A seismometer that can be used to study pre-quake signals.

The sensitive, broadband seismometer described in this paper is based on frequency modulation and a two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform method to obtain time vs frequency (and seismic amplitude) recordings. The intent was to develop an instrument that could compare seismic recordings with variables (as signals) that, for rational reasons, might be active before a seismic rupture and, thus, possibly serve as quake warning indicators. Five such variables were eventually incorporated into the instrument and tested as amplitudes: electric field changes, the electromagnetic spectrum between 3 and 30 Hz (extremely low frequency as Schumann-like emissions), the electromagnetic spectrum between 0.

Costs of Specialist Referrals From Employer-Sponsored Integrated Health Care Clinics Are Lower Than Those From Community Providers.

Background: There have been very few published studies of referral management among commercially insured populations and none on referral management from employer-sponsored health centers.

Objective: Describe the referral management system of an integrated employer-sponsored health care system and compare specialist referral rates and costs of specialist visits between those initiated from employer-sponsored health clinics and those initiated from community providers.

Design: Retrospective, comparative cohort study using multivariate analysis of medical claims comparing care initiated in employer-sponsored health clinics with propensity-matched controls having specialist referrals initiated by community providers.

Integrating behavioral health services at employer-sponsored health clinics: A descriptive analysis.

Introduction: Approximately, 20% of adults in the United States have a behavioral health concern, resulting in $732M in direct medical spending and over 5 million lost workdays annually. Employers bear a substantial share of these costs. The objective of this study was to describe the integration of behavioral health services at employer-sponsored health clinics.

Integrated Physical Medicine at Employer-Sponsored Health Clinics Improves Quality of Care at Reduced Cost.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and economic outcomes associated with integrating physical medicine in employer-sponsored clinics.

Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis comparing clinical and economic outcomes of physical medicine services delivered in employer-sponsored clinics with the community.

Results: Integrating physical medicine in employer-sponsored clinics decreased wait times to access these services to 7 days (2 to 4× faster than in the community).

The Association Between Daily Physical Activity and Pain Among Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: The Moderating Role of Pain Catastrophizing.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine the day-to-day association between physical activity and pain intensity among a sample of patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and the potential moderation of this association by negative cognitive processes.

Methods: In this micro-longitudinal daily diary study, KOA patients (N = 121) completed questionnaires assessing pain (Brief Pain Inventory) and psychosocial functioning (pain catrophizing scale, WOMAC McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index function, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS; anxiety and depression], the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity questionnaire, the six-minute walking test) and were then asked to report their levels of physical activity and pain intensity once per day for a period of seven days using an electronic diary.

Results: Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that day-to-day increases in physical activity were associated with heightened levels of pain intensity (B = 0.

Breastmilk-Saliva Interactions Boost Innate Immunity by Regulating the Oral Microbiome in Early Infancy.

Introduction: Xanthine oxidase (XO) is distributed in mammals largely in the liver and small intestine, but also is highly active in milk where it generates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Adult human saliva is low in hypoxanthine and xanthine, the substrates of XO, and high in the lactoperoxidase substrate thiocyanate, but saliva of neonates has not been examined.

Results: Median concentrations of hypoxanthine and xanthine in neonatal saliva (27 and 19 μM respectively) were ten-fold higher than in adult saliva (2.

Avidin self-associates with boric acid gel suspensions: an affinity boron carrier that might be developed for boron neutron-capture therapy.

It has been shown in preliminary studies that the antibacterial protein avidin self-associates with the boric acid gel polymer, and avidin-coated gel particles in the micrometer and submicrometer size ranges are of interest for boron neutron-capture therapy (BNCT), which is neutron-induced fission of boron-10 to produce intense alpha radiation for tumor destruction. The gel particles carry large amounts of boron-10 and are theoretically able effect a meaningful tissue dosing through BNCT. A gross precipitation of gel particles occurs within 46 min of mixing when the avidin/colloid ratio is about 0.