A Tale of Two Colleges

This story of two community colleges tells how they have dealt with the demands for data that state-mandated accountability requires. The story is based on research conducted at a large community college district in California. On the surface, the story might seem straightforward: accountability mandates led to the expansion of the Institutional Research Department, causing the schools to try to replace an outdated Student Information System in order to improve the district's overall access to data. However, the underlying story is more complicated. If it had a headline, it might be one of these: Why can't we get the data we need? A new system? What system? Is access to data really that important? This story looks at the community college district on multiple levels, weaving together anecdotes and experiences along with the underlying themes and tensions. It is an attempt to look at one component of the educational environment -- the one that links state policy-makers to the schools they oversee -- tracing the drive toward accountability through to its consequences in practice

Designing a Community-Level Hypertension Management Program for Rural Vietnam

Background: This paper outlines the design of a hypertension management program aimed to be piloted in a rural commune in Vietnam. The program is in collaboration with a nonprofit organization based in the U.S. and emphasizes grassroots solutions to improve healthcare access and enhance patient outcomes at the community level. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of elevated blood pressure and associated risk factors in Ca Dy\u27s population, examine the commune health workers\u27 experiences at the commune health station, and design a program to manage hypertension Method: Mixed-method analysis results informed the design of a HMP for this project. Phase I comprised a retrospective quantitative analysis of data from 2019 and 2023 mobile clinics in Ca Dy, along with qualitative data collected from a focus group discussion with commune health workers. These findings guided the program design in phase II. Results: About one-third of adults in Ca Dy have experienced elevated BP, with prevalence on the rise since 2019 and age being the only statistically significant risk factor. For the local population, accessing care is hindered by distance and financial constraints, while the CHWs face challenges in providing care due to limited healthcare resources and financial support. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence and increasing trend of elevated BP among adults in Ca Dy, addressing the HTN burden is critical. Empowering commune health workers with resources at a centralized commune health station may decrease the distance traveled by local residents to access care and increase preventative blood pressure management among the communit

Online Resources for Identifying Evidence-Based, Out-of-School Time Programs: A User's Guide

Summarizes general information, select program outcomes, and evidence levels of searchable databases, interactive summaries, and documents online on evidence-based intervention programs. Outlines considerations and assessments for selecting programs

Homotypic and Heterotypic Self-Assembly of Claudin Family of Tight Junction Proteins

Tight junctions, found in all epithelial cells, are selective barriers that restrict the diffusion of ions and molecules within the paracellular space. They are important for maintaining cell polarity as well as for compartmentalization and establishing homeostasis within the human body. Tight junctions are comprised of complex protein assemblies. Within this protein assemble are a family of transmembrane proteins known as claudins that play a crucial role in establishing the tight junction network. Claudins are also influential in controlling the tight junction permeability. When mutations or malfunctioning occurs within a claudin gene, tight junction function is impaired. Disruption of their function is associated with a variety of human conditions, such as brain disease, deafness, renal failure, and various cancers. A deeper understanding of claudins and of their contribution towards tight junction’s function will provide researchers additional insight as to how to eventually approach creating therapeutics to treat tight junction-related diseases. In this thesis, homotypic and heterotypic cis self-assembly of claudin-claudin interactions were studied for both classic and non-classic claudins (-2, -4, -11, -14, -16, -18, -19, and -23). Homology modeling was utilized to generate structures for each of the eight claudins studied, which were then equilibrated and refined in a DOPC (1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) lipid bilayer system. Consequently, self-assemble simulations were carried out to study the cis interaction in either homotypic or heterotypic fashion. Each self-assembly system contained 72 monomers and was simulated for 4 µs. Results showed aggregation of claudin monomers into strand-like assemblies, which were then analyzed through a dimer distribution and orientation analysis. Four dimer types (dimers A, B, C, D) were identified and dimer populations were calculated in each of the claudin self-assembly systems. An additional new analysis method developed by a colleague and still in the refining phase is also introduced and discussed. Results for a single test system are discussed, but nonetheless provide an alternative means of analyzing dimers, representing them through various energy state profiles rather than of population density probabilities

Medicare, Medicaid and the health status of individuals in Washington State, USA

This paper investigated the effect of having Medicare and Medicaid coverage upon the health status of individuals in Washington, United States. A representative data set of more than 3,000 individuals from the state of Washington was utilized to address this relationship. The findings showed that the type of insurance coverage plays an important role in explaining the health status of individuals in the Washington. The results suggested that having Medicare and Medicaid coverage are positively associated with higher health status for individuals in Washington. Those individuals with Medicare and Medicaid coverage tend to be having better health status than those uninsured individuals and those with private or public insurance coverage --Document

2024 California Traffic Safety Survey Summary

The UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has released the California Traffic Safety Survey 2024. The study was led by Ewald & Wasserman Research Consultants (E&W) and conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and SafeTREC.The California Traffic Safety Survey has been conducted annually since 2010 to gain a better understanding of a range of traffic safety behaviors, and to help inform traffic safety programs and public education campaigns. This year’s survey was conducted with an online panel of California drivers in all California counties for a total of 2,507 respondents, with the majority of those surveyed (57.9% weighted) coming from Southern California and falling within the 18-44 age range

The role of the reception area in health care

Background: Many recommendations are made in the journals by practitioners and consultants regarding what patients desire in the reception area. However, the literature does not reflect the views of patients. Our research targeted the opinions of patients, and the discoveries reveal what doctors and designers do not. This research surveyed the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area evaluating the importance of specific comfort factors, and opinions applicable to the role of the reception area in the office of a health care professional. Methods: Three hundred forty participant responses were tabulated to determine the level of importance of certain amenities in a health care provider\u27s reception area. The thirty-four factors were ranked in order of importance. Results: Forty-six percent of the sample claim that the reception area does play a role in their choice of health care provider, and twenty-nine percent state they would be willing to pay more to have these factors provided. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that patients rank clean restrooms, immediate access to the receptionist, controlled temperature and comfortable furniture as top priorities. Least important factors according to our sample include aquariums, refreshments and television

Assessing the Impact of Online Occupational Therapy Content on Professional Development for Occupational Therapists

Social media has provided a virtual space for occupational therapists around the world to connect and to share practical information and this type of media has great potential as a source of social support and mentorship. This project’s purpose is to assess the qualitative impact of online occupational therapy-based content among occupational therapists. Data was collected and compiled from the currently available blogs and podcasts with OT-based content. Surveys were conducted among 40 occupational therapy students and occupational therapy practitioners and five occupational therapy content creators were interviewed on their experiences producing OT-based content online. The themes that resulted from the survey showed that occupational therapists valued content popularity, evidence-based content, clinical expertise, and the overall sense of community.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2020/1007/thumbnail.jp

Boomerang: Demand-Driven Flow- and Context-Sensitive Pointer Analysis for Java (Artifact)

Evaluating pointer analyses with respect to soundness and precision has been a tedious task. Within this artifact we present PointerBench, the benchmark suite used in the paper to compare the pointer analysis Boomerang with two other demand-driven pointer analyses, SB [Sridharan and Bodik, 2006] and DA [Yan et al., 2011]. We show PointerBench can be used to test different pointer analyses. In addition to that, the artifact contains usage examples for Boomerang on simple test programs. The test programs and the input on these programs to Boomerang can be changed to experiment with the algorithm and its features. Additionally, the artifact contains the integration of Boomerang, SB, and DA into FlowDroid, which can then be executed on arbitrary Android applications