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Why universal basic health care is both a moral and economic imperative

Several hundred cars were parked outside a food bank in San Antonio on Good Friday — the food bank fed 10,000 people that day. Such scenes, increasingly common across the nation and evocative of loaves and fish, reflect the cruel facts about the wealthiest nation in the world: 80 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and 100 percent of Americans were unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. People are hungry due to macroeconomic and environmental factors, not because they did something wrong. Although everyone is at risk in this pandemic, the risk is not shared equally across socioeconomic classes. Universal basic health care could resolve this disparity and many of the moral and economic aspects associated with the pandemic.

Increases in the total output of the economy, or the gross domestic product (GDP), disproportionately benefit the wealthy. From 1980 to 2020, the GDP increased by 79 percent. Over that same time, the after-tax income of the top 0.01 percent of earners increased by 420 percent, while the after-tax income of the middle 40 percent of earners increased by only 50 percent, and by a measly 20 percent for the bottom 50 percent of earners. At present, the top 0.1 percent of earners have the same total net worth as the bottom 85 percent. Such income inequality produces poverty, which is much more common in the U.S. than in other developed countries. Currently 43 million Americans, or 12.7 percent of the population, live in poverty.

At the same time, 30 million Americans are uninsured and many more are underinsured with poorly designed insurance plans. The estimated total of uninsured and underinsured Americans exceeds 80 million. In addition, most of the 600,000 homeless people and 11 million immigrants in the U.S. lack health care coverage. Immigrants represent an especially vulnerable population, since many do not speak English and cannot report hazardous or unsafe work conditions. Furthermore, many immigrants avoid care due to fear of deportation even if they entered the country through legal channels.

Most people in poverty and many in the middle class obtain coverage from federal programs. On a national level, Medicaid is effectively a middle-class program and covers those living in poverty, 30 percent of adults and 60 percent of children with disabilities as well as about 67 percent of people in nursing homes. In Iowa, 37 percent of children and 48 percent of nursing home residents use Medicaid. Medicaid also finances up to 20 percent of the care provided in rural hospitals. Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Hospital Insurance Program (CHIP) together cover over 40 percent of Americans.

In addition to facilitating care, health care policy must also address the “social determinants of health,” since the conditions in which people live, work, and play dictate up to 80 percent of their health risks and outcomes. This means that health care reform requires programs in all facets of society. Winston Churchill first conceptualized such an idea in the early 20th century as a tool to prevent the expansion of socialism, arguing that inequality could persist indefinitely without social safety nets. Since that time most developed countries have implemented such social programs, but not the US.

All developed countries except the U.S. provide some type of universal basic health care for their residents. Universal basic health care refers to a system that provides all people with certain essential benefits, such as emergency services (including maternity), inpatient hospital and physician care, outpatient services, laboratory and radiology services, treatment of mental illness and substance abuse, preventive health services (including vaccinations), rehabilitation, and medications. Providing access to these benefits, along with primary care, dramatically improves the health of the community without imposing concerns regarding payment. Perhaps not coincidentally, the U.S. reports a lower life expectancy and higher rates of infant mortality, suicide and homicide compared to other developed countries.

Countries such as Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and Japan all produce better health care outcomes than the U.S. at a much lower cost. In fact the U.S. spends about twice the percentage of its GDP on health care compared to these countries. With that being said, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), which facilitated a decrease in the rate of the uninsured in the U.S. from 20 percent to 12 percent, also decreased the percentage of the GDP spent on health care from 20.2 percent to 17.9 percent in just 10 years. For this reason, most economists agree that universal basic health care would not cost more than the current system, and many would also argue that the total costs of the health care system cannot be further reduced unless everyone has access to basic care.

Achieving successful universal basic health care requires a serious long-term commitment from the federal government — contributing to Medicaid and financing its expansion are not enough. It requires courage from our elected leaders. The ACA took several important steps toward this goal by guaranteeing coverage for preexisting conditions, banishing lifetime maximums for essential services, and mandating individual coverage for everyone, though Congress repealed this final provision in 2017. At present, the ACA requires refinement and a public option, thereby preserving private and employer-based plans for those who want them.

Without universal basic health care the people living at the margins of society have no assurances that they will have access to basic health care services, especially during times of pandemic. Access to food and medications is less reliable, large families live together in small spaces, and public transportation facilitates frequent exposure to others. Childhood diseases such as asthma, chronic diseases such as diabetes, and diseases related to smoking such as COPD and cancer are all likely to worsen. Quarantine protocols also exacerbate the mental health crisis, further increasing rates of domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. In the last six weeks over 30 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits, and as people become unemployed, many will lose health insurance.

Access to basic health care without economic or legal consequences would greatly enhance all aspects of pandemic management and response, from tracing contacts and quarantining carriers to administering tests and reinforcing supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected minorities and the impoverished in both mortality and livelihood. Universal basic health care helps these vulnerable populations the most, and by reducing their risk it reduces the risk for everyone. In this way, universal basic health care supports the best interests of all Americans.

Like a living wage, universal basic health care aligns with the Christian tradition of social justice and is a moral and economic imperative for all Americans. Nurses, doctors, and other health care providers often observe a sharp contrast between the haves and have-nots when seeing patients. The homeless, the hungry, the unemployed, the working poor, the uninsured; people without families, patients with no visitors, those who live alone or lack support systems; refugees and immigrants — all of these people deserve the fairness and dignity provided by universal basic health care and programs which improve the social determinants of their health. The ACA moved U.S. toward this goal, but now it requires refinement and a public option. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgency of this imperative by demonstrating how universal basic health care could decrease the risks to those less fortunate, thus significantly decreasing the risks to everyone.

James M. Levett, MD, serves on the board of Linn County Public Health and is a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon with Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa. Pramod Dwivedi, MS, DrPH (c), is the health director of Linn County Public Health.




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Marion coronavirus recovery task force wants residents to come out of this healthy and to ‘a vibrant economy’

MARION — Marion’s 14-member COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force is beginning to work on recommendations of how to get people back to work, while keeping everyone safe.

“It’s hard to know right now at the beginning the various outcomes that are going to come out of this,” Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly told task force members in a meeting held this week via Zoom.

“Community sectors will work independently and report to the steering committee with ideas, strategies or policy recommendations,” he said.

In turn, the task force will consider recommendations to the Marion City Council, and AbouAssaly said he will update the council on the task force meetings.

“Unfortunately, we have to accept that the virus is here to stay,” AbouAssaly said. “It’s part of our life for the time being. We have to be able to plan for getting back to doing things and leading our lives in a way that allows us to exist with the virus in our community.”

Elizabeth Cwik, a Marion resident who works for the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, said there’s a “strong interest” among task force members to provide accurate information to the public about the virus.

“I see clear, consistent messaging from a variety of sectors from the schools, government, businesses and nonprofits. Then that message gets through,” Cwik said. “If that message is, ‘We care, and we want you to come out whole, and we want there to be a vibrant economy to be continued with every citizen’s effort,’ I think that’s a valuable contribution to the recovery.”

In joining the task force, Dr. Jaclyn Price said she hopes to dispel inaccurate information about the coronavirus and help businesses find ways to safely bring their employees back to work.

“I anticipate businesses will be operating at reduced capacities,” she said. “Maybe doing appointments rather than walk-in business, and cleaning more routinely.”

If businesses require employees and customers to wear masks, it will protect others from asymptomatic spread of the virus, she said.

“We will still see virus activity until we get a vaccine or herd immunity,” Price said. “This is going to be a problem for months to come. We’re trying to find ways to open slowly, but also understanding if we reopen everything and have to close it again, that could be more detrimental to people’s psychology or finances of businesses.”

The Rev. Mike Morgan of Marion United Methodist Church said “greater conversation” with government, business, education and health care leaders will help.

“Marion has become a town that is proactive,” Morgan said. “We really seek to have good things happen to our citizenry rather than let things happen and we react to them. ... As a person in the faith community, it’s important for us to be tending to people’s emotional, psychological, spiritual and, to some degree, physical needs.”

Comments: (319) 368-8664; grace.king@thegazette.com

MARION TASK FORCE

Those serving on the Marion COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force, all Marion residents and volunteers, are:

• Nick AbouAssaly, Marion mayor

• Jill Ackerman, president, Marion Chamber of Commerce

• Shannon Bisgard, Linn-Mar schools superintendent

• Amber Bisinger, communications officer for the city

• Elizabeth Cwik, Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

• Lee Eilers, executive committee member, Marion Economic Development Corp.

• Nick Glew, president, Marion Economic Development Corp.

• Amber Hoff, marriage and family therapist

• Steve Jensen, Marion City Council member

• Mike Morgan, pastor, Marion United Methodist Church

• Brent Oleson, Linn County supervisor

Lon Pluckhahn, Marion city manager

• Jaclyn Price, M.D., Mercy Clinic-Marion

• Brooke Prouty, program director, Marion Chamber of Commerce




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Campgrounds reopen in Iowa Friday, see takers despite some health limitations

Some Eastern Iowans are ready to go camping.

With Gov. Kim Reynolds allowing campgrounds across the state to open Friday, some people wasted little time in heading outdoors.

“They’re already starting to fill up,” said Ryan Schlader of Linn County Conservation. “By about 7 this morning, we had a dozen at Squaw Creek Park. People were coming in bright and early to camp. We’re not surprised.”

Schlader said Linn County Conservation tried to have the campgrounds open at the county’s Squaw Creek, Morgan Creek and Pinicon Ridge parks at 5 a.m. Friday. He expected all of them would be busy.

“I think people were ready to go,” he said.

Lake Macbride State Park in Johnson County didn’t see quite as much of a rush for campsites, park manager Ron Puettmann reported Friday morning, saying he’d had six walk-ins for the park’s 42 campsites.

Camping this weekend will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. Sites won’t be available for reservations until next week, though online reservations can be made now, Puettmann said.

“I’m quite sure people were waiting anxiously to get on,” he said.

While Reynolds’ campground announcement came Wednesday, Schlader and Puettmann said they had no issues having the campgrounds ready for Friday.

Schlader said county staff have been in touch with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other county conservation boards to discuss protocols for reopening to ensure a safe experience for campers and employers.

“We anticipated at some point the order would be lifted,” Schlader said. “We were anticipating maybe May 15. The campgrounds were in good shape and ready to go.”

For now, camping comes with some limitations:

• Campers can camp only in a self-contained unit with a functioning restroom, such as a recreational vehicle.

• Shower houses with restrooms will remain closed for the time being.

• Campsites are limited to six people unless they are from the same household.

• No visitors are allowed at the campsites.

Puettmann said staffers and a DNR officer will be on hand to make sure guidelines are followed, but he didn’t anticipate enforcement would be an issue.

“For the most part, we’re going to allow people to police themselves,” he said.

It’s hard to gauge demand, Schlader said.

The weather isn’t yet deal for camping, and some people might not be ready to camp, given the continuing coronavirus.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “Do people feel like they need to get out and enjoy a camping experience within their own campsite, or do people still feel under the weather and think it’s not a good idea for my family to go right now? ... We just want this to be an option for people.”

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com




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Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida Website Design Launch

We recently completed a website design and development project for Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida. This National Health Service...continue reading




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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Want to help the USPS and vets? Buy a 'Healing PTSD' stamp

Support two entities with the price of one.




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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Want to help the USPS and vets? Buy a 'Healing PTSD' stamp

Support two entities with the price of one.




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Unwell: The Public Health Implications of Unregulated Drinking Water

By Nate Seltenrich Environmental Health Perspectives Roughly one in seven U.S. residents relies on a private well for drinking water.1 Unlike the rest of the population served by the nation’s many public water systems,2 these 44.5 million Americans are not … Continue reading




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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Want to help the USPS and vets? Buy a 'Healing PTSD' stamp

Support two entities with the price of one.




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You Know Clean Air is Good for Your Health. It’s Good for the Economy, Too.

By Rachel Cernansky Ensia When the Clean Air Act of 1970 became law, members of the business community in the United States responded with opposition. Such regulations are a drag on growth, some economists say, for individual businesses and for … Continue reading




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Personal Health Knowledge Graphs for Patients. (arXiv:2004.00071v2 [cs.AI] UPDATED)

Existing patient data analytics platforms fail to incorporate information that has context, is personal, and topical to patients. For a recommendation system to give a suitable response to a query or to derive meaningful insights from patient data, it should consider personal information about the patient's health history, including but not limited to their preferences, locations, and life choices that are currently applicable to them. In this review paper, we critique existing literature in this space and also discuss the various research challenges that come with designing, building, and operationalizing a personal health knowledge graph (PHKG) for patients.




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A Fast and Accurate Algorithm for Spherical Harmonic Analysis on HEALPix Grids with Applications to the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. (arXiv:1904.10514v4 [math.NA] UPDATED)

The Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelation (HEALPix) scheme is used extensively in astrophysics for data collection and analysis on the sphere. The scheme was originally designed for studying the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, which represents the first light to travel during the early stages of the universe's development and gives the strongest evidence for the Big Bang theory to date. Refined analysis of the CMB angular power spectrum can lead to revolutionary developments in understanding the nature of dark matter and dark energy. In this paper, we present a new method for performing spherical harmonic analysis for HEALPix data, which is a central component to computing and analyzing the angular power spectrum of the massive CMB data sets. The method uses a novel combination of a non-uniform fast Fourier transform, the double Fourier sphere method, and Slevinsky's fast spherical harmonic transform (Slevinsky, 2019). For a HEALPix grid with $N$ pixels (points), the computational complexity of the method is $mathcal{O}(Nlog^2 N)$, with an initial set-up cost of $mathcal{O}(N^{3/2}log N)$. This compares favorably with $mathcal{O}(N^{3/2})$ runtime complexity of the current methods available in the HEALPix software when multiple maps need to be analyzed at the same time. Using numerical experiments, we demonstrate that the new method also appears to provide better accuracy over the entire angular power spectrum of synthetic data when compared to the current methods, with a convergence rate at least two times higher.




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Dozens of Spokane, Coeur d'Alene events canceled due to public health concerns over COVID-19

After Governor Jay Inslee announced a prohibition on gatherings of 250 people or more in three Washington counties (Snohomish, King, Pierce) on Wednesday, and with public health concerns growing over the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations in Spokane are following suit. The Inlander will be frequently updating its online calendar of events to reflect local cancelations as we hear of them.…



  • Culture/Arts & Culture

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Health Officials Recommended Canceling Events with 10-50 People. Then 33,000 Fans Attended a Major League Soccer Game.

As COVID-19 fears grew, public officials and sports execs contemplated health risks — and debated a PR message — but let 33,000 fans into a Seattle Sounders soccer match, emails show. By Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and David Gutman and Lewis Kamb, The Seattle Times On March 6, at 2:43 p.m., the health officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County, the hardest-hit region in the first state to be slammed by COVID-19, sent an email to a half-dozen colleagues, saying, “I want to cancel large group gatherings now.”…



  • News/Local News

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Trump ignores his own public health guidelines, COVID-19 death-toll nears 70,000, and other headlines

ON INLANDER.COM NATION: Even as U.S. President Donald Trump urges states to reopen their economies, his own administration projects that the death toll from COVID-19 will spike to 3,000 people per day.…




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Can harnessing the psychological power of video games make you healthier?

Growing up, Luke Parker played sports.…




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Inland Northwest politicians put pressure on governors, health officials to accelerate reopening

Yesterday, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and other local leaders urged Gov. Jay Inslee to allow Spokane County to open on a different schedule than the rest of the state.  Inslee, however, wouldn't budge.…



  • News/Local News

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UV-curable coating compositions with self-healing capabilities, coating films, and methods of producing coating films

The present invention is directed to a coating composition including a (meth)acrylate binder resin, a UV initiator, an organic solvent, and silica particles surface-treated with a (meth)acrylate compound, a coating film including a cured product of the coating composition, and a method of producing the coating film. The present invention makes it possible to provide a coating material having high transmittance and a low level of haze, and excellent scratch resistance and self-healing capabilities.




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Methods for promoting plant health

A method for promoting the health of a plant comprises administering malic acid to the plant or the soil in an amount effective to recruit plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to the plant. Administration of malic acid promotes biofilm formation of PGPR on the plant's roots, thereby restricting entry of a foliar pathogen through stomatal pores present in the leaves. Another method for promoting the health of a plant comprises administering acetoin to the plant or the soil in an amount effective to increase pathogen resistance in aerial parts of the plant.




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Variable drive health determination and data placement

The relative health of data storage drives may be determined based, at least in some aspects, on data access information and/or other drive operation information. In some examples, upon receiving the operation information from a computing device, a health level of a drive may be determined. The health level determination may be based at least in part on operating information received from a client entity. Additionally, a storage space allocation instruction or operation may be determined for execution. The allocation instruction or operation determined to be performed may be based at least in part on the determined health level.




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Bandage for facilitating transdermal respiration and healing

A bandage includes a reservoir filled with a perfluorochemical fluid, saturated with oxygen. Oxygen passes through a permeable membrane to the skin or wound to promote healing, and carbon dioxide travels from the skin or wound to the reservoir.




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Vertical back support health-enhancing device

An ergonomic back support device utilizing one or multiple vertical components that include layers (28,36), pressure distributing layers (34,38,50), and a single notched layer (48). These layers provide primary back support located behind and conforming to the Erector spinae muscles (124). The vertical components form an open channel (24) that is parallel to the prime neurological pathway of the spinal column (100). The vertical conforming support components and open channel facilitate physiological functions that promote health. The device accomplishes support without using any transverse, hard or continuous components across or against the back. Other embodiments include the following additional vertical components: a lateral pressure-adjusting device (14), heating layers (40,46), circulation stimulating layers (42,44), and massage layers (52,54). Embodiments include portable and permanently installed versions that can be utilized in the following applications, including, but not limited to, furniture, vehicles, trains, aircraft, boats, ships, and backpacks.




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System and method for improved detection of locomotive friction modifying system component health and functionality

A system and method for assessing a health and functionality of a locomotive friction modifying system wherein the locomotive has a friction modifying applicator associated with a wheel of the locomotive for applying a friction modifying agent to a rail on which the wheel is traversing. The system and method comprise a sensor detecting a predetermined operational condition of the locomotive. The system and method also comprise a controller associated with the sensor and responsive to input from the sensor determining a per unit creep of an axle of the locomotive. The controller also determines a tractive effort of the axle of the locomotive and determines a friction modifying applicator state for the applicator associated with the axle. The controller further compares the determined per unit creep of the axle, the tractive effort of the axle and the state of the friction modifying applicator associated with the axle to a predetermined value indicative of the health and functionality of the locomotive friction modifying system. The controller provides an indication of the health and functionality of the locomotive friction modifying system.




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System and method for cardiac defibrillation response simulation in health training mannequin

Configurations for simulation of motions or movement in a health training mannequin for teaching purposes are disclosed. A cardiac defibrillation response simulation apparatus is configured to be housed separately from but interfaced with a health training mannequin to induce motion symptomatic response to electrical shock in the mannequin. In one embodiment a system comprises a motion inducer comprising a housing, an interface structure, and an actuator, wherein the interface structure is coupled to the actuator, movable relative to the housing, and configured to interface with a portion of a health training mannequin to induce motion in at least one portion of the health training mannequin. In another embodiment a method comprises interfacing a portion of a health training mannequin with an interface structure, the interface structure being coupled to an actuator and movable relative to a housing coupled to the actuator, the housing not being housed within a portion of the health training mannequin. Various hardware configurations are presented.




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High-speed safety heald shaft

Guard elements (31) are provided for the corner connectors (16 through 19) of a heald shaft (10) of a shedding unit, the guard elements covering the open space formed between the two legs (26, 27) and thus providing a grip protection.




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Removable surface-wave networks for in-situ material health monitoring

A system for measuring properties of a surface under test with surface waves includes a surface wave network including a dielectric substrate, a reactive grid of a plurality of metallic patches on a first surface of the dielectric substrate, a plurality of electronic nodes on the first surface of the dielectric substrate, and a ground plane on a second surface of the dielectric substrate permeable to RF fields of the surface waves, and a controller configured for causing a respective one of the electronic nodes to transmit at least one surface wave and configured for collecting data for signals received by at least one other of the plurality of electronic nodes.




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Lighting fixture that self-estimates its power usage and monitors its health

Apparatuses, methods and systems for lighting fixture determining its power usage and monitoring its operational health are disclosed. One embodiment includes a method of a lighting fixture determining its power usage. The method includes sensing, by an ambient light sensor, an intensity of light emitted from the lighting fixture, and estimating power usage of the lighting fixture based on the sensed intensity of light.




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Hoist health and usage monitoring system and components thereof

Health and usage monitoring systems for aircraft hoist systems are described herein. In some embodiments, a health and usage monitoring system comprises a capacitive load cell and a processing unit for communication with the capacitive load cell, the capacitive load cell comprising a load receiving surface and a capacitive assembly coupled to the load receiving surface, the capacitive assembly comprising parallel electrically conductive plates separated by a reversibly deformable spacer construction wherein the parallel plates comprise aligned apertures providing a passageway through the capacitive assembly for the hoist system cable.




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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE DECISION SUPPORT

A method of health management of a monitored system includes collecting component condition indicator data used to calculate a plurality of component health indicators. Component fault severity and potential failure modes are determined utilizing the component condition indicator data. The potential failure modes are ranked in order of likelihood to isolate the failure mode. A system of health management for monitored apparatus includes a fault severity module to derive a plurality of component health indicators from collected component condition indicator data, the plurality of component health indicators indicative of fault severity of a plurality of components. A fault isolation module separately derives a ranked listing of potential fault/failure modes utilizing the component condition indicator data. The system further includes a communication portion to which the plurality of component health indicators and the ranked listing of fault/failure modes are transmitted for review and/or action by cognizant personnel.




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Method for Network Self-Healing in Cluster-Tree Structured Wireless Communication Networks

Provided is a network self-healing method in which, when a link between a parent device and a child device breaks down in a wireless communication network of a cluster-tree structure in which a main communication device (referred to an access point (AP)) manages network operation, routers that are devices capable of having their child devices, and end devices that are devices incapable of having their child devices are associated with each other in a parent-child device relationship, the link is restored. When a router becomes an orphan device, the router makes network re-association in a cluster unit while maintaining synchronized operation with its child devices, and thus time, energy and signaling burden for network self-healing is largely reduced.




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COMBINATION OF AN OXIDANT, A PHOTOSENSITIZER AND A WOUND HEALING AGENT FOR ORAL DISINFECTION AND TREATMENT OF ORAL DISEASE

The present document describes methods of use of photo activated compositions for oral disinfection and/or treatments which comprise at least one oxidant, at least one photoactivator capable of activating the oxidant, and at least one healing factor chosen from hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and allantoin, in association with a pharmacologically acceptable carrier.




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Casting Jig for Chair-Side Manufacture of Customizable Sculptable Anatomical Healing Caps

Casting jigs, methods, and kits that may be used in manufacture of anatomical healing caps. A casting jig may include a body having one or more wells within the body, each well being open at a proximal end thereof and having a negative shape corresponding to an anatomical healing cuff body of a given tooth position. Each respective anatomical healing cuff body negative shape includes an asymmetrical cross-section and an irregular surface so that an anatomical healing cuff body having said shape is configured to provide substantially custom filling of at least an emergence portion of a void where a natural tooth once emerged or should have emerged from the void (e.g., in the case of a congenitally missing tooth). The casting jig may further include a socket at a distal end of each well that is configured to receive therein a dental implant or dental implant analog.




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Universally adjustable pillow for use in healthcare and therapy

A universally adjustable pillow for use in healthcare and/or therapy includes a base board (1), and pillows for, respectively, right lateral recumbency (4), supine recumbency (2), left lateral recumbency (5) and for the neck (3) that are arranged on said base board (1). The pillows for left and right lateral recumbency (5,4) each include an external cushion, a mechanism enabling adjustment to fit vertebral curvature (52, 42), a mechanism enabling adjustment to inhibit too great an angle of lateral tilt (53, 43) and height adjustment members (51, 41). The longitudinal axes of the pillows for left and right lateral recumbency (5, 4) are set an angles α and β to the longitudinal axis of the pillow for supine recumbency (2).




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Hippa privacy infectious control screen for gurneys and other mobile transportable beds for emergency and other inter and intra healthcare facility transfers

A movable privacy screen includes a plurality of privacy screen segments that are attachable to a bed or gurney. The plurality of screen segments include at least first and second screen segments. Each of the first and second screen segments include a first support pole, a second support pole and a coupler. The first support pole has a variable length to permit the first support pole to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The second support pole has a variable length to permit the second support pole to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The coupler movably couples the first and second support poles to the bed in a spaced relation to permit the first and second support poles to move between an upstanding use position and a lowered storage position. A fabric-like screen member is coupled to each of the first and second support poles. The fabric-like screen member is sized to extend between the first and second support poles, and is movable between a raised use position and a lowered storage position.




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ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE SECURING DEVICE AND METHOD

The present disclosure provides a device that can be used to secure an endotracheal tube. In one embodiment, the device is a one-time use device that has a flexible construction with an adhesive side. The device is configured to be adhered to the endotracheal tube and subsequently secure unto the patient's face. The device is quick and easy to deploy, it reliably secure the endotracheal tube, is comfortable for the patient, and that minimized the chances of infection.




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COMBINED LARYNO-TRACHEAL ANESTHETIC AND STYLET DEVICE

A nozzle received by a patient. The nozzle has at least two portions. A first portion that has an upper end and a lower end in which a central aperture extends between the upper and lower ends of the nozzle. The central aperture terminates at the opening of the lower end of the nozzle. A second portion that has two ends, the second end is rounded. There is at least one support arm joining the first and second body portions but holding the second body portion a set distance from the first body portion.




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PROGNOSTIC AND HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS

A system can include at least one circuit breaker. The system can also include a prognostic and health monitoring (PHM) system. The PHM system can include at least one measuring device that measures at least one parameter associated with the at least one circuit breaker. The PHM system can also include a controller that receives measurements made by the at least one measuring device and analyzes the measurements to evaluate a performance of the at least one circuit breaker. The measurements can be made while the at least one circuit breaker is in service.




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Tuesday Must Reads: Gentrification Linked to Health Impacts; Children’s Hospital Oakland Gets Big Gift and New Name

Stories you shouldn’t miss:

1. Alameda County Public Health Director Muntu Davis contends that gentrification should be examined in terms of health impacts because of the displacement and stress it causes for low-income residents, the Bay Area News Group$ reports.…




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Southampton academic welcomes healthier new food labelling

A NEW drive to urge people to stack their shopping trollies with healthier foods could help tackle Southampton’s shocking premature death rates, an academic has said.




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Health chiefs in Southampton back Daily Echo's Staying Alive campaign to tackle lung cancer.

HEALTH chiefs in Southampton have thrown their weight behind a national campaign to tackle lung cancer.




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Southern Health admits missing chances to help Southampton man Liam Sullivan from suicide

AN UNDER-FIRE health trust has admitted it missed chances to intervene when a mentally ill Southampton man was in “crisis”.




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Former Southampton boss Ronald Koeman posts a positive update after health scare

FORMER Saints manager Ronald Koeman took to Twitter to thank everyone for their support after undergoing a heart procedure last Sunday.




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Health benefits of Hampshire watercress

AHEAD of the annual Watercress Festival in Alresford later this month, new research has found that antioxidant-rich watercress, often labelled a super-food, can alleviate the natural stress put on our body by a workout.




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Healthy eating expert Amelia Freer in Lime Wood date

TO celebrate the launch of her new book, healthy eating expert Amelia Freer will be at Lime Wood for supper and a chat on Wednesday January 29.




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Bitterne CE Junior School children get the healthy eating message

EATING five portions of fruit and vegetables a day was the message when children as young as six learned about eating healthily.




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Be Healthy, Be Active event

SHOPPERS can get free advice and information about healthier lifestyles at a special event at Southampton’s WestQuay Shopping Centre today.




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Don’t miss free health checks

FREE mini-health checks and a cycle challenge will take place in Southampton to boost fitness levels in the city.




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Coastal Counties Battle Health And Economic Concerns As Reopen Date Nears

North Carolina’s coastal counties draw millions of visitors each year with their scenic shorelines and festive events. Tourism is the primary economic driver in beach communities like Corolla, in Currituck County, but the coronavirus will prevent hotels, restaurants, vacation rentals and events from operating at full capacity this summer.