The Campaign for Better Care: Summary Evaluation Findings

This evaluation of the Campaign for Better Care -- an Atlantic-funded effort to include the voices and perspectives of vulnerable populations in health care so that it reflected their needs -- found that although the foundation provided needed organizational support, resources are still limited in carrying out this enormous task. Researchers suggest that a compelling, evidence-based case is needed to convince decision-makers that consumer involvement adds value in developing policy. In addition, tools to increase consumer involvement at the local level need to be tailored to site-specific needs and context.The evaluation, which Atlantic commissioned from the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California- San Francisco, examined the approaches of key grantees -- Community Catalyst, National Partnership for Women and Families and PICO -- and measured their short and intermediate term outcomes and identified lessons learned. Though their specific approaches varied, these three national organizations served as important catalysts within the communities in which they worked, providing advocacy, policy and organizing experience and connecting with local organizations as partners. Despite the challenging nature of this work, incremental steps were made towards greater consumer input in community health care reform efforts.

The Implications for Regional Investment of Diversification Strategies in Commercial Real Estate Portfolios

A number of studies have examined the benefits of regional diversification strategies within commercial real estate portfolios with two approaches adopted; the first is based on primary contiguous geographical regions while the second employs areas based on economic function. In general, the conclusion is that diversifications strategies based on simple geographical areas adds little, if anything, while economic based regions have shown much greater potential. The economic regions approach to portfolio analysis appears to be a much more valuable tool in evaluating regional real estate investment opportunities and risks. The reason is that this method allows consistent risk measurement between aerial units and enables the portfolio manager to develop a geographically diversified portfolio through the use of economically cohesive regions. The aim of this paper is therefore to identify how the application of these portfolio investment techniques determines the flows of funds coming into regions, and the consequent impacts on regional investment in the regional built environment. Most previous research on this issue is based in the US with studies in other countries largely hampered by lack of real estate data and/or acceptable definitions of economic regions. This study therefore attempts to rectify this position in the UK using a large data set of real estate and socio-economic data.

Orbital Resonance Mode in Superconducting Iron Pnictides

We show that the fluctuations associated with ferro orbital order in the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbitals can develop a sharp resonance mode in the superconducting state with a nodeless gap on the Fermi surface. This orbital resonance mode appears below the particle-hole continuum and is analogous to the magnetic resonance mode found in various unconventional superconductors. If the pairing symmetry is $s_{\pm}$, a dynamical coupling between the orbital ordering and the d-wave subdominant pairing channels is present by symmetry. Therefore the nature of the resonance mode depends on the relative strengths of the fluctuations in these two channels, which could vary significantly for different families of the iron based superconductors. The application of our theory to a recent observation of a new $\delta$-function-like peak in the B$_{1g}$ Raman spectrum of Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

A Novel Long-term, Multi-Channel and Non-invasive Electrophysiology Platform for Zebrafish.

Zebrafish are a popular vertebrate model for human neurological disorders and drug discovery. Although fecundity, breeding convenience, genetic homology and optical transparency have been key advantages, laborious and invasive procedures are required for electrophysiological studies. Using an electrode-integrated microfluidic system, here we demonstrate a novel multichannel electrophysiology unit to record multiple zebrafish. This platform allows spontaneous alignment of zebrafish and maintains, over days, close contact between head and multiple surface electrodes, enabling non-invasive long-term electroencephalographic recording. First, we demonstrate that electrographic seizure events, induced by pentylenetetrazole, can be reliably distinguished from eye or tail movement artifacts, and quantifiably identified with our unique algorithm. Second, we show long-term monitoring during epileptogenic progression in a scn1lab mutant recapitulating human Dravet syndrome. Third, we provide an example of cross-over pharmacology antiepileptic drug testing. Such promising features of this integrated microfluidic platform will greatly facilitate high-throughput drug screening and electrophysiological characterization of epileptic zebrafish

Development of a Cone Penetrometer for Measuring Spectral Characteristics of Soils in Situ

A patent was recently granted to the U.S. Army for an adaptation of a soil cone penetrometer that can be used to measure the spectral characteristics (fluorescence or reflectance) of soils adjacent to the penetrometer rod. The system can use a variety of light sources and spectral analytical equipment. A laser induced fluorescence measuring system has proven to be of immediate use in mapping the distribution of oil contaminated soil at waste disposal and oil storage areas. The fiber optic adaptation coupled with a cone penetrometer permits optical characteristics of the in-situ soil to be measured rapidly, safely, and inexpensively. The fiber optic cone penetrometer can be used to gather spectral data to a depth of approximately 25 to 30 m even in dense sands or stiff clays and can investigate 300 m of soil per day. Typical detection limits for oil contamination in sand is on the order of several hundred parts per million

String order via Floquet interactions in atomic systems

We study the transverse-field Ising model with interactions that are modulated in time. In a rotating frame, the system is described by a time-independent Hamiltonian with many-body interactions, similar to the cluster Hamiltonians of measurement-based quantum computing. In one dimension, there is a three-body interaction, which leads to string order instead of conventional magnetic order. We show that the string order is robust to power-law interactions that decay with the cube of distance. In two and three dimensions, there are five- and seven-body interactions. We discuss adiabatic preparation of the ground state as well as experimental implementation with trapped ions, Rydberg atoms, and polar molecules.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

IMPORT RULES FOR FMD CONTAMINATED BEEF

Under the new WTO trading rules the United States is obligated to revise its beef import policy and has proposed barriers based on classifying nations according to livestock health risks. This research develops a model which captures the impact of various degrees of FMD risk from imports on setting import barriers. The results show that nations classified as high risk for FMD continue to face prohibitive barriers. As outbreak risk falls so does the level of the barrier levied against that exporter. The barrier levels are also sensitive to the expected social losses as influenced by alternative control strategies.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,