The effects of mandated health insurance benefits for autism on out-of-pocket costs and access to treatment.

As of 2014, 37 states have passed mandates requiring many private health insurance policies to cover diagnostic and treatment services for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We explore whether ASD mandates are associated with out-of-pocket costs, financial burden, and cost or insurance-related problems with access to treatment among privately insured children with special health care needs (CSHCNs). We use difference-in-difference and difference-in-difference-in-difference approaches, comparing pre--post mandate changes in outcomes among CSHCN who have ASD versus CSHCN other than ASD.

Maternal exposure to mercury chloride during pregnancy and lactation affects the immunity and social behavior of offspring.

Developmental HgCl2 exposures of F1 offspring (H-2(q/s)) from unsociable SJL/J (H-2(s)) dams with high susceptibility to Hg-induced autoimmunity (SFvF1) and from highly sociable FVB/NJ (FVB; H-2(q)) dams with lower susceptibility to Hg-induced autoimmunity (FvSF1) were investigated. Hg exposure increased the serum IgG levels of all offspring at postnatal day 21 (pnd21) and of SJL/J dams but not of FVB dams. Serum IgG anti-brain antibody (Ab) levels of pnd21 SFvF1 offspring and SJL dams were higher than those of the FvSF1 offspring and FVB dams, but Hg only increased the titers of the FVB dams and their offspring.

Angle-dependent carrier transmission in graphene p-n junctions.

Angle-dependent carrier transmission probability in graphene p-n junctions is investigated. Using electrostatic doping from buried gates, p-n junctions are formed along graphene channels that are patterned to form different angles with the junction. A peak in the junction resistance is observed, which becomes pronounced with angle.

Developmental exposure to mercury chloride does not impair social behavior of C57BL/6 × BTBR F(1) mice.

The effects of mercury (Hg) on social behavior and the mechanisms involved remain unknown. This study shows that Hg chloride (HgCl(2)) exposure during fetal development does not impair social behavior of a mouse strain susceptible to environment-induced autistic-like behavior based on the parental phenotype. On the contrary, Hg exposure elevated the sociability of females.

Effects of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide on anxiety-like extinction behavior in an animal model of post-traumatic stress.

The effect of cycloheximide (CXM), a protein synthesis inhibitor, on memory reconsolidation and extinction was explored in rats using a model of post-traumatic stress. Forty-two animals were exposed to predator stress followed by 1, 2, or 4 extinction trials. Saline or CXM (1 mg/kg) was administered following the last extinction trial and anxiety was measured in the elevated-plus maze (EPM) seventy-two hours later.

Structural insights into the generation of single-base deletions by the Y family DNA polymerase dbh.

Dbh is a Y family translesion DNA polymerase that accurately bypasses some damaged forms of deoxyguanosine, but also generates single-base deletion errors at frequencies of up to 50%, in specific hot spot sequences. We describe preinsertion binary, insertion ternary, and postinsertion binary crystal structures of Dbh synthesizing DNA after making a single-base deletion. The skipped template base adopts an extrahelical conformation stabilized by interactions with the C-terminal domain of the enzyme.

Specific reading disability (dyslexia): what have we learned in the past four decades?

We summarize some of the most important findings from research evaluating the hypothesized causes of specific reading disability ('dyslexia') over the past four decades. After outlining components of reading ability, we discuss manifest causes of reading difficulties, in terms of deficiencies in component reading skills that might lead to such difficulties. The evidence suggests that inadequate facility in word identification due, in most cases, to more basic deficits in alphabetic coding is the basic cause of difficulties in learning to read.

Iron supplementation improves progressive fatigue resistance during dynamic knee extensor exercise in iron-depleted, nonanemic women.

Background: Tissue iron depletion may negatively affect endurance performance and muscle fatigability.

Objective: We investigated tissue-level iron depletion and progressive fatigue of the quadriceps during dynamic knee-extension exercise in young women.

Design: Twenty iron-depleted (serum ferritin < 20 micro g/L), nonanemic (hemoglobin > 110 g/L) women (macro x +/- SEM age: 29.

The survival of micro-organisms in space. Further rocket and balloon-borne exposure experiments.

This report describes the results of survival studies of terrestrial micro-organisms exposed directly to the space environment on two balloons and in two rocket flights. The work is part of a program to develop techniques for the collection of micro-organisms in the size range of micrometeorite particles in space or non-terrestrial atmospheres, and their return to earth in a viable state for further study. Previous survival studies were reported (J.