Transit-Oriented Development and Affordable Housing in Prince George’s County: A Case Study-Based Approach

Final project for URSP788: Independent Study in Urban Studies and Planning (Spring 2018). University of Maryland, College Park.Prince George’s County is eager to activate and capitalize on some of its greatest assets, i.e. its Metro stations, by attracting dense transit-oriented development projects to the county. However, this poses a serious risk of displacement to many of the station areas’ existing residents and has the potential to limit accessibility for potential future low-to-moderate income households by virtue of prohibitively high housing costs. While Plan 2035 prominently features calls for dense, mixed-income communities around transit, the county currently appears to lack the market, regulatory measures, political interest or funding to ensure that this comes to fruition. Prince George’s housing development market, including around its Metro stations, lags behind its neighbors, due at least in part to a perception among developers that the county is comparatively hostile to new development. To rectify this imbalance, county officials wish to improve the county’s reputation as a more development-friendly place to build. Housing market pressures generally do not provide for new affordable housing, thus requiring government intervention and subsidization to ensure their existence as a meaningful share of the housing stock. Market-rate developers often see affordable housing requirements as a procedural burden and a limitation on their profit margins, which conceivably opposes Prince George’s County’s goal to improve the county’s reputation as a good place to build. There is a feeling among many county officials that Prince George’s County already has the region’s fair share of affordable housing opportunities, thereby reducing the sense of urgency and political interest in preserving and promoting affordable housing development. Prince George’s County officials are particularly eager to cultivate market-rate housing and commercial development to expand the county’s tax base. Given its limited tax base and budget, the county lacks a dedicated revenue source for affordable housing preservation and development. As a result, affordable housing preservation and development initiatives are currently underprioritized and underfunded despite the looming threat of displacement often associated with TODs. Bearing in mind the multifaceted challenges that Prince George’s County currently faces in attracting development, let alone addressing the issue of affordable housing around TODs, this study proposes a temporal three-phased metrics-based plan intended to help reconcile these potentially conflicting goals. A variety of affordable housing mechanisms were examined for utilization around Prince George’s County as a whole, as well as place-based initiatives that could be applied specifically to the county’s Metro stations. The first phase includes the most developer-friendly and revenue-neutral affordable housing initiatives to mutually address the county’s goals of cultivating a better reputation among developers and promoting housing opportunities for lower income households in dense, transit-accessible areas. Each succeeding phase assumes an improved housing market, thus implying a more development-friendly environment while also providing the county with more funding and greater leverage for increasingly aggressive affordable housing measures. To demonstrate applicability, the phased initiatives were examined in relation to five of the county’s Metro stations that have the greatest potential for growth and investment in the coming decades. Table 1 provides an overview of the three-phased implementation plan as applied to the five Metro stations examined in this study.Prince George's Count

Rasch and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Arabic Version of the Diabetes Self-Management Scale (DSMS): An Intercultural Approach

The current study was designed to validate the Arabic version of the Diabetes Self-Management Scale (DSMS) using Rasch and confirmatory factor analyses. This included person and item fit, separation, and reliability; rating scale functionality to evidence substantive validity; unidimensional structure to evidence structural validity; and item technical quality to evidence content validity. The study was conducted between September 2021 and March 2022. Utilizing AMOS-based confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the study also assured the dimensionality of the DSMS. The participants were 103 diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia with a mean age of 44.72 years (standard deviation = 17.35). The analysis was performed using a trichotomous rating scale, and only one item exhibited a misfit (DSMS14). The item difficulty range was −1.0 to +1.0 logits, while the person’s ability range was −3.0 to +3.0 logits. The first construct proved one Rasch dimension, which was explained and further analyzed using AMOS-CFA for the one-factor model. The DSMS was shown to be beneficial as a screening instrument for patient-reported diabetes self-management, despite several flaws that need to be addressed to improve the scale further

Evaluating Soft Tissue Healing after Implant Placement Using Two Different Mouthwashes (Myrrh and Chlorhexidine Gluconate): A Randomized Control Trial

The use of mouthwash is often recommended by dental experts for dental healing. A double-blind, randomized clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two mouthwashes (myrrh and chlorhexidine gluconate) on postoperative pain and their effects on tissues after dental implant placement in 35 patients (18 in the myrrh group and 17 in the chlorhexidine gluconate group). Soft tissue healing was evaluated in terms of wound closure, soft tissue swelling, and the color of the gingiva at 1 week postoperative. To decrease the chances for error, only the participants who did not show preoperative symptoms of infection and those who committed to practicing better oral hygiene were included in the study. The samples were evaluated for the infiltration of inflammatory cells (using inflammatory extent and inflammatory cellularity grades), maturation of collagen (osteoblast activity), and arrangement of cells (for detecting the remodeling phase). A questionnaire pertaining to mouthwash satisfaction, the duration of postoperative pain after the procedure, the time of stoppage of bleeding at the surgical site, and any sensitivity at the surgical site was given to the patients. The Chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to analyze the data. The difference in postoperative surgical swelling, pain, bleeding, and redness in the patients was not statistically significant between the myrrh and chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash groups. However, in the acute phase, the myrrh mouthwash showed a positive impact on the process of wound healing after implant placement. The small sample size and inability to compare wound healing in different anatomical areas of the oral cavity were the study limitations

Safety and efficacy of ticagrelor for neuroendovascular procedures. A single center initial experience

ABSTRACT Introduction Although platelet response testing is controversial, up to one-third of neuroendovascular patients are 'resistant' to clopidogrel and are at risk for in stent thrombotic complications and may require alternative antiplatelet therapy. Ticagrelor is a new reversible ADP P2Y12 platelet receptor inhibitor with no known resistance. We describe the clinical experience with ticagrelor for neuroendovascular procedures as an alternative in clopidogrel P2Y12 platelet resistant patients. Methods We reviewed our cerebrovascular database for all patients who were non-responders to clopidogrel, defined as P2Y12% inhibition <30%, despite repeat clopidogrel loading dose of at least 600 mg, and who were then administered ticagrelor. Results 18 patients were non-responders to clopidogrel; 10 (56%) were men, eight (44%) were women, with a median age of 61 years (range 38-84). All patients received loading doses of at least 600 mg of clopidogrel and showed P2Y12 levels below 20% prior to ticagrelor administration. Patients were loaded with 180 mg of ticagrelor, and all but one patient showed an initial P2Y12 response above 60%. 11 patients underwent stenting, two underwent coiling, and five underwent treatment by pipeline embolization device. No patient experienced any adverse effects in the postoperative period related to the use of ticagrelor. Conclusions Ticagrelor offers an effective alternative to clopidogrel non-responders. All of our patients showed immediate platelet inhibition after a loading dose of 180 mg of ticagrelor, with no adverse effects. The cost of medication, patient compliance (twice a day doses), and reversible inhibition should be taken into consideration when using ticagrelor

Advancements in Vaccine Adjuvants: The Journey from Alum to Nano Formulations

Vaccination is a groundbreaking approach in preventing and controlling infectious diseases. However, the effectiveness of vaccines can be greatly enhanced by the inclusion of adjuvants, which are substances that potentiate and modulate the immune response. This review is based on extensive searches in reputable databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The goal of this review is to provide a thorough analysis of the advances in the field of adjuvant research, to trace the evolution, and to understand the effects of the various adjuvants. Historically, alum was the pioneer in the field of adjuvants because it was the first to be approved for use in humans. It served as the foundation for subsequent research and innovation in the field. As science progressed, research shifted to identifying and exploiting the potential of newer adjuvants. One important area of interest is nano formulations. These advanced adjuvants have special properties that can be tailored to enhance the immune response to vaccines. The transition from traditional alum-based adjuvants to nano formulations is indicative of the dynamism and potential of vaccine research. Innovations in adjuvant research, particularly the development of nano formulations, are a promising step toward improving vaccine efficacy and safety. These advances have the potential to redefine the boundaries of vaccination and potentially expand the range of diseases that can be addressed with this approach. There is an optimistic view of the future in which improved vaccine formulations will contribute significantly to improving global health outcomes