MS 002 Guide to the Ernst William Bertner papers; 1917-1952

Dr. Bertner, one of founders of the Texas Medical Center in Houston Texas, was its first President from 1945 to 1950. He was also the acting director for the first four years of the existence of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Bertner was active in leading many medical organizations and institutions in the first half of the 20th century in Texas and in the nation. These papers provide information about his life, including his service in World War I, his contributions to medical organizations, such as the Texas Medical Association and the American Cancer Society, and to the development of the Texas Medical Center and its institutions

Sedimentary Petrology, Depositional Environment, and Tectonic Implications of the Upper Eocene Quimper Sandstone and Marrowstone Shale, Northeastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington

The Upper Eocene (Refugian) Quimper Sandstone and overlying Marrowstone Shale document approximately 300 meters of sediment deposited in a tectonically active, shallow marine area during a transgression. The Quimper Sandstone and Marrowstone Shale can be roughly divided into three facies, representing deposition from outer shore face and inner shelf to offshore or outer shelf. Petrographic analysis of the Quimper Sandstone and Marrowstone Shale indicates geography and hydrodynamic conditions were responsible for a slight petrologic trend in composition such as more feldspar and lithic grains in the lower energy facies. The sandstones are lithic and feldspathic arenites and wackes with abundant feldspars and volcanic lithic fragments. The petrology requires source areas with granitic rocks, andesite, basalt, and chert exposed. Possible source areas include the Crescent Formation, the Coast Plutonic Complex, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, and the North Cascades. Deposition of the Quimper Sandstone and Marrowstone Shale marks the culmination of movement on the Discovery Bay Fault Zone. These sediments are found overlying the fault zone but not apparently offset by it. Bedding attitudes are consistent across the fault zone. The Discovery Bay Fault Zone has been suggested to be a tectonic suture between the Crescent Terrane and local Tertiary North America. The arrival and subsequent docking of the Crescent Terrane is coincident with a plate reorganization along with a decrease in convergence rates between the Farallon and North American plates. Cessation of movement on the Discovery Bay Fault, along with simple thermal subsidence of the Crescent basalts, deepened the basin, as shown by the sediments grading from hummocky cross-stratified sands of the inner shelf to silty shales of the outer shelf

Development Decision-Making in St. Louis: Institutions, Incentives and Urban Development

This study uses the example of St. Louis to identify how local leaders make decisions about development and what factors influence the type of projects chosen. Through an analysis of projects conducted in the downtown and two distressed neighborhoods, the study concludes that St. Louis has a system of development decision-making that is substantially privatized and decentralized. At the center of development activity are place-based entrepreneurs who understand the local market and work to change the incentive structure for reinvestment. The leadership of the private sector in planning and implementing development policy is the flipside of local institutions that are fragmented and reactive. Over time, local political leaders have worked both to clarify the supportive role of the public sector. Following the political economic approach, St. Louis¿ system of development is a function of the reduced economic role of center cities and the withdrawal of federal urban aid. At the same time, however, decision-making is shaped by the city¿s decentralized political structure, which acts as both a constraint and an opportunity. On the one hand, the city¿s political institutions and political culture make centralized citywide coordination difficult and the emergence of a local regime unlikely. On the other hand, political decentralization provides incentives for local leaders to create relationships with developers that work in specific parts of the city. The analysis looks at urban development as a form of policy-making, using the policy process literature as a vehicle for employing neo-institutional theory. The study uses the concept of institutional settings to convey the fact that development decision-making is contained within specific contexts that define participants, the roles they play and the frameworks that they utilize; in this manner, institutional settings provide incentive that guide the behavior of local actors. These institutional settings are specific to both particular markets in the city, as well as particular type of development projects, and develop historically. Past initiatives shape the types of projects participants are likely to pursue in the future, and, additionally, these settings can shift as new models of development emerge

Full 3+1 dimensional simulation of the relativistic Boltzmann equation

Relativistic hydrodynamics has been the tool of choice to simulate the dynamics of the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions. Despite the success of hydrodynamics, it has several shortcomings stemming from the fact that it assumes a system close to equilibrium. An alternative to hydrodynamics is solving the Boltzmann equation, which describes the evolution of the full distribution function of the system without the close to equilibrium requirement. Large scale simulations using the Boltzmann equation, however, has hitherto proved computationally intractable due to their computational expense. By using a novel algorithm, and leveraging the computational power of graphical processor units, we numerically integrate the Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation

Iterative approach to implicit student-generated mobile learning to promote visual literacy and peer mediated learning

This paper aims to report early findings of the second iteration of an implicit student-generated mobile learning project that promotes visual literacy and peer mediated learning. The first iteration was conducted with first year health science students at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2013. We found that while the video assessment task may have aided learning for each student around their specific chosen topic, overall course learning outcomes did not improve. This was perhaps due to a failure of the peer mediated learning aspect of the learning activity. Furthermore, the labour intensive nature of the task may have attenuated overall performance in the course. Acting on these findings, we adjusted the visually based, peer-to-peer mobile learning activity accordingly. The revised assessment task was reintroduced in 2nd semester 2014, and early findings on the efficacy of the revised task on learning will be presented at the ascilite 2014 conference

The IP Law Book Review, v.10 #1

LANDMARK CASES IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW, edited by Jose Bellido. Reviewed by Maurizio Borghi, Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management (CIPPM), Bournemouth University. UNITED STATES V. APPLE: COMPETITION IN AMERICA by Chris Sagers. Reviewed by Shubha Ghosh, Syracuse University College of Law. A response is given by Professor Sagers following the review. PATENT REMEDIES AND COMPLEX PRODUCTS: TOWARD A GLOBAL CONSENSUS, edited by C. Bradford Biddle, Jorge. L. Contreras, Brian J. Love, and Norman V. Siebrasse. Reviewed by Bernard Chao, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Benefit Plan Design and Prescription Drug Utilization Among Asthmatics: Do Patient Copayments Matter?

Objective: The ratio of controller to reliever medication use has been proposed as a measure of treatment quality for asthma patients. In this study we examine the effects of plan level mean out-of-pocket asthma medication patient copayments and other features of benefit plan design on the use of controller medications alone, controller and reliever medications (combination therapy), and reliever medications alone. Methods: 1995-2000 MarketScan claims data were used to construct plan-level out-of-pocket copayment and physician/practice prescriber preference variables for asthma medications. Separate multinomial logit models were estimated for patients in fee-for-service (FFS) and non-FFS plans relating benefit plan design features, physician/practice prescribing preferences, patient demographics, patient comorbidities and county-level income variables to patient-level asthma treatment patterns. Results: We find that the controller reliever ratio rose steadily over 1995-2000, along with out-of-pocket payments for asthma medications, which rose more for controllers than for relievers. However, after controlling for other variables, plan level mean out-of-pocket copayments were not found to have a statistically significant influence upon patient-level asthma treatment patterns. On the other hand, physician practice prescribing patterns strongly influenced patient level treatment patterns. Conclusions: There is no strong statistical evidence that higher levels of out-of-pocket copayments for prescription drugs influence asthma treatment patterns. However, physician/practice prescribing preferences influence patient treatment.

Treating substance abuse in primary care: a demonstration project

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement the delivery of a full range of substance abuse services in a primary care setting. Implementation and logistical issues including confidentiality and communication are discussed. The delivery of services, types of patients, and contextual and policy factors that influenced project implementation are described. Context: Substance use disorders are associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Patients with alcohol/drug problems frequently present in primary care. Effective and brief treatments are available and recommended for primary care but infrequently implemented. Institutional and provider barriers to implementation have been identified. Data source: Project documentation, data from the patient tracking system, and clinical case notes were used for description and analyses. Conclusion: Addressing substance abuse problems in primary care is important. Behavioral health professionals with training in substance abuse can provide a range of services that are likely to enhance the quality and quantity of care available to patients. Although contextual factors needed to be addressed, integration of services was manageable and seemed acceptable to both providers and patients in this project

Automotive Stirling Engine Development Project

The development and verification of automotive Stirling engine (ASE) component and system technology is described as it evolved through two experimental engine designs: the Mod 1 and the Mod 2. Engine operation and performance and endurance test results for the Mod 1 are summarized. Mod 2 engine and component development progress is traced from the original design through hardware development, laboratory test, and vehicle installation. More than 21,000 hr of testing were accomplished, including 4800 hr with vehicles that were driven more dm 59,000 miles. Mod 2 engine dynamometer tests demonstrated that the engine system configuration had accomplished its performance goals for power (60 kW) and efficiency (38.5%) to within a few percent. Tests with the Mod 2 engine installed in a delivery van demonstrated combined metro-highway fuel economy improvements consistent with engine performance goals and the potential for low emission levels. A modified version of the Mod 2 has been identified as a manufacturable design for an ASE. As part of the ASE project, the Industry Test and Evaluation Program (ITEP), NASA Technology Utilization (TU) project, and the industry-funded Stirling Natural Gas Engine program were undertaken to transfer ASE technology to end users. The results of these technology transfer efforts are also summarized