Children and Healthcare

Health insurance is a necessity for people of all ages, colors, and social economic standings, yet the statistics for those without health insurance are increasing every day. What are the consequences for the unfortunate children who are without medical insurance and what is being done to change the statistics, so that the children can receive needed medical attention provided by medical insurance? This paper goes on to answer these questions and provide some information as to what types of programs have been established to help provide health insurance for the children of America

Motor Control in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

This dissertation explored motor control in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by quantifying the behavioral and neurophysiological deficits present in these individuals. We behaviorally quantified the precision of the ankle plantarflexor musculature of individuals with MS. Our results indicated that the individuals with MS had a greater amount of variability in the precision of the isometric ankle torques, and that this greater variability was related to decreased walking performance. To further explore whether these motor control deficits were due to aberrant cortical activity associated with planning motor actions, we used magnetoencephalography to assess the motor planning and execution stages of movement during a goal directed target matching task performed with the knee joint. Interestingly, we found no differences between groups in the cortical activity during the planning and execution stages of movement. However, we did find that individuals with MS had a weaker post-movement beta rebound in the precentral and postcentral gyri relative to healthy controls. These results suggest that the internal model is faulty in individuals with MS. We further explored if the faulty internal model could be due to sensory processing deficits by examining somatosensory gating in these individuals using paired-pulse tibial nerve stimulation. Our results showed reduced somatosensory gating for the individuals with MS, suggesting the inhibitory intracortical circuits may be altered in these individuals. Finally, we examined the cortical responses to single-pulse tibial nerve stimulation at rest and during movement, in order to assess the performance of the sensory system during active movement. Our results indicated that the individuals with MS were unable to properly suppress the somatosensory responses during movement. All together, the results of this dissertation provide evidence that the impaired motor control of individuals with MS may be due to a faulty internal model, which has become corrupt due to demyelination, and cannot be properly updated due to impaired sensory processing

Une prise de position : la préface du Mariage de Figaro

La préface du Mariage de Figaro constitue un texte-clé pour une appréciation générale des talents et de la sensibilité de Beaumarchais. À l’aide de concepts inspirés de la sociologie de Pierre Bourdieu et d’une sociopoétique de la réception d’Alain Viala, l’auteur étudie ce texte comme l’expression spécifique de la position du dramaturge dans le champ littéraire. L’analyse du dialogue, des lois du genre préfaciel, des structures du champ littéraire et de l’image sociale de l’écrivain lui-même expose les rapports du texte avec les conventions linguistiques. Dès lors, au-delà des thèmes et des sujets qui y sont abordés, la préface traduit un effort de consolidation de position dans le champ de la dramaturgie.The preface to Beaumarchais' Marriage of Figaro constitutes a key text for the general understanding of the author's talents and sensibilities. Using concepts inspired by Pierre Bourdieu's social theories and by Alain Viala's work on the social poetics of reception theory, the author approaches this text as an expression of the specific position occupied by the dramatist in literature. Through an analysis of dialogue, the characteristics of the preface as a genre, the structures of the literary field and the social image of the author himself, the rapport between linguistic conventions and the text are revealed. Beyond the themes and subjects treated in the preface itself, this type of text exposes the effort to consolidate social hierarchies within the world of dramatic literature

Does Routine Use of Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Decrease the Intensity of Chronic Neuropathic Pain in Adults?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM was to investigate the question, “Does routine use of medical cannabis (marijuana) decrease the intensity of neuropathic chronic pain in adults? STUDY DESIGN: systematic review of 3 English language primary studies, published between 2005 and 2009. DATA SOURCES: Three Randomized Controlled Trials (RTC’s) published on or after 2005 were selected based on their relevance to the proposed question via PubMed. All three RTC’s compared cannabis use vs. placebo for chronic neuropathic pain, with two RTC’s focusing on HIV neuropathic pain and the third focusing on MS. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured in these trials were by how much medical cannabis decreases the intensity of chronic neuropathic pain. This was accomplished using three techniques depending on the study: A self-reporting visual analog scale; a Descriptor Differential Scale (DDS); and an 11-point numerical sliding scale. RESULTS: Ronald Ellis and co-authors demonstrated that the proportions of subjects with HIV achieving at least 30% pain relief with cannabis versus placebo were 0.46 (95%CI 0.28, 0.65) and 0.18 (0.03, 0.32). Abrams and co-authors demonstrated that smoked cannabis reduced daily pain with HIV by 34% vs 17% with placebo (p= 0.03). Greater than 30% reduction in pain was reported by 52% in the cannabis group and by 24% in the placebo group (p= 0.04). Rog and coauthors demonstrated that cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing the mean intensity of pain of MS (CBM mean change -2.7, 95% CI: -3.4 to -2.0, placebo –1.4 95% CI: -2.0 to -0.8, comparison between groups, p =0.005). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant benefit to patients with chronic neuropathic pain when using medical cannabis vs. placebo in HIV and MS. While the risks and benefits to daily use of medical marijuana needs to be further investigated, medical cannabis can be an effective alternative to standard treatments in those who can’t tolerate their side effects. OBJECTIVE

ANALISIS SPASIAL SEBARAN DAN KERAPATAN MANGROVE DENGAN INTERPRETASI CITRA SATELIT SENTINEL 2A DI KECAMATAN MAMUJU

Mangrove adalah vegetasi yang umum dijumpai di wilayah pesisir Kecamatan Mamuju. Penggunaan citra satelit dalam teknologi penginderaan jauh memungkinkan identifikasi mangrove. Penelitian ini memiliki tujuan untuk melakukan pemetaan sebaran dan kerapatan mangrove di Kecamatan Mamuju. Citra satelit yang digunakan untuk menganalisis sebaran dan kerapatan mangrove menggunakan citra Sentinel 2A. Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan menggunakan pendekatan penginderaan jauh menggunakan band komposit dan analisis Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Berdasarkan penelitian, ditemukan bahwa total luas mangrove di Kecamatan Mamuju mencapai 337,84 ha. Dari luas tersebut, 328,50 ha atau sekitar 97% merupakan area dengan vegetasi rapat. Terdapat juga sekitar 3,55 ha atau sekitar 1% dari total luas mangrove yang memiliki kerapatan vegetasi sedang, sementara 5,79 ha atau sekitar 2% dari luas mangrove memiliki kondisi kerapatan vegetasi jarang. Kerapatan didominasi oleh vegetasi rapat dengan nilai NDVI 0.43 sampai 0.9416.Mangrove adalah vegetasi yang umum dijumpai di wilayah pesisir Kecamatan Mamuju. Penggunaan citra satelit dalam teknologi penginderaan jauh memungkinkan identifikasi mangrove. Penelitian ini memiliki tujuan untuk melakukan pemetaan sebaran dan kerapatan mangrove di Kecamatan Mamuju. Citra satelit yang digunakan untuk menganalisis sebaran dan kerapatan mangrove menggunakan citra Sentinel 2A. Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan menggunakan pendekatan penginderaan jauh menggunakan band komposit dan analisis Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Berdasarkan penelitian, ditemukan bahwa total luas mangrove di Kecamatan Mamuju mencapai 337,84 ha. Dari luas tersebut, 328,50 ha atau sekitar 97% merupakan area dengan vegetasi rapat. Terdapat juga sekitar 3,55 ha atau sekitar 1% dari total luas mangrove yang memiliki kerapatan vegetasi sedang, sementara 5,79 ha atau sekitar 2% dari luas mangrove memiliki kondisi kerapatan vegetasi jarang. Kerapatan didominasi oleh vegetasi rapat dengan nilai NDVI 0.43 sampai 0.9416