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Regular application of over‐the‐counter (OTC) sunscreen is considered the foundation of skin cancer prevention, yet OTC sunscreen is not eligible for reimbursement in almost all state Medicaid benefit plans. On review of 111 Medicaid preferred drug lists (PDLs) across 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), only five plans were identified that incorporate coverage of sunscreen. Thus, many recipients of Medicaid, the majority of whom are individuals and families of lower socioeconomic status, may encounter financial difficulty and thus forego utilizing sun protective measures due to financial constraints. Here, we compare current Medicaid coverage of OTC sunscreen and discuss calculated and theoretical annual costs of this skin cancer prevention method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant challenge during any emergency response scenario is the timely compilation of actionable data from disparate sources. Although numerous strategies exist, crisis mapping techniques have emerged as effective tools for synthesizing and visualizing event specific data when establishing situational awareness. User generated content (UGC) voluntarily submitted through social networking outlets (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, and others) are increasingly being consumed and mined for actionable data (e.g., Goodchild 2007; Elwood, Goodchild, and Sui 2012). Despite its apparent value as a rich and instantaneous source of actionable content, little research has emerged examining the underlying demographic characteristics that are likely to produce effective crowdsourced content during a crisis. Accordingly, this study collected and synthesized user generated data extracted from multiple social networks during the Horsethief Canyon Fire that occurred near Jackson, Wyoming, in September 2012. The spatial distribution of wildfire and non-wildfire specific UGC were compared to confirm the presence of a social networking user base that contributed to situational awareness. Regression analysis was used to identify relevant demographic characteristics that reflect the portion of the impacted community that will voluntarily contribute meaningful data about the fire. The preliminary findings suggest that emergency responders can use these techniques to quickly and efficiently assess the efficacy of mining actionable data from social media in a given community. Recommendations for additional research are discussed and provided. Keywords: wildfire; situational awareness; nearest neighbor; hot spot analysis; spatial autocorrelation; ols; gwr, Introduction The spontaneous availability of social networking content combined with the utility of location based services have made it possible for emergency response professionals to synthesize authoritative data with voluntarily [...]

High subsidence rates, along with eustatic sea-level change, sediment accumulation and shoreline erosion have led to widespread land loss and the deterioration of ecosystem health around the Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB). A proper evaluation of the spatial pattern of subsidence rates in the LMRB is the key to understanding the mechanisms of the submergence, estimating its potential impacts on land loss and the long-term sustainability of the region. Based on the subsidence rate data derived from benchmark surveys from 1922 to 1995, this paper constructed a subsidence rate surface for the region through the empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) interpolation method. The results show that the subsidence rates in the region ranged from 1.7 to 29 mm/year, with an average rate of 9.4 mm/year. Subsidence rates increased from north to south as the outcome of both regional geophysical conditions and anthropogenic activities. Four areas of high subsidence rates were found, and they are located in Orleans, Jefferson, Terrebonne and Plaquemines parishes. A projection of future landscape loss using the interpolated subsidence rates reveals that areas below zero elevation in the LMRB will increase from 3.86% in 2004 to 19.79% in 2030 and 30.88% in 2050. This translates to a growing increase of areas that are vulnerable to land loss from 44.3 km²/year to 240.7 km²/year from 2011 to 2050. Under the same scenario, Lafourche, Plaquemines and Terrebonne parishes will experience serious loss of wetlands, whereas Orleans and Jefferson parishes will lose significant developed land, and Lafourche parish will endure severe loss of agriculture land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]