SCHIP Children: How Long Do They Stay and Where Do They Go?

Presents findings on the length of children's enrollment in State Children's Health Insurance Programs and their coverage after they leave the program in seven states. Explores variations across states and how state policies may affect retention

Assessment of Little Bay sediment and water quality in relation to indices of seagrass condition

We measured a variety of water column and sediment parameters in Little Bay and its major tributary, Tule Creek, over the period from May 2008 to June 2010 in relation to seagrass (Halodule wrightii) condition indices. These measurements were collected in an attempt to better understand the Little Bay system and the factors that have contributed to the decline of seagrass distribution in the Bay. Although the contracted period of study was for one year (ending March 2010), we present hydrographic data that was collected starting May 2008."Report submitted to: City of Rockport, Aransas County Navigation District, Town of Fulton.""Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve"--Leaf i.Marine Scienc

Designing a Mobile Device for Pre-hospital Care

Peer reviewedPreprin

Early Surgery for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Where Are We Now?

Study Design: Narrative review. Objective: There is a strong biological rationale to perform early decompression after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). With an enlarging clinical evidence base, most spine surgeons internationally now favor early decompression for the majority of SCI patients; however, a number of pertinent questions remain surrounding this therapy. Methods: A narrative review evaluating the status of early surgery for SCI. In particular, we addressed the following questions: (1) Which patients stand to benefit most from early surgery? 2) What is the most appropriate time threshold defining early surgery? Results: Although heterogeneity exists, the evidence generally seems to support early surgery. While the best evidence exists for cervical SCI, there is insufficient data to support a differential effect for early surgery depending on neurological level or injury severity. When comparing thresholds to define early versus late surgery-including a later threshold (48-72 hours), an earlier threshold (24 hours), and an ultra-early threshold (8-12 hours)-the 2 earlier time points seem to be associated with the greatest potential for improved outcomes. However, existing prehospital and hospital logistics pose barriers to early surgery in a significant proportion of patients. An overview of recommendations from the recent AOSpine guidelines is provided. Conclusion: In spite of increasing acceptance of early surgery post SCI, further research is needed to (1) identify subgroups of patients who stand to derive particular benefit-in particular to develop more evidence-based approaches for central cord syndrome and (2) investigate the efficacy and feasibility of ultra-early surgery targeting more aggressive timelines

The modular synthesis of rare earth-transition metal heterobimetallic complexes utilizing a redox-active ligand

We report a robust and modular synthetic route to heterometallic rare earth-transition metal complexes. We have used the redox-active bridging ligand 1,10-phenathroline-5,6-dione (pd), which has selective N,N′ or O,O′ binding sites as the template for this synthetic route. The coordination complexes [Ln(hfac)3(N,N’-pd)] (Ln = Y [1], Gd [2]; hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate) were synthesised in high yield. These complexes have been fully characterised using a range of spectroscopic techniques. Solid state molecular structures of 1 and 2 have been determined by X-ray crystallography and display different pd binding modes in coordinating and non-coordinating solvents. Complexes 1 and 2 are unusually highly coloured in coordinating solvents, for example the vis-NIR spectrum of 1 in acetonitrile displays an electronic transition centred at 587 nm with an extinction coefficient consistent with significant charge transfer. The reaction between 1 and 2 and VCp2 or VCpt2 (Cpt = tetramethylcyclopentadienyl) resulted in the isolation of the heterobimetallic complexes, [Ln(hfac)3(N,N′-O,O′-pd)VCp2] (Ln = Y [3], Gd [4]) or [Ln(hfac)3(N,N′-O,O′-pd)VCpt2] (Ln = Y [5], Gd [6]). The solid state molecular structures of 3, 5 and 6 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The spectroscopic data on 3–6 are consistent with oxidation of V(II) to V(IV) and reduction of pd to pd2− in the heterobimetallic complexes. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters from low temperature X-band EPR spectroscopy of 3 and 5 describe a 2A1 ground state, with a V(IV) centre. DFT calculations on 3 are in good agreement with experimental data and confirm the SOMO as the dx2−y2 orbital localised on vanadium

Development of ClpXP as a tool for investigating the mechanical properties of biomolecules applied to polyglutamine repeat proteins

It has become increasingly apparent that mechanical force plays an important role in biology. Biophysical techniques such as optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have allowed the investigation of mechanical stability at the level of a single protein molecule. However, despite the increasing sensitivity of these techniques, it is still difficult to mimic precisely the geometry of extension, forces and loading rates applied in vivo. Here we have developed a technique using a bacterial proteasome, ClpXP, which allowed the investigation of the mechanical stability of proteins at more biologically relevant forces and loading rates. It was demonstrated that various degradation signals can be used to target the proteins under investigation to ClpXP where they were unfolded, translocated and degraded. Several ClpX variants were investigated and an assay developed using a pseudohexameric ClpX variant that allowed robust degradation of several proteins. This assay was used to investigate the properties of a protein containing a 30 polyglutamine repeat sequence. Previous studies of polyglutamine repeats, using AFM, have shown that it may have interesting mechanical properties: it has either extreme mechanical strength, or access to a conformation which has a high mechanical strength. It was shown that this protein can be completely degraded using ClpXP without any intermediate product, and without reducing the degradation rate compared to a control protein without a polyglutamine repeat. This demonstrates that this assay can be used to investigate proteins whose mechanical properties are of interest and that the loading rates and application of force applied by this assay differ enough from those of AFM that different and more biologically relevant results can be obtained

Shear-Wave Splitting and Mantle Flow Beneath the Colorado Plateau and its Boundary with the Great Basin

Shear-wave splitting measurements from SKS and SKKS phases show fast polarization azimuths that are subparallel to North American absolute plate motion within the central Rio Grande Rift (RGR) and Colorado Plateau (CP) through to the western rim of the CP, with anisotropy beneath the CP and central RGR showing a remarkably consistent pattern with a mean fast azimuth of 4 degrees +/- degrees 6 E of N. Approaching the rim from the southeast, fast anisotropic directions become north-northeast-south-southwest (NNE-SSW), rotate counter clockwise to north-south in the CP-GB transition, and then to NNW-SSE in the western Great Basin ( GB). This change is coincident with uppermost mantle S-wave velocity perturbations that vary from +4% beneath the western CP and the eastern edge of the Marysvale volcanic field to about -8% beneath the GB. Corresponding delay times average 1.5 sec beneath the central CP, decrease to approximately 0.8 sec near the CP-GB transition, and increase to about 1.2 sec beneath the GB. For the central CP, we suggest anisotropy predominantly controlled by North American plate motion above the asthenosphere. The observed pattern of westward-rotating anisotropy from the western CP through the CP-GB transition may be influenced to asthenospheric flow around a CP lithospheric keel and/or by vertical flow arising from edge-driven small-scale convection. The anisotropic transition from the CP to the GB thus marks a first-order change from absolute plate motion dominated lithosphere-asthenosphere shear to a new regime controlled by regional flow processes. The NNW-SSE anisotropic fast directions of split SKS waves in the eastern GB area are part of a broad circular pattern of seismic anisotropic fast direction in the central GB that has recently been hypothesized to be due to toroidal flow around the sinking Juan de Fuca-Gorda slab.National Science Foundation EAR 9706094, 9707188, 9707190, 0207812Los Alamos National Laboratory Institute of Geophysics and Planetary PhysicsNational Science Foundation Cooperative EAR-000430Department of Energy National Nuclear Security AdministrationGeological Science

Additively manufactured bio-based composites

The development of new materials solutions for advanced manufacturing and fabrication technologies is an increasing focus of many research and development efforts in applied materials science today. Advances in these areas are resulting in the development of novel, geometrically complex parts and functional devices in a multitude of arenas, such as the biomedical and aerospace industries. Recent progress in materials research includes; the development of polymer systems that are less reliant on petroleum-based products, and are instead based on renewable, bio-derived sources. Concurrently, new additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are allowing the production of complex parts with structures and physical response not typically achievable through conventional manufacturing means. AM has become a leader in manufacturing complex and previously difficult to fabricate structures with fine features, by employing three-dimensional printing methods such as direct ink write (DIW) and stereolithography (SL). Our materials based approach has been to develop tailored and functional polymer based feedstocks for such AM processes to expand the range of these versatile fabrication technologies and explore new design space for AM. Here we present stimuli responsive, tailorable and robust class of, printable bio-based polymer composite that has been three dimensionally printed via additive manufacturing methods to have micro and macro scale complexity in features and exhibit a strong, tunable shape memory response. The development, characterization and potential applications of these novel shape memory polymer composite AM structures will be discussed

Perspectives on Depression: A synthesis of biological and behavioural findings

Introduction: Depression is a complex and widespread phenomenon, with few effective treatments that may be universally applied. Although a great deal of research has been reported on various aspects of depression from the perspectives of the different disciplines of general psychiatry, genetics, neuroscience, endocrinology, immunology, pharmacology, psychology, behaviour analysis and evolutionary theory, there is no extant synthesis of those data that is recent or comprehensive in its coverage. This thesis therefore reviewed the literatures from these nine areas, focussing principally from a neurobiological perspective, and drew the findings from that review into a comprehensive model of the way in which depression develops and why it occurs. Method: Working from a selection of authoritative texts, plus cross-referencing and weekly checks of over 20 major journals that reported data on depression during the period 2000 to 2010, plus online electronic searches via four search engines, more than 100 review chapters and over 3,500 journal articles on depression were found across the disciplines mentioned above. From these, a subset of 768 sources was identified as holding information directly pertinent to the focus of this thesis. These sources were then reviewed and summarised in discrete sections of this thesis. From these summaries, a new model of depression was developed which encompassed the wider literature. Results & Conclusion: Commencing with genetic bases for depression (gender, predisposition to melancholic depression) and two major indicators of the organism's exaggerated responsivity to environmental threat (the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, methylation of several key genes involved in the HPA axis function) which cause increases in the activity of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, the model developed in this thesis considers the effects of that HPA axis hyperactivation and resultant elevated circulating cortisol