Consumption responses to an unconditional child allowance in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic put families in the United States under financial stress. The federal government's largest response in 2021 was the American Rescue Plan Act, which temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC) into a large, unconditional child allowance providing monthly payments to families with children. This study investigates consumption responses to the CTC expansion using anonymized mobile-location data and debit/credit card data that track visits and spending at 1.

Navigating the facilitation journey: a qualitative, longitudinal evaluation of 'Eat Walk Engage' novice and experienced facilitators.

Background: The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) and integrated-PARIHS (i-PARIHS) frameworks position facilitation as an overarching strategy to enable implementation. In the revised i-PARIHS framework, facilitation is operationalised through a multi-level model with novice, experienced and expert facilitators working together in a network structure to build facilitation knowledge and skills along a continuum. To date, there has been limited evaluation of this facilitation model in practice, which is the aim of the study reported here.

No Evidence The Child Tax Credit Expansion Had An Effect On The Well-Being And Mental Health Of Parents.

In 1997 the US established the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which offers payments to parents of dependent children to help defray child-rearing costs. In 2021 a temporary expansion to the CTC increased the size of payments, extended payments to families with low or no earnings, and distributed payments monthly instead of annually. Quasi-experimental evidence from the US and experimental evidence from low- and middle-income countries shows that moderate-to-large cash transfers improve subjective well-being and mental health.

Selective Delivery of Clinically Approved Tubulin Binding Agents through Covalent Conjugation to an Active Targeting Moiety.

The efficacy and tolerability of tubulin binding agents are hampered by their low specificity for cancer cells like most clinically used anticancer agents. To improve specificity, tubulin binding agents have been covalently conjugated to agents that target cancer cells to give actively targeted drug conjugates. These conjugates are designed to increase uptake of the drug by cancer cells while having limited uptake by normal cells, thereby improving efficacy and tolerability.

A Universal Child Allowance: A Plan to Reduce Poverty and Income Instability Among Children in the United States.

To reduce child poverty and income instability, and eliminate extreme poverty among families with children in the United States, we propose converting the Child Tax Credit and child tax exemption into a universal, monthly child allowance. Our proposal is based on principles we argue should undergird the design of such policies: universality, accessibility, adequate payment levels, and more generous support for young children. Whether benefits should decline with additional children to reflect economies of scale is a question policymakers should consider.

Mii-vitaliSe: a pilot randomised controlled trial of a home gaming system (Nintendo Wii) to increase activity levels, vitality and well-being in people with multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: While the health and well-being benefits of physical activity are recognised, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) often face greater barriers than the general population. The Nintendo Wii potentially offers a fun, convenient way of overcoming some of these. The aim was to test the feasibility of conducting a definitive trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Mii-vitaliSe; a home-based, physiotherapist-supported Nintendo Wii intervention.

Enhancement of electrode performance by a simple casting method using sonochemically exfoliated graphene.

We demonstrate within this paper a method for modifying commercial screen-printed electrodes with aqueous graphene suspensions to enhance their electrochemical activity. The graphene suspensions are synthesized by a simple ultrasonic exfoliation method from graphite, where reaggregation is prevented by the addition of common cationic or anionic surfactants, thereby avoiding the use of organic solvents or harsh chemical procedures. These suspensions can then be simply cast onto the screen-printed electrodes.

Testing the feasibility and acceptability of using the Nintendo Wii in the home to increase activity levels, vitality and well-being in people with multiple sclerosis (Mii-vitaliSe): protocol for a pilot randomised controlled study.

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have been recognised. However, exercise regimens can be difficult to maintain over the longer term and pwMS may face unique barriers to physical activity engagement. Pilot research suggests the Nintendo Wii can be used safely at home by pwMS with minimal mobility/balance issues and may confer benefits.

Label-free impedimetric immunosensors for psoriasin--increased reproducibility and sensitivity using an automated dispensing system.

We describe within this paper the construction of a label-free immunosensor for the protein psoriasin (S100A7), which is associated with a number of clinical conditions such as skin diseases or cancer. Antibodies to psoriasin were immobilised onto screen-printed carbon electrodes that had been pre-modified with the conductive polymer polyaniline. We compared and contrasted a number of different methods of assembly to optimise the construction and properties of the immunosensor.

Disposable screen-printed sensors for the electrochemical detection of TNT and DNT.

Due to the heightened level of national security currently prevalent due to the possibility of terrorist incidents, highly portable, miniaturised and sensitive monitoring devices for trace levels of injurious materials, such as explosives are now of the upmost importance. One method that offers a possible route for the development of a detection system for such species is via an electrochemical regime, coupled to the use of disposable sensor technology. Within this study, the use of carbon screen-printed sensors for the detection and analysis of the classical explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) and the related dinitrotoluene (DNT) is described, with the eventual objective to develop an inexpensive, accurate and sensitive detection system for trace quantities of explosives in field settings.

Template and catalytic effects of DNA in the construction of polypyrrole/DNA composite macro and microelectrodes.

Electrochemical DNA hybridization-based sensors show great promise as portable and automated analytical devices for routine screening of pathogenic or foreign nucleic acid sequences in biological samples. However, current sensor technologies still exhibit some unresolved issues which hampers their direct application into everyday life. Conducting polymers, such as polypyrrole (PPy), are increasingly being adopted as suitable platforms for DNA probe immobilization and signal transduction.

Detection and imaging the expression of the trans-membrane protein CD44 in RT112 cells by use of enzyme-labeled antibodies and SECM.

The deposition of human RT112 cells in a patterned fashion onto glass substrates and subsequent imaging of the expression of the trans-membrane protein CD44 have been studied using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Patterns of RT112 cells derived from a transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder could be deposited on amino-modified glass substrates by cytospinning. These were then treated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled secondary antibodies to the trans-membrane protein CD44.

A new application of scanning electrochemical microscopy for the label-free interrogation of antibody-antigen interactions: Part 2.

Within this paper we describe the use of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to fabricate a dotted array of biotinylated polyethyleneimine which was then used to immobilise first neutravidin and then a biotinylated antibody towards a relevant antigen of interest (PSA, NTx, ciprofloxacin). These antigens were selected both for their clinical relevance but also since they display a broad range of molecular weights, to determine whether the size of the antigen used effects the sensitivity of this approach. The SECM was then used to image the binding of both complementary and non-complementary antigens in a label-free assay.

Listener perception of the effect of abdominal kinematic directives on respiratory behavior in female classical singing.

Breath management training in classical singing is becoming increasingly physiologically focused, despite evidence that directives focusing on chest-wall kinematic (ribcage and abdominal) behavior effect minimal change in acoustical measures of singing. A direct and proportionate relationship between breathing behavior and vocal quality is important in singing training because singing teachers rely primarily on changes in sound quality to assess the efficacy of breath management modification. Pedagogical opinion is also strongly divided over whether the strategy of retarding the reduction in abdominal dimension during singing has a negative effect on vocal quality.

Sonochemically fabricated microelectrode arrays for use as sensing platforms.

The development, manufacture, modification and subsequent utilisation of sonochemically-formed microelectrode arrays is described for a range of applications. Initial fabrication of the sensing platform utilises ultrasonic ablation of electrochemically insulating polymers deposited upon conductive carbon substrates, forming an array of up to 70,000 microelectrode pores cm(-2). Electrochemical and optical analyses using these arrays, their enhanced signal response and stir-independence area are all discussed.

Fundamental frequency influences the relationship between sound pressure level and spectral balance in female classically trained singers.

The influence of fundamental frequency (F0) on the relationship between sound pressure level (SPL) and spectral balance (SB) has been largely unexplored in the female singing voice. Five classically trained females performed a messa di voce across their musical F0 range. Average maximum SB rose with F0 by 0.

The effect of abdominal kinematic directives on respiratory behaviour in female classical singing.

Breathing instruction for classical singing is becoming more physiologically focused, yet the effect of chest-wall kinematic directives on breathing behaviour is largely unexplored. Five female classical singers sang Caccini's Ave Maria without directive and under two directives: 'steadily pull the abdomen inward' and 'steadily expand the abdomen' through each phrase. The directives had a statistically significant effect on chest-wall dimension at initiation of phrase and on excursion, but dimension at termination of each phrase reverted to habitual behaviour.

Labeless AC impedimetric antibody-based sensors with pgml(-1) sensitivities for point-of-care biomedical applications.

This paper describes the development and characterisation of labeless immunosensors for (a) the cardiac drug digoxin and (b) bovine serum albumin (BSA). Commercial screen-printed carbon electrodes were used as the basis for the sensors. Two methods were used to immobilise antibodies at the electrode surface.

The influence of fundamental frequency and sound pressure level range on breathing patterns in female classical singing.

Purpose: This study investigated the influence of fundamental frequency (F0) and sound pressure level (SPL) range on respiratory behavior in classical singing.

Method: Five trained female singers performed an 8-s messa di voce (a crescendo and decrescendo on one F0) across their musical F0 range. Lung volume (LV) change was estimated, and chest-wall kinematic behavior (dimensional change in ribcage [RC] and abdominal [AB] wall) was recorded using triaxial magnetometry.

Sound pressure level and spectral balance linearity and symmetry in the messa di voce of female classical singers.

The messa di voce, in its pure form a crescendo and decrescendo on one note, has been revered for centuries in classical singing, but the pedagogical assumptions of linearity and symmetry have received little critical assessment, especially across a wide fundamental frequency (F0) range. Five trained female classical singers performed a total of 318 messe di voce across their musical F0 range to identify its acoustical characteristics and the influence of F0. Sound pressure level (SPL) range was generally greater during crescendo at higher F0's and during decrescendo at lower FO's.