Automobile Fuel Economy Standards: Impacts, Efficiency, and Alternatives

This paper discusses fuel economy regulations in the United States and other countries. We first describe how these programs affect fuel use and other dimensions of the vehicle fleet. We then review different methodologies for assessing the costs of fuel economy regulations and discuss the policy implications of the results. We also compare the welfare effects of fuel economy standards with those of fuel taxes and assess whether these two policies complement each other. Finally, we review arguments in favor of a “feebate” system, which imposes fees on inefficient vehicles and provides rebates for efficient vehicles.fuel economy regulations, costs, welfare effects, climate change, feebates

Intermediate reading exercises for use with the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Perinatal Symptoms and Treatment Engagement in Female Veterans

INTRODUCTION: Women veterans using Veterans Health Care Administration maternity benefits have a high prevalence of mental health disorders, including depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Additionally, women with psychiatric histories often experience a relapse or worsening of symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum. Adequate perinatal mental healthcare engagement is critical to optimizing outcomes for mother and child. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study evaluated psychiatric symptom severity and predictors of women veteran\u27s mental health treatment engagement during pregnancy and postpartum at the VA North Texas Health Care System. Seventy women using Veterans Health Administration were assessed longitudinally via chart review and interviews (including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) during pregnancy and postpartum. A Friedman test was used to evaluate the change in symptom severity during (1) the 6 months before pregnancy, (2) pregnancy, and (3) postpartum. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine predictors of attending outpatient mental health appointments. Potential predictors examined included sociodemographic factors, symptoms of depression, history of military sexual assault, presence of a pre-pregnancy psychiatric diagnosis, and attendance of mental health appointments before pregnancy. RESULTS: Approximately 40% of participants demonstrated at least mild psychiatric symptoms before pregnancy, and symptom severity did not significantly change across the perinatal period (pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum) X2 (2, n = 70) = 3.56, P = .17. Depressive symptoms during the 2nd or 3rd trimester were a significant predictor for attendance of mental health appointments during both pregnancy (OR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.34) and postpartum (OR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.36). An active psychiatric diagnosis during the 6 months before pregnancy was also a significant predictor of attendance following delivery (OR = 14.63, 95% CI, 1.55 to 138.51). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that women with prior histories of mental health conditions will continue to be symptomatic, and this is a good predictor of mental health treatment engagement during the perinatal period. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US

Automobile Fuel Economy Standards: Impacts, Efficiency, and Alternatives

This paper discusses fuel economy regulations in the United States and other countries. We first describe how these programs affect the automobile market, including their impacts on fuel use and other dimensions of the vehicle fleet. We then review different methodologies for assessing the costs of fuel economy regulations and discuss what the results of these methodologies imply for policy. Following that, we compare the welfare effects of fuel economy regulations to those of fuel taxes and assess whether or not these two policies can be complements. Finally, we review arguments for transitioning away from fuel economy regulations towards a “feebate” system.

Minimal breast milk transfer of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody used in neurological conditions.

ObjectiveTo determine the transfer of rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody widely used for neurologic conditions, into mature breast milk.MethodsBreast milk samples were collected from 9 women with MS who received rituximab 500 or 1,000 mg intravenous once or twice while breastfeeding from November 2017 to April 2019. Serial breast milk samples were collected before infusion and at 8 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, and 18-21 days after rituximab infusion in 4 patients. Five additional patients provided 1-2 samples at various times after rituximab infusion.ResultsThe median average rituximab concentration in mature breast milk was low at 0.063 μg/mL (range 0.046-0.097) in the 4 patients with serial breast milk collection, with an estimated median absolute infant dose of 0.0094 mg/kg/d and a relative infant dose (RID) of 0.08% (range 0.06%-0.10%). Most patients had a maximum concentration at 1-7 days after infusion. The maximum concentration occurred in a woman with a single breast milk sample and was 0.29 μg/mL at 11 days postinfusion, which corresponds with an estimated RID of 0.33%. Rituximab concentration in milk was virtually undetectable by 90 days postinfusion.ConclusionsWe determined minimal transfer of rituximab into mature breast milk. The RID for rituximab was less than 0.4% and well below theoretically acceptable levels of less than 10%. Low oral bioavailability would probably also limit the absorption of rituximab by the newborn. In women with serious autoimmune neurologic conditions, monoclonal antibody therapy may afford an acceptable benefit to risk ratio, supporting both maternal treatment and breastfeeding

Monoclonal antibodies for copper-64 PET dosimetry and radioimmunotherapy

BACKGROUND: We previously described a two-antibody model of (64)Cu radioimmunotherapy to evaluate low-dose, solid-tumor response. This model was designed to test the hypothesis that cellular internalization is critical in causing tumor cell death by mechanisms in addition to radiation damage. The purpose of the present study was to estimate radiation dosimetry for both antibodies (mAbs) using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and evaluate the effect of internalization on tumor growth. RESULTS: Dosimetry was similar between therapy groups. Median time to tumor progression to 1 g ranged from 7–12 days for control groups and was 32 days for both treatment groups (p < 0.0001). No statistically significant difference existed between any control group or between the treatment groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In female nude mice bearing LS174T colon carcinoma xenografts, tumor dosimetry was calculated using serial PET images of three mice in each group of either internalizing (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cBR96 (DOTA = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) or non-internalizing (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cT84.66 from 3 to 48 h. For the therapy study, controls (n = 10) received saline, DOTA-cBR96 or DOTA-cT84.66. Treatment animals (n = 9) received 0.890 mCi of (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cBR96 or 0.710 mCi of (64)Cu-labeled DOTA-cT84.66. Tumors were measured daily. CONCLUSIONS: PET imaging allows the use of (64)Cu for pre-therapy calculation of tumor dosimetry. In spite of highly similar tumor dosimetry, an internalizing antibody did not improve the outcome of (64)Cu radioimmunotherapy. Radio-resistance of this tumor cell line and copper efflux may have confounded the study. Further investigations of the therapeutic efficacy of (64)Cu-labeled mAbs will focus on interaction between (64)Cu and tumor suppressor genes and copper chaperones

Guidelines for Community‐Based Partners for Reviewing Research Grant Applications: Lessons from the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR) Community Engagement Research Core (CERC)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102046/1/cts12126.pd

Aquilegia, Vol. 30 No. 5, November-December 2006, Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1118/thumbnail.jp