The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) aims to reduce homelessness among veterans through programs such as Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). An important component of SSVF is temporary financial assistance. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of temporary financial assistance in reducing short-term housing instability, but studies have not examined its long-term effect on housing outcomes. Using data from the VA's electronic health record system, we analyzed the effect of temporary financial assistance on veterans' housing instability for three years after entry into SSVF. We extracted housing outcomes from clinical notes, using natural language processing, and compared the probability of unstable housing among veterans who did and did not receive temporary financial assistance. We found that temporary financial assistance rapidly reduced the probability of unstable housing, but the effect attenuated after forty-five days. Our findings suggest that to maintain long-term housing stability for veterans who have exited SSVF, additional interventions may be needed.

Background: Clinical pharmacist practitioners (CPPs) play an increasingly important role in interdisciplinary care for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). However, CPPs’ scope of practice varies substantially across clinics and settings. Objectives: We sought to describe CPP practices and activities within an interdisciplinary, team-based primary care clinic dedicated to treat Veterans with histories of substance use disorders, experience of homelessness, high medical complexity, and other vulnerabilities. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of CPP activities using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data in 2019. Results: CPPs provided care for 228 patients, including 766 in-clinic visits, 341 telephone visits, and 626 chart reviews, with an average of 2.5 hours spent per patient per year. Patients seen by CPPs frequently experience mental health conditions and SUDs, including depression (66%), post-traumatic stress disorder (52%), opioid use disorder (OUD) (45%), and alcohol use disorder (44%). CPPs managed buprenorphine medications for OUD or chronic pain in 76 patients (33%). Most CPP interventions (3330 total) were for SUDs (33%), mental health conditions (24%), and pain management (24%), with SUD interventions including medication initiation, dose changes, discontinuations and monitoring. As part of opioid risk mitigation efforts, CPPs queried the state’s prescription drug monitoring program 769 times and ordered 59 naloxone kits and 661 lab panels for empaneled patients. Conclusion: CPPs managed a high volume of vulnerable patients and provided complex care within an interdisciplinary primary care team. Similar CPP roles could be implemented in other primary care settings to increase access to SUD treatment.

A kind of compact SIW (substrate integrated waveguide) Vivaldi array antenna is proposed and analyzed. The antenna consisted of 4 Vivaldi structure radiation elements fed by an equal power divider with SIW technology. The radiation element is composed of antipodal index gradient microstrip lines on both sides of the substrate. The measured reflection coefficient of the array antenna is less than −10 dB from 8.88 GHz to 10.02 GHz. The measured gain of the array antenna is 13.3 dB on 9.5 GHz.

An ultra-wideband quad-ridged horn antenna in ultra-wideband communication system is described in which offer unique advantages its own structure characters. By simulation and optimization, the 2-18 GHz quad-ridged horn antenna can realize high gain and dual polarization operations, and the operating bandwidth is enough for practical operation. The simulation results and analyses of the ultra-wideband quad-ridged horn antenna are presented.

A new plasma monopole antenna is proposed in this paper. The cylindrical plasma antenna is fed by a metal ring. The impedance characteristics and radiation characteristics of the plasma antenna are calculated and analyzed. According to actual situation, a cylindrical plasma monopole antenna is designed and measured. The measurement results are similar to the calculation results.