New guide for research on multiblock polymers emerges

ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2012) ? Thanks to advances in polymer chemistry and a wide variety of monomer constituents to choose from, the world of multiblock polymers is wide open. These polymers can result in an astonishing array of materials, customizable to almost any specification. However, the flood of options could be overwhelming, without a theoretical framework to guide research. UC Santa Barbara scientists Glenn Fredrickson and Kris Delaney address that issue in their paper, "Multiblock Polymers: Panacea or Pandora's Box?" The paper appears in the latest edition of the journal Science.

Polymers are large molecules composed of repeating sequences of monomers. When more than one monomer type is present and the dissimilar monomers are organized and chemically bound into "blocks," the resulting multiblock polymers can serve as the basis for a multitude of materials, to be used in applications as diverse as tennis shoes and solar cells. Since the genesis of polymer science in the 1950's, when scientists had only limited numbers of monomers, and, methods to choose from in creating multiblock polymers, the field has expanded. Scientists may now create materials using monomers from a variety of sources, from petroleum to renewable feedstocks such as sugar or cellulose.

"The Pandora's box is that you have so many monomers that you can put together and in so many block sequences," said Fredrickson, a professor of chemical engineering, explaining that the properties will vary according to sequence and by virtue of the interactions among the blocks. Because multiblock copolymers can "self-assemble" into nanometer-sized domains, these materials can exhibit remarkable combinations of properties, such as soft, strong, and elastic -- as in tennis shoe soles or skateboard wheels. For higher-tech applications, the researchers are currently partnering with the company Intel to develop multiblock polymers that will enable patterning of microelectronic devices at finer scales and lower cost.

The problem, say Fredrickson and Delaney, a project scientist in the Department of Engineering, has become the sheer number of possible combinations for these monomers. There are now so many, that choosing what multiblock polymer to make -- and what monomers to make it from -- has become an issue.

"It is a counting problem," said Fredrickson, referring to the potential for millions of different polymers that could be created with today's chemistry, a number that increases by leaps and bounds for every new block and monomer species added to the selection.

The researchers, who also include scientists from the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas, suggest an approach that addresses materials performance needs by combining predictive computer simulation methods with advanced synthetic and structural characterization tools.

"Our simulation methods for predicting the self-assembled structures of multiblock polymers are quite advanced, and we are getting better at relating those nano-structures to the properties of the material," said Fredrickson. "Multiblock polymers are extremely versatile -- there is enormous latitude of design freedom, and it's very promising in terms of developing materials with truly unique properties."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. F. S. Bates, M. A. Hillmyer, T. P. Lodge, C. M. Bates, K. T. Delaney, G. H. Fredrickson. Multiblock Polymers: Panacea or Pandora's Box? Science, 2012; 336 (6080): 434 DOI: 10.1126/science.1215368

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio national weather service

Deal of the Day ? LG 55LV5300 55? 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV $999

Thursday’s LogicBUY Deal is the 55″ LG 55LV5300 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV (2012 model) for $999.99.? Features: ?1920 X 1080 @ 1080p, 3 HDMI inputs, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz refresh rate,? and more. $1499.99 – $400 instant savings – $100 coupon code = $999.99 with free shipping.?? This is the lowest price for this TV [...]

primary results cab calloway dale earnhardt jr michigan primary

Suicide bombing in Syrian capital kills 10

Syrian investigators, right, gather next to a damaged police bus that was attacked by an explosion in the Midan neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, on Friday April 27, 2012. A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital Friday, killing several people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad's regime. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

Syrian investigators, right, gather next to a damaged police bus that was attacked by an explosion in the Midan neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, on Friday April 27, 2012. A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital Friday, killing several people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad's regime. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

Syrian investigators are seen through a police bus window that was damaged by an explosion in the Midan neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, on Friday April 27, 2012. A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital Friday, killing several people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad's regime. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, a cameraman films a bus that was damaged by an explosion in the Midan neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, on Friday, April 27, 2012. A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital Friday, killing several people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad's regime. (AP Photo/SANA)

This image made from amateur video released by Ugarit and accessed Friday, April 27, 2012 purports to show protesters surrounding a U.N. vehicle as gunfire erupts in Daraa, Syria. On Friday, activists reported that thousands of people protested in the northern city of Aleppo, the central region of Hama and the northern province of Idlib. An amateur video posted online Thursday showed people carrying the body of a boy said to have been shot dead by Syrian troops in the southern city of Daraa _ apparently an attempt to display the body to U.N. monitors nearby. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

This image made from amateur video released by Shaam News Network and accessed Friday, April 27, 2012 purports to show the head of the U.N. observer team, Col. Ahmed Himmiche, center, walking in Daraa, Syria. On Friday, activists reported that thousands of people protested in the northern city of Aleppo, the central region of Hama and the northern province of Idlib. An amateur video posted online Thursday showed people carrying the body of a boy said to have been shot dead by Syrian troops in the southern city of Daraa _ apparently an attempt to display the body to U.N. monitors nearby. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

(AP) ? Two weeks into a cease-fire agreement, there still was no peace in Syria: Security agents in Damascus collected the remains of 10 people killed in a suicide bombing. Activists reported troops firing on protesters. Video showed a crowd carrying a slain boy to U.N. observers as proof of regime violence.

The head of the United Nations said Syrian President Bashar Assad's continued crackdown on protests has reached an "intolerable stage," and that the U.N. will try to speed up the deployment of up to 300 monitors to Syria. Only 15 are there now.

"The government of Syria must live up to its promises to the world," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets across Syria for weekly anti-regime marches after Muslim noon prayers Friday. Amateur video from the central city of Homs, where the presence of U.N. observers helped halt weeks of artillery attacks, showed rows of men lining up in a main street, holding each other by the shoulders as they sang and danced.

In another protest, demonstrators held up 45 squares of cardboard with writing and drawings that ? when viewed together from above ? showed a picture of Assad and the words "oppression, corruption, despotism, demolition." When they simultaneously flipped over the squares, it created a new message that read: "Toward a modern society that is more developed and sensible."

Troops have routinely opened fire on protests since the uprising against Assad began 13 months ago, but there appeared to be fewer violent incidents Friday than in previous weeks. Still, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five protesters were killed by fire from the security forces, including a 10-year-old boy.

A plan brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan proposed an April 12 cease-fire, to be followed by talks between the regime and the opposition. Since that date, the U.N. has said the regime has broken many of its truce promises, such as withdrawing forces from towns and cities. Rebel fighters have also kept up shooting and bombing attacks on Syrian security forces.

With the U.S. and France in the lead, Western powers have threatened tougher U.N. Security Council measures if Assad keeps breaking his promises, although Syria's allies Russia and China could use their veto powers in the council to shield him.

British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said his government will seek "robust action" in the council if Syria doesn't comply with Annan's plan.

The suicide bomber in Damascus detonated an explosives belt Friday near members of the security forces, killing at least nine people and wounding 26, the state-run news agency SANA reported. The remains of two other people also were found, one believed to be the bomber, according to Health Minister Nader al-Halqi. The minister said seven police were among the dead.

The blast went off near a mosque in the downtown Midan neighborhood, an area of opposition sympathizers. The government said it would use an iron fist against those "who might intimidate residents and spread anarchy in the country," SANA reported.

Video on Syrian TV showed white smoke billowing from under a bridge as people streamed out of a mosque. The streets were stained with blood.

An Associated Press reporter saw remains of the dead in the street and a police bus with shattered windows. As police cordoned off the area, security agents wearing gloves collected the remains from the street and piled them onto a sheet.

Anas Haqqi said he was walking with his father when the bomb went off. "I fell on the ground," said the 13-year-old, who was being treated for shoulder and leg wounds at Mujtahid hospital.

Three smaller explosions elsewhere in the capital killed one person.

In recent months, there has been a string of bombings in Damascus and elsewhere. The regime blamed Friday's attack on unspecified "terrorists" ? the term it uses to describe opposition forces that it says are carrying out a foreign conspiracy. Opposition activists deny any role, saying such blasts are carried out by government forces and meant to tarnish Assad's opponents.

Some U.S. officials suggested after previous bombings that al-Qaida militants may be joining the fray.

The bombings posed the latest challenge to attempts to end the Syria crisis; the uprising began with largely peaceful protests but has turned into an armed insurgency in response to a relentless regime crackdown.

Ban said he was "gravely alarmed" by the continued killings. He said he hopes the speedy deployment of all the truce monitors "will change the dynamics on the ground," but that violence must stop even before the full contingent of 300 gets to Syria.

A small advance team that has been on the ground since mid-April is often greeted with both hope and frustration by residents.

In the southern town of Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising, amateur video posted online showed two white U.N. Land Cruisers surrounded by people Thursday evening. At one point, people close to the vehicles lift up the body of a boy said to have been shot to death by Syrian troops.

Others jumped on one of the U.N. cars, or banged on it with their fists. Yet others formed a cordon to try to protect the observers.

In another town, residents welcomed observers as effective shields against regime attacks.

On Friday, the U.N. appointed a former Norwegian army chief, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, as the head of the expanded observer mission. His Middle East experience includes a stint with U.N. observers in the late 1980s and three years, from 2009 to 2011, as head of UNTSO, the first U.N. peacekeeping mission established in the region more than half a century ago.

Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said he hopes the group of 15 monitors will grow to 25 by Monday, with 100 there by mid-May.

For now, the team is stretched thin, with two monitors each deployed in four major flashpoints: Homs, Daraa, the central city of Hama and the city of Idlib in the northwest, said a team spokesman, Neeraj Singh.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed reporting.

Associated Press

uc davis pepper spray uc davis pepper spray usc oregon big game

Deckers ' 1st-qtr profit falls short of forecasts

[ [ [['A picture is worth a thousand words', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/why-facebook-bought-instagram-4-theories-160400376.html', '[Related: Why Facebook bought Instagram: 4 theories]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 9]], 'http://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoonews_virginiabeach', '[Did you witness the jet crash? Share your story with Yahoo! News]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Dick Clark', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/dick-clark-dies-at-82-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/21/c217c61aa2d5872244c08caa13c16ec5.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'Reuters', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

jimmy rollins let it snow jason trawick jerry lewis

Dirty Science: What Makes Soil Become Dense?

Key concepts
Geology
Soil
Density
Ecology

Introduction
Have you ever noticed how much work it is to dig a hole in really hard soil? It's much easier to dig a hole in soft, loose soil. But why is that? Soil that is hard and dry is often compacted, which means that it has been packed down, making it denser and thereby difficult to penetrate. Soil that has become compacted is not only harder for you to dig a hole in, but it can also be much harder for a lot of other organisms, such as helpful earthworms, to survive in.

Background
Just as it is difficult for you to dig in compacted soil, it is also difficult for soil-dwelling organisms, like bugs and worms, to tunnel in compacted soil. You won't usually find many organisms living in compacted soils because they cannot get the air, space and nutrients they need to survive. Also, compacted soil makes it difficult for plants with delicate root systems to thrive. Very compacted soil tends to support only the growth of weeds, which have thick tap roots that can penetrate deeply into compacted soil and out-compete other plants.

Some areas are more susceptible to soil compaction than others. For example, the number of people and other animals that walk in an area?in other words, the amount of "foot traffic"?can affect how compacted the soil is there. The quantity of sunlight and moisture can also affect how susceptible an area is to compaction.

Materials
??? ?Small spool of thread
??? ?Metal knitting needle (small enough to fit inside the spool hole)
??? ?Permanent marker
??? ?Patches of soil in different locations to test for compaction
??? ?Rubber band
??? ?Measuring tape or ruler
??? ?Sheet of paper and pencil or pen

Preparation
??? ?Place the knitting needle into the small spool to make sure it fits.
??? ?With the needle inside the spool, place both (pointy side down) onto a table. Mark on the knitting needle the point where it sticks out of the top of the spool with your permanent marker.
??? ?Choose a variety of different locations to test the soil for compaction, such as areas that get different amounts of foot or animal traffic, places that receive different amounts of moisture or sunlight, and patches that have lots of plants versus those that have none.

Procedure
??? ?Take your needle and spool apparatus, along with a rubber band outside to the first location you chose to test the soil for compaction.
??? ?Place the spool on the ground with the needle in it, pointy side down. Push hard on the needle until it stops penetrating the ground.
??? ?If the needle goes into the ground easily and could be pushed past the top of the spool, simply stop pushing when the needle reaches the spool top.
??? ?Tightly wrap the rubber band around the top of the knitting needle (the blunt end). Slide the rubber band down the shaft until the rubber band touches the top of the spool.
??? ?Pull the needle from the ground, making sure to keep the rubber band in the same place. Measure the distance between the rubber band and the marked line. How deep could you push the needle into the ground? Write this on your sheet of paper.
??? ?Go to the other test locations you chose and repeat this process to find out how compact the soil is. The more compact the soil is the harder it will be to push the needle into the ground.
??? ?Where was the soil most compacted? Where was the soil least compacted? What characteristics did you notice about the most compact soils? What characteristics did you notice about the least compact soils? Think about factors such as foot traffic, soil type, moisture, exposure to sunlight and plant covering.
??? ?Extra: Investigate the effect of walking on soil compaction by digging up some soil so that it is loose. First measure its compaction with your spool-and-needle apparatus, then walk over the site and measure the compaction again. How did the soil's density change? If you walk over the site more, will the compaction continue to change?
??? ?Extra: Test whether wet or dry soils become more compacted by adding different amounts of water to dry soil and compacting it with a tamper or roller. Compact a sample of dry soil in the same way. Measuring each sample with your spool-and-needle apparatus, which soils are the most compacted? What happens if you let them dry out and measure them again afterward?


kaye stevens michael jordan engaged kid cudi notre dame football

Google's Mobile PlayBook: 'The Busy Executive's Guide To Winning With Mobile'

[ [ [['A picture is worth a thousand words', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/why-facebook-bought-instagram-4-theories-160400376.html', '[Related: Why Facebook bought Instagram: 4 theories]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 9]], 'http://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoonews_virginiabeach', '[Did you witness the jet crash? Share your story with Yahoo! News]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Dick Clark', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/dick-clark-dies-at-82-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/21/c217c61aa2d5872244c08caa13c16ec5.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'Reuters', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

the express zappos hacked jane fonda morgan freeman

Health care debate: high stakes for those with HIV

NEW YORK (AP) ? For many HIV-positive Americans, and those who advocate on their behalf, these are days of anxious waiting as the Supreme Court ponders President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

This loose-knit community ? made up of activists, health professionals and an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV ? has invested high hopes in the Affordable Care Act, anticipating that it could dramatically improve access to lifesaving care and treatment. The act is now in limbo as the high court deliberates on its constitutionality, notably its requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance. A ruling could come in June.

"The HIV treatment community sees the act as a critical step in our fight against the AIDS epidemic," said Scott Schoettes of Lambda Legal, a national gay-rights advocacy group. "People have been counting on it, making plans based on its implementation, so for it to be pulled out from under their feet at this point would be a tremendous loss."

Among its many provisions, the health care law has two major benefits for HIV-positive people: It expands Medicaid so that those with low incomes can get earlier access to treatment, and it eliminates limits on pre-existing conditions that have prevented many people with HIV from obtaining private insurance.

Under current policies, low-income HIV-positive people often do not qualify for Medicaid if they are not yet sick enough to be classified as disabled.

In the view of advocacy groups, this creates a cruel Catch 22 ? at a stage when they are still active and productive, these people can't afford the antiretroviral treatments that could help them stay that way. Only when their condition worsens are they able to qualify for Medicaid and get treatment that might have prevented the deterioration.

The health care act would remove the disability requirement and makes Medicaid available to a broader range of low-income adults.

"It will prolong life potentially by decades for literally hundreds of thousands of persons," said the National Minority AIDS Council in its Supreme Court brief. "Individuals can continue to work and go about their daily lives as productive members of society."

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, only about 13 percent of people with HIV have private health insurance and about 24 percent have no coverage at all. As a group, HHS says, these people "have been particularly vulnerable to insurance industry abuses" and face barriers to obtaining care from qualified providers.

Under the new law, insurers cannot rescind existing coverage to adults unless there's evidence of fraud. As if 2014, when the law is scheduled for full implementation, insurers will not be allowed to deny coverage to anyone with HIV/AIDS or impose annual limits on coverage.

Schoettes, who is Lambda Legal's HIV Project director and is HIV-positive himself, says this part of the law would curtail harmful insurance practices.

"Most private insurers have refused to provide affordable coverage to those with HIV," he and other Lambda Legal lawyers wrote in a brief submitted to the Supreme Court in March.

"This market failure has caused serious consequences both for individuals with HIV ? who suffer unnecessary illness and premature death ? and for society generally in higher overall health care costs and lost productivity," the lawyers wrote. "Virtually all this suffering is avoidable: medical care is available that can turn HIV into a chronic, manageable condition."

America's Health Insurance Plans, which represents major private health insurers, opposed Obama's health care law. The trade group says it supports expanding coverage to most Americans but believes key provisions in the law are poorly designed and will raise costs and cause disruptions.

The organization's spokesman, Robert Zirkelbach, acknowledged that under the current system, individuals with HIV or AIDS do find it hard to obtain private coverage if they already had the disease. "If people wait until after they're sick, they're often not able to get it," he said.

However, he said health plans were active in trying to improve treatment and care for HIV-positive Americans, both their own clients and others. He said insurers did sometimes rescind coverage on grounds that a patient had not fully disclosed required information, but that such instances were rare.

Among HIV-positive people without private insurance, many rely on public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, but others are not eligible. As a last resort, if they meet the low-income criteria, they can seek financial assistance through the federal Ryan White Care Act.

However, advocates say the result is often patchwork health care ? or no care at all. Many uninsured people don't get tested, don't know their HIV status and unwittingly transmit the infection to others.

Antiretroviral treatment is expensive ? often more than $18,000 per year. But advocacy groups say treatment is cost-effective, enabling more people to be self-sufficient and reducing later spending on acute care and stays at hospices.

Advocacy groups also contend that the positive effects of the federal health care act can be foretold by the experience of Massachusetts, which adopted similar legislation in 2006. According to a study last year by Harvard Law School's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, new HIV infections dropped by 37 percent in Massachusetts from 2005 to 2008, while rising by 8 percent in the rest of U.S.

By federal estimate, about 50,000 new cases of HIV infection occur annually in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control's latest figures show that gay and bisexual men account for about 60 percent of the new infections; blacks also are affected disproportionately, accounting for about 13 percent of the population and about 44 percent of new HIV infections.

The CDC also says the HIV infection rate in poor urban areas is far higher than for the rest of the U.S. ? and is on par with the rate in such AIDS-devastated countries as Haiti and Angola.

"HIV is a disease of poverty," said Dr. Michael Saag, an HIV physician and researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "That's why the health care law is critically important."

In Alabama, he said, funding to provide HIV treatment for low-income people has not risen to meet growing demand, and clinics lack adequate staff and resources.

"Once on treatment, transmission of HIV is cut to almost zero ? but where do these people get treatment?" Saag asked. "The question to people who are against the Affordable Care Act is, 'What are we going to do instead?'"

Saag is a past chairman of the HIV Medicine Association, representing more than 4,800 health care professionals and researchers. The current chair, Dr. Judith Aberg of the New York University School of Medicine, recently pleaded for the health care law to be upheld.

"For the first time in 30 years, thanks to advances in HIV prevention and treatment research, we can realistically envision the end of the greatest pandemic of our time," she said. "To reach this goal, we cannot afford to take any steps backward."

In Illinois, state Rep. Greg Harris, who is HIV-positive, has joined with colleagues in fighting to minimize funding cuts for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, a joint state-federal initiative providing HIV medications to low-income people.

Harris believes the Affordable Care Act can be a huge help in providing more HIV-positive people with health insurance. Were it to be rejected by the Supreme Court, he said, "It would take away a lot of hope for a lot of people."

___(equals)

Online:

Health and Human Services fact sheet: http://1.usa.gov/snPcYA

Lambda Legal's Supreme Court brief: http://bit.ly/zOyeER

___(equals)

David Crary can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP

cardinals jennifer nicole lee jennifer nicole lee chris harris

Self-healing concrete?

ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2012) ? ?Self-healing? concrete is being developed by researchers at Northumbria University which could see cracks in concrete buildings become a thing of the past.

Dr Alan Richardson, a Senior Lecturer in Construction in the School of the Built and Natural Environment, is using a ground-borne bacteria ? bacilli megaterium - to create calcite, a crystalline form of natural calcium carbonate. This can then be used to block the concrete?s pores, keeping out water and other damaging substances to prolong the life of the concrete.

The bacteria is grown on a nutrient broth of yeast, minerals and urea and is then added to the concrete. With its food source in the concrete, the bacteria breeds and spreads, acting as a filler to seal the cracks and prevent further deterioration.

It is hoped the research could lead to a cost-effective cure for ?concrete cancer? and has enormous commercial potential.

While further research is needed, Dr Richardson is hopeful that the repair mortar will also be effective on existing structures.

So-called ?concrete cancer? may be caused by the swelling and breaking of concrete and is estimated to cost billions of pounds worth of damage to buildings.

Dr Richardson said: ?This project is hugely exciting. The potential is there to have a building that can look after itself.?

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northumbria University, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

michael pineda coachella 2012 constitution day constitution day