted for only a small proportion of total Trissolcus parasitoid detections, and more native wasps were captured in orchards with floral groundcover as compared to those with non-floral groundcover. Chapter III assesses the attractiveness of kairomone lures to the samurai wasp in field and laboratory conditions. In the field, samurai wasp attacked lab-reared BMSB egg masses at almost an equal rate to a native Trissolcus species but had much higher emergence success from egg masses. Laboratory trials compared specific chemical blends for attractiveness to the samurai wasp. Finally, Chapter IV investigates the role of BMSB parasitoids in a state previously unsurveyed for the samurai wasp. Reported is the first record of samurai wasp in the state of Idaho and details about its population size and geographic locations. Overall, population sizes were very low, but collection of wild egg masses proved samurai wasp is taking an active role in the suppression of BMSB populations

Alexander II and Gorbachev: The Doomed Reformers of Russia

During Mikhail Gorbachev’s tenure as head of the Soviet Union, Russian and foreign journalists sometimes compared him to Tsar Alexander II for his sweeping, but destabilizing reforms. The purpose and significance of this thesis is to test this concept, moving from journalistic opinion to scholarly investigation. Both Gorbachev and Alexander II attempted to reform their country in order to modernize. The reforms of both leaders had many extreme unintended consequences, ultimately ending in the assassination of Alexander II and the ousting of Gorbachev, as well as the collapse of the Soviet Union

The infant feeding practice of Gypsy and Traveller women in Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust and their attitudes towards breast and formula feeding

Gypsies and Travellers are described as the most socially excluded group in British society (Van Cleemput and Parry, 2001). Current research acknowledges that this community has poorer health and experiences significant health inequalities compared to the United Kingdom (UK) general population (Parry, Van Cleemput, Peters, Moore, Walters, Thomas and Cooper, 2004). This study investigates the early infant feeding practice of Gypsy and Traveller women in Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust and their attitudes towards breast and formula feeding. These topics were selected as they are currently unexplored in research and the Department of Health (2009) recognises that choosing to breastfeed infants plays an important role in improving maternal and child health and reducing health inequalities. This study was undertaken using quantitative research methodology. Two structured questionnaires were administered. The first questionnaire was completed by all Health Visitors employed by Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust. This questionnaire established that most Gypsy and Traveller women in Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust chose to formula feed their infants and the breastfeeding rate in this community was very low. The breastfeeding rate was found to be 2.7% at birth and 0% at six to eight weeks. The second questionnaire was completed by approximately 50% of the Gypsy and Traveller community which met the inclusion criteria. The Iowa infant feeding attitude scale was completed as part of this questionnaire. This questionnaire showed that Gypsy and Traveller women in Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust had a more neutral attitude towards early infant feeding than was expected. It demonstrated that 45% of the women surveyed had a neutral attitude score. This is significant as research suggests that women with neutral attitude scores are not fixed in their early infant feeding intentions (Dungy. McInnes, Tappin, Wallis and Oprescu, 2008 and Sittlington, Stewart-Knox, Wright, Bradbury and Scott, 2007). This therefore implies that the infant feeding practice of these women could potentially be amenable. This study therefore concludes that implementing focused interventions aimed at promoting breastfeeding could potentially increase the community’s breastfeeding initiation rate. This is important as increasing the breastfeeding initiation rate would consequently help improve the local Gypsy and Traveller community’s overall health and assist in tackling the known health inequalities

My preferred pronoun is she: Understanding transgender identity and oral health care needs

This literature review summarizes current research and evidence regarding transgender persons and oral health. Methods: A search of the literature was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, and Wiley Online Library using the keywords transgender identity, gender non-conforming, discrimination, transition, binary systems, transgender oral cavity, transgender, transgender oral health, transgender dental health. Articles published from 2000 to 2017 in both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed journals, which reported information regarding the oral health status of transgender populations, were selected for review. Results: The search revealed 18 articles, only 7 of which pertained to the oral health status of transgender client populations. Five other articles were eliminated due to either poor quality or irrelevance. Discussion: The 13 articles included in the review revealed a need for oral health care professionals to be aware that gender is not binary, nor is it a mental health disorder. Transgender people face heightened risk of discrimination, violence, anxiety, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as significant barriers to health care of which oral health professionals should be made aware. Conclusions: Transgender people have the same rights as everyone else to oral health care. Oral health care providers are responsible for ensuring that transgender clients receive care that aligns with their needs and for providing that care in a culturally competent manner. This requires an understanding of the basics of gender nonconformance and its impact on oral-systemic health. Additional research is needed to increase the scientific knowledge base to facilitate improved health outcomes for this client population

Plum Curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar)

Plum curculio is a brown weevil (beetle with a snout) native to eastern North America, where it is a major pest of pome and stone fruits. It was detected in Box Elder County, Utah, in the early 1980s, and this population remains the only known infestation in western North America, where it is occasionally found in residential and wild fruit trees. Plum curculio is a quarantine pest in western North America (U.S. and Canada), and fruit grown in infested counties is restricted from being exported. Thus, it is a threat to Utah’s fruit industry and requires ongoing monitoring and management to keep Utah’s fruit export markets open

Imagining the Future of Science in America: Scenarios to Spark Conversation

In early 2020, Intertidal Agency began a project to understand the challenges and opportunities facing groups supporting scientists, scientific research, and science-based policy in the US. We found a broad interest in creating new narratives about the role of science in society. Through a series of interviews and discussion sessions we created a framework of four scenarios designed to foster conversations about the future of science in the US. In the next decade, who gets to do science, where and how is science done, and what purpose does science serve

Influence of a mutltistrand cable design on its quench development process and stability

The quench development process was studied with two six-strand superconducting cable samples with insulated strands and different cabling design. One sample was the traditional ‘six-around-one’ cable, the other was of the ‘round-braid’ type. Quench was initiated by a heating pulse applied to a single strand. A significant difference was observed in the current redistribution among strands due to the different cabling designs. It has an important influence on the stability of multistrand cables. A new concept of the ‘single-strand stability’ was proposed and corresponding stability criteria were offered. A possible way to improve cable stability by using special cabling design is discussed