Municipal Health Plans: Gilded Benefits From a Bygone Era

Compares the premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for office visits, prescription drugs, high-tech imaging, outpatient surgery, and hospital admissions of fourteen municipalities' employee health plans with those of other public and private plans

Health Insurance Exchanges: Key Issues for State Implementation

Explores considerations for state governments in planning infrastructure and policies for exchanges for individuals and small businesses, including interactions with state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs. Lists options and pros and cons

Preparing for Health Reform: The Role of the Health Insurance Exchange

Outlines the potential roles of a health insurance exchange, state-specific issues for state policy makers to consider in deciding whether to create an exchange, and options for the structure, funding, and operation of an exchange

Calorimetry for low-energy electrons using charge and light in liquid argon

Precise calorimetric reconstruction of 5–50 MeV electrons in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) will enable the study of astrophysical neutrinos in DUNE and could enhance the physics reach of oscillation analyses. Liquid argon scintillation light has the potential to improve energy reconstruction for low-energy electrons over charge-based measurements alone. Here we demonstrate light-augmented calorimetry for low-energy electrons in a single-phase LArTPC using a sample of Michel electrons from decays of stopping cosmic muons in the LArIAT experiment at Fermilab. Michel electron energy spectra are reconstructed using both a traditional charge-based approach as well as a more holistic approach that incorporates both charge and light. A maximum-likelihood fitter, using LArIAT’s well-tuned simulation, is developed for combining these quantities to achieve optimal energy resolution. A sample of isolated electrons is simulated to better determine the energy resolution expected for astrophysical electron-neutrino charged-current interaction final states. In LArIAT, which has very low wire noise and an average light yield of 18  pe/MeV, an energy resolution of σ/E≃9.3%/√E⊕1.3% is achieved. Samples are then generated with varying wire noise levels and light yields to gauge the impact of light-augmented calorimetry in larger LArTPCs. At a charge-readout signal-to-noise of S/N≃30, for example, the energy resolution for electrons below 40 MeV is improved by ≈10%, ≈20%, and ≈40% over charge-only calorimetry for average light yields of 10  pe/MeV, 20  pe/MeV, and 100  pe/MeV, respectively.https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.07920Othe

Maternal Factors Related to Parenting Young Children with Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of this study was to compare the early child-rearing practices between mothers of young children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and mothers of healthy children. In addition, maternal stress, parental developmental expectations, and the early behavioral and emotional development of their children were explored. Maccoby’s (1992) socialization theory emphasizing the reciprocal nature of mother-child interactions provided the framework for this study. Findings from quantitative self-report measures and videotaped parent-child interactions showed a remarkable similarity between mothers of children with CHD and mothers of healthy children. In contrast, qualitative data revealed important differences with mothers of CHD children reporting high levels of vigilance with their children. The important role of promoting the principle of normalization among mothers of children with CHD and ensuring a sufficient support system is discussed

The role of the tobacco trade in Turkish-American relations, 1923-29.

This study of the tobacco trade between Turkey and the United States provides new perspectives on two major themes in Turkish-American relations between 1923 and 1929: the effect of Turkish nationalism on American interests in Ataturk\u27s Turkey, and the effort to restore Turkish- American diplomatic ties broken during World War I. The marked rise in American cigarette consumption after World War I made the tobacco trade a crucial link between Turkey and America because it required the importation of aromatic tobacco. During the Turkish Republic\u27 s first decades, the value of American tobacco imports from Turkey exceeded the value of all American exports to that country. The tobacco trade survived Turkish nationalism and unsatisfactory diplomatic relations because of the financial benefits it brought to both states. This analysis of the events affecting the Turkish-American tobacco trade between 1923 and 1929 is an inquiry into the interplay of commerce and diplomacy. The study reveals the neglected importance of economic factors in Turkish-American relations

Controlling the Cost of Municipal Health Insurance: Lessons from Springfield

The study finds that, by joining the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), Springfield cut increases in its health care costs an estimated $14 million to$18 million over two years. It saved an additional $5 million per year by requiring eligible municipal retirees to enroll in Medicare Part B as a precondition of receiving supplemental health coverage from the City. These two actions, together, reduced increases in the City’s health care costs an estimated 15-19$42 million to $64 million over the next three fiscal years, not including Medicare savings. It is especially noteworthy that Springfield’s employees and retirees also benefited from the shift to the GIC, because the GIC offered them lower premiums, reduced out-of-pocket expenses, and a wider choice of insurance plans

The Effect of Wet Strength Resins on the Dimensional Stability of Paper

Introduction For many grades of paper, dimensional stability is very important in order for the paper to serve its specific purpose. Included in this category are such papers as map paper, template paper, printing papers, and chart paper. Dimensional stability may be improved by subjecting the fibers to less refining, but strength and other properties suffer as a result. Thus, any material which could be added to the fibers to increase dimensional stability would be welcomed by the paper industry. The purpose of this thesis is to establish whether a particular type of material, wet strength resins, will improve dimensional stability. Wet strength resins can be added in the beater and are, therefore, easily added without special equipment. Three wet strength resins were chosen to be investigated; Parez 607, a melamine-formaldehyde resin; Uformite 700, a urea formaldehyde resin; and Kymene 557, a new resin on the market. It was decided to add these three resins to the pulp in various percentages to determine any effect they might have upon dimensional stability

The Utility of Trouble: Leveling the Playing Field: Giving Municipal Officials the Tools to Moderate Health Insurance Costs

According to the research, Boston could have reduced its 2010 health premiums by between 15.6 and 17.1 percent, for a savings of between $41.4 and$45.4 million by joining the state’s Group Insurance Commission, more widely known as the GIC. The City is unable to join the GIC, however, without first receiving 70% union approval, according to state law. This requirement and the associated tradeoffs involved are a major barrier to municipal participation in the GIC. Several cities and towns including Boston have called for cities and towns to have the same ability as the state to design health insurance plans