Iowa Workers’ Compensation Manual, July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006

This booklet has been prepared by the Division of Workers’ Compensation to provide information and guidelines in handling Iowa workers’ compensation claims. For more detailed information, reference should be made to Iowa Code chapters 85 through 87, 17A and chapter 876 of the Iowa Administrative Code.

Imaging for clarification of accusation of treatment error

In the assessment of medical malpractice imaging methods can be used for the documentation of crucial morphological findings which are indicative for or against an iatrogenically caused injury. The clarification of deaths in this context can be usefully supported by postmortem imaging (primarily native computed tomography, angiography, magnetic resonance imaging). Postmortem imaging offers significant additional information compared to an autopsy in the detection of iatrogenic air embolisms and documentation of misplaced medical aids before dissection with an inherent danger of relocation. Additional information is supplied by postmortem imaging in the search for sources of bleeding as well as the documentation of perfusion after cardiovascular surgery. Key criteria for the decision to perform postmortem imaging can be obtained from the necessary preliminary inspection of clinical documentation.

Iowa Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, 2005

This report evaluates the status of unemployment compensation trust fund as of December 31, 2005. The report reviews fund expenditures and fund revenue. It also discusses the fund solvency in terms of fund balance, fund balance adjusted for wage growth and months of benefits at recession levels.

Isolation from mouse fibroblasts of a cDNA encoding a new form of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (flg).

Structural definition of the receptors for neurotropic and angiogenic modulators such as fibroblast growth factors and related polypeptides will yield insight into the mechanisms that control early development, embryogenesis, organogenesis, wound repair and neovessel formation. We isolated 3 murine cDNAs encoding different binding domains of these receptors (flg). Comparison of these ectoplasmic portions showed that two of the forms corresponded to previously described murine molecules whereas the third one had a different ectoplasmic portion generated by specific changes in two regions. Interestingly, expression of this third form seems to be restricted in its tissue distribution. Such modifications could influence the ligand specificity of the different receptors and/or their binding affinity.

Evalution of Hot Mix Asphalt Moisture Sensitivity Using the Nottingham Asphalt Test Equipment, July 2005

Moisture sensitivity of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixtures, generally called stripping, is a major form of distress in asphalt concrete pavement. It is characterized by the loss of adhesive bond between the asphalt binder and the aggregate (a failure of the bonding of the binder to the aggregate) or by a softening of the cohesive bonds within the asphalt binder (a failure within the binder itself), both of which are due to the action of loading under traffic in the presence of moisture. The evaluation of HMA moisture sensitivity has been divided into two categories: visual inspection test and mechanical test. However, most of them have been developed in pre-Superpave mix design. This research was undertaken to develop a protocol for evaluating the moisture sensitivity potential of HMA mixtures using the Nottingham Asphalt Tester (NAT). The mechanisms of HMA moisture sensitivity were reviewed and the test protocols using the NAT were developed. Different types of blends as moisture-sensitive groups and non-moisture-sensitive groups were used to evaluate the potential of the proposed test. The test results were analyzed with three parameters based on performance character: the retained flow number depending on critical permanent deformation failure (RFNP), the retained flow number depending on cohesion failure (RFNC), and energy ratio (ER). Analysis based on energy ratio of elastic strain (EREE ) at flow number of cohesion failure (FNC) has higher potential to evaluate the HMA moisture sensitivity than other parameters. If the measurement error in data-acquisition process is removed, analyses based on RFNP and RFNC would also have high potential to evaluate the HMA moisture sensitivity. The vacuum pressure saturation used in AASHTO T 283 and proposed test has a risk to damage specimen before the load applying.

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Error and attack tolerance of layered complex networks.

Many complex systems may be described by not one but a number of complex networks mapped on each other in a multi-layer structure. Because of the interactions and dependencies between these layers, the state of a single layer does not necessarily reflect well the state of the entire system. In this paper we study the robustness of five examples of two-layer complex systems: three real-life data sets in the fields of communication (the Internet), transportation (the European railway system), and biology (the human brain), and two models based on random graphs. In order to cover the whole range of features specific to these systems, we focus on two extreme policies of system's response to failures, no rerouting and full rerouting. Our main finding is that multi-layer systems are much more vulnerable to errors and intentional attacks than they appear from a single layer perspective.

Increased therapeutic window for the R91W mutant form of Rpe65 compared to Rpe65 null backgroud

Purpose:Given the advances of gene therapy studies to cure RPE65-derived Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) (clinical trials phase I) and the heterogeneity of the targeted patients both genetically and phenotypically, it is of prime importance to examine the rescue efficiency of gene transfer in different mutant contexts. Indeed, half of these mutations are missense mutations, leading to potential residual RPE65 activity. Consequently, we wanted to evaluate the effect on retinal activity and cone survival of lentivirus-mediated gene therapy in the R91W knock-in mouse model expressing the mutant Rpe65R91W gene (Samardzija et al. 2008), a mutation found in LCA patients. Notably we investigated whether if the therapeutic window is prolonged in comparison to null mutations. Methods:An HIV-1-derived lentiviral vector (LV) expressing either the GFP or the mouse Rpe65 cDNA under the control of a 0.8 kb fragment of the human Rpe65 promoter (R0.8) was produced by transient transfection of 293T cells. LV-R0.8-RPE65 or GFP was injected into 5-days-old (P5) or 1 month-old R91W mice. Functional rescue was assessed by ERG (1 and 4 months post-injection) and pupillary light response (PLR) recordings and cone survival by histological analysis. Results:Increased light sensitivity was detected by scotopic ERG in animals injected with LV-R0.8-RPE65 at both P5 and 1 month compared to GFP-treated animals or untreated mice. PLR was also improved in some eyes and histological analysis of cone markers showed that the density of cones reached the wild type level in the region of wt RPE65 delivery after treatment at P5. However, the rescue effect of the injection at 1 month was limited and attained 60% of the wild type level, but still more cones were observed in the treated area than in 1 month-old untreated Rpe65R91W mice. Conclusions:We were able to show that lentivirus-mediated Rpe65 gene transfer not only increases retinal activity of the Rpe65R91W mouse and survival of cones after treatment at P5 but also after treatment at 1 month. However even if the treatment at 1 month is more limited (60% of the wild type level) than treatment at P5, the amount of cone markers is increased compared to the proportion found at 1 month of age in untreated animals. This results contrast with the lack of cone rescue by treatment at 1 month of age in Rpe65-/- (Bemelmans et al, 2006). Thus patient suffering from R91W mutation might benefit from a prolonged therapeutic window.

Financement des hôpitaux par APDRG et compensation des risques entre assureurs

Ce rapport analyse les données (coût par patient et par assureur) du CHUV (Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois) pour 2002 et 2003 et conclue que la facturation en APDRG n'a pas n'effet de désolidarisation entre les assureurs.

Acquired form of angioedema of the head and neck related to a deficiency in c1-inhibitor: a case report with a review of the literature.

Angioedema related to a deficiency in the C1-inhibitor protein is characterized by its lack of response to therapies including antihistamine, steroids, and epinephrine. In the case of laryngeal edema, mortality rate is approximately 30 percent. The first case of the acquired form of angioedema related to a deficiency in C1-inhibitor was published in 1972. In our paper, we present a case of an acquired form of angioedema of the oropharyngeal region secondary to the simultaneous occurrence of two causative factors: neutralization of C1-inhibitor by an autoantibody and the use of an angiotensin convertin enzyme inhibitor.

High-resolution 3D whole-heart coronary MRA: a study on the combination of data acquisition in multiple breath-holds and 1D residual respiratory motion compensation.

OBJECT: To study a scan protocol for coronary magnetic resonance angiography based on multiple breath-holds featuring 1D motion compensation and to compare the resulting image quality to a navigator-gated free-breathing acquisition. Image reconstruction was performed using L1 regularized iterative SENSE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of respiratory motion on the Cartesian sampling scheme were minimized by performing data acquisition in multiple breath-holds. During the scan, repetitive readouts through a k-space center were used to detect and correct the respiratory displacement of the heart by exploiting the self-navigation principle in image reconstruction. In vivo experiments were performed in nine healthy volunteers and the resulting image quality was compared to a navigator-gated reference in terms of vessel length and sharpness. RESULTS: Acquisition in breath-hold is an effective method to reduce the scan time by more than 30 % compared to the navigator-gated reference. Although an equivalent mean image quality with respect to the reference was achieved with the proposed method, the 1D motion compensation did not work equally well in all cases. CONCLUSION: In general, the image quality scaled with the robustness of the motion compensation. Nevertheless, the featured setup provides a positive basis for future extension with more advanced motion compensation methods.

Compensation for environmental damages under international law

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to clarify the contribution of international dispute adjudication mechanisms in regard to environmental protection. Most specifically, the study aims to identify and develop the criterion adopted by the international judge in relation to the compensation for environmental damages. In this perspective, the study identifies some gaps between international responsibility and environmental protection interests. The premise sustained all along the study is that compensation is determinant to conciliate environmental prerogatives with mechanisms of international adjudication, in particular the system of international responsibility. Supported by the analysis of treaties, international decisions and secondary sources, the thesis defends the idea that some elements of international law allow the adjudicator to adapt the compensation to attend certain environmental interests, creating a new approach which was entitled 'fair compensation'. The antithesis of this approach is the idea that compensation in international law is limited exclusively to the strict reparation of the material losses incurred by the victim. As a synthesis, the study defends the specificity of environmental damages in relation to other kind of damages that are subject to compensation under international law. The measure upon which compensation for environmental damages could be classified as a specific type of damage under international law remains to be determined. The main conclusion of the study is that the existing standard of compensation defined by the theory and practice of international law is impossible to be strictly respected in cases involving environmental damages. This limitation is mainly due to the complexity of the notion of environment, which is constantly conflicting with the anthropologic view of legal theory. The study supports the idea that the establishment of a 'fair compensation' which takes into account the political, legal and technical context of the environmental damage, is the best possible approach to conciliate internationally responsibility and environmental interests. This could be implemented by the observance of certain elements by the international judge/arbitrator through a case-by-case analysis.

Financial protection of patients through compensation of providers: the impact of health equity funds in Cambodia

Public providers have no financial incentive to respect their legal obligation to exempt the poor from user fees. Health Equity Funds (HEFs) aim to make exemptions effective by giving NGOs responsibility for assessing eligibility and compensating providers for lost revenue. We use the geographic spread of HEFs in Cambodia to identify their impact on out-of-pocket (OOP) payments. Among households with some OOP payment, HEFs reduce the amount by 29%, on average. The effect is larger for households that are poorer, mainly use public health care and live closer to a district hospital. HEFs are more effective in reducing OOP payments when they are operated by a NGO, rather than the government, and when they operate in conjunction with the contracting of public health services. HEFs reduce households' health-related debt by around 25%, on average. There is no significant impact on non-medical consumption and health care utilisation

Cooperative games in strategic form

In this paper we view bargaining and cooperation as an interaction superimposed on a strategic form game. A multistage bargaining procedure for N players, the proposer commitment procedure, is presented. It is inspired by Nash s two-player variable-threat model; a key feature is the commitment to threats. We establish links to classical cooperative game theory solutions, such as the Shapley value in the transferable utility case. However, we show that even in standard pure exchange economies the traditional coalitional function may not be adequate when utilities are not transferable.

On the closed-form approximation of short-time random strike options

In this paper we propose a general technique to develop first and second order closed-form approximation formulas for short-time options withrandom strikes. Our method is based on Malliavin calculus techniques andallows us to obtain simple closed-form approximation formulas dependingon the derivative operator. The numerical analysis shows that these formulas are extremely accurate and improve some previous approaches ontwo-assets and three-assets spread options as Kirk's formula or the decomposition mehod presented in Alòs, Eydeland and Laurence (2011).