President Obama speaks to a crowd of thousands while Sarah Palin posts a video on YouTube.

The Associated Press settles their lawsuit against “HOPE” artist Shepard Fairey.

And, homeless man with radio voice heads to rehab.

ABSTRACT: Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) are materials that have been thoroughly characterized and certified by NIST for properties such as elemental composition and homogeneity. These materials are used by customers in industry, academia, and other sectors, for a variety of purposes. For example, SRMs can be used for calibrations of instrumentation, validation of in-house methods, and for quality control. It is crucial that SRMs be homogenous in composition, both at the macro- and micro-scale, in order for the material to be valid. Traditionally, X-ray florescence spectroscopy (XRF) has been used for the direct elemental analysis and evaluation of homogeneity of solid samples, such as glass, ceramics, and soils. However, XRF does not provide sufficient sensitivity to detect heterogeneity in all the elements of interest it is also unable to measure beryllium, an element of interest in many materials.

A proposed complementary technique to XRF is laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The LA-ICP-MMS technique uses energy from a laser to directly interrogate a solid surface and create a plume of gas-phase particles that has the same composition as the bulk material. The gas-phase particles can then be transported to an ICP-MS for detection and quantification. The primary advantage of ICP-MS compared to XRF detection is sensitivity, which is on the order of 100 μg kg^ -1 or better for the majority of elements accessible to IC)-MS. The present SUURF project explored the effects of different experimental parameters, both within the laser and in the ICP-MS, on micro-homogeneity measurements made by LA_ICP-MS. Parameters of interest included laser beam spot size, repetition rate, ablation cell dimensions. The results indicated that optimization of experimental parameters is crucial for the successful assessment of micro-homogeneity in slid samples by LA-ICP-MS

For more information and to read a q&a with Naomi, click the link below!

Contact:
Dinah Winnick
(410) 455-8117
dwinnick@umbc.edu

Marsha Willis
(410) 455-6383
mwillis@hilltop.umbc.edu

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC has released two significant publications this week on health care topics. Hilltop’s Hospital Community Benefit Program posted its first issue brief in a series funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Entitled “Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: The Emerging Federal Framework,” the brief provides historical background on federal hospital community benefit policy; outlines the new requirements described in the Affordable Care Act (ACA); and identifies new challenges and opportunities for state and federal decision-makers as they begin to develop responses to the new federal requirements.

Hilltop’s other new issue brief—“Overcoming Interagency Data-Sharing Barriers: Lessons from the Maryland Kids First Act”—describes interagency data-sharing barriers that researchers and state officials encountered as they implemented and evaluated the Maryland Kids First Act outreach initiative. It provides an overview of strategies used to identify uninsured children who are eligible for public insurance programs; an update on Maryland’s tax-based outreach program, including a description of the interagency data-sharing barriers encountered and their resolution; a discussion of new data-sharing and outreach opportunities outlined in the ACA; and a discussion of lessons for other states.

The Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council (HCRCC) also released its final report this week, for which Hilltop’s researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of the provisions of the ACA and developed a financial model to project Maryland’s costs and savings associated with implementing health reform. The HCRCC was created by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to make recommendations regarding Maryland’s implementation of the ACA, and this final report sets a blueprint for that implementation. Learn more about this initiative and view the interim and final reports at the HCRCC website.

As the U.S. mourns the victims of the Tucson shooting, there is one group who doesn’t share the sadness.

Members of the now infamous Westboro Baptist Church released their plans to protest the funerals of the six people who died during the attack.

The certified hate group has become infamous for their anti-gay rhetoric and protests of funerals for soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

They’ve found reason in this tragedy to spread their hate but Arizona lawmakers are determined to stop them.

Following the group’s announcement, the Arizona state legislature are crafting a way to limit the group’s access to the funerals.

In recent years, the church’s right to free speech has been both challenged and supported.  These questions are likely to rise again with the recent turn of events.

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DoIT is offering drop in Blackboard Drop-in sessions to assist and help faculty prepare for the spring semester.

The following one hour drop in sessions will be held in Engineering 025. DoIT staff members will be available to work one-on-one with with users who show up during the designated times.

Additional dates and times may be added as demand warrants.

The following one hour drop in sessions will be held in Engineering 025. DoIT staff members will be available to work one-on-one with with users who show up during the designated times.

Additional dates and times may be added as demand warrants.