Evaluation of Disability Employment Policy Demonstration Programs

[Excerpt] Since 2001, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has awarded more than $65 million in grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Of this, more than$38 million has been awarded to projects under the ODEP Demonstration Program, with about 2 percent directed toward an independent evaluation. The ODEP Demonstration Program consists of a variety of initiatives targeted at both adults and youth with disabilities. All demonstration projects funded under these initiatives are expected to implement and evaluate methods for building the capacity of the workforce development system to better serve people with disabilities. ODEP contracted with Westat, a private research company, to conduct an independent evaluation of its demonstration program. The purpose of the independent evaluation is to provide ODEP with data and information about system change that can be used to assist policy development, decisions, and recommendations, as well as track progress in meeting ODEP’s goals under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The independent evaluation has three objectives: 1. To provide ODEP with reliable and valid indicators of program effectiveness; 2. To determine the extent to which each program priority area is effective in building workforce development system capacity; and 3. To document local, regional, and/or state systems change that supports program effectiveness. This paper summarizes the issues and accomplishments identified by the evaluation to date in the context of these three objectives

Employer Involvement in Office of Disability Employment (ODEP) Demonstration Programs

[Excerpt] As part of the independent evaluation of ODEP’s demonstration program being conducted by Westat, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) asked Westat to provide in-depth analysis of three issues that were identified at site visits and in Quarterly Reports during Phase II of the evaluation. This report provides in-depth analysis on the first issue—employer involvement in adult demonstration programs

Effect of structural relaxation on the electronic structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

We performed calculations of electronic, optical and transport properties of graphene on hBN with realistic moir\'e patterns. The latter are produced by structural relaxation using a fully atomistic model. This relaxation turns out to be crucially important for electronic properties. We describe experimentally observed features such as additional Dirac points and the "Hofstadter butterfly" structure of energy levels in a magnetic field. We find that the electronic structure is sensitive to many-body renormalization of the local energy gap.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures. Supplementary material is available at http://www.theorphys.science.ru.nl/people/yuan/attachments/sm_hbn.pd

Effect of structural relaxation on the electronic structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

We performed calculations of electronic, optical and transport properties of graphene on hBN with realistic moir\'e patterns. The latter are produced by structural relaxation using a fully atomistic model. This relaxation turns out to be crucially important for electronic properties. We describe experimentally observed features such as additional Dirac points and the "Hofstadter butterfly" structure of energy levels in a magnetic field. We find that the electronic structure is sensitive to many-body renormalization of the local energy gap.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures. Supplementary material is available at http://www.theorphys.science.ru.nl/people/yuan/attachments/sm_hbn.pd

Validation of the Dutch Aging Perceptions Questionnaire and development of a short version

Abstract Background:Perceptions of aging have been found to independently contribute to various aspects of health and wellbeing in old age. Since valid and reliable perceptions of aging instruments are unavailable in Dutch, these associations have not yet been tested in the Netherlands. This study examined the reliability and construct validityof the Dutch-language version of the 7-dimension Aging Perceptions Questionnaire (APQ). Furthermore, in order to decrease the response burden, while retaining the APQ’s original factor structure, a short version of the APQ (APQ-S) was developed as an alternative to the 5-dimension Brief APQ (B-APQ). Methods:A Dutch translated version of the APQ was administered to a large sample of community-dwelling elders in the Netherlands,aged70to99(n= 1280), alongside measures of wellbeing and physical functioning. Results:Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the multidimensionality of the APQ. APQ scales were found to havegood reliability and acceptable construct validity, yet several areas of localized strain were detected. These areas were addressed during item reduction, resulting in the 21-item APQ-S with an acceptable reliability and validity and a better overall model fit. While several notable differences were found, APQ-S results were largely comparable to that of the 5-dimension B-APQ. Conclusion: With its multidimensional nature and acceptable psychometric properties, the Dutch language version of the APQ may prove to be an invaluable instrument to assess the seven perceptions of aging dimensions among olderpopulations for geriatric research. However, use of a shortened version is advised, as these are less labor intensive and areas of localized strain are addressed. The choice between the APQ-S and the B-APQ should be based on theoretical and practical considerations concerning the dimensional structure most suitable for the study

A 3D organoid platform that supports liver-stage P.falciparum infection can be used to identify intrahepatic antimalarial drugs

Malaria, a major public health burden, is caused by Plasmodium spp parasites that first replicate in the human liver to establish infection before spreading to erythrocytes. Liver-stage malaria research has remained challenging due to the lack of a clinically relevant and scalable in vitro model of the human liver. Here, we demonstrate that organoids derived from intrahepatic ductal cells differentiated into a hepatocyte-like fate can support the infection and intrahepatic maturation of Plasmodium falciparum. The P.falciparum exoerythrocytic forms observed expressed both early and late-stage parasitic proteins and decreased in frequency in response to treatment with both known and putative antimalarial drugs that target intrahepatic P.falciparum. The P.falciparum-infected human liver organoids thus provide a platform not only for fundamental studies that characterise intrahepatic parasite-host interaction but can also serve as a powerful translational tool in pre-erythrocytic vaccine development and to identify new antimalarial drugs that target the liver stage infection.</p

A 3D organoid platform that supports liver-stage P.falciparum infection can be used to identify intrahepatic antimalarial drugs

Malaria, a major public health burden, is caused by Plasmodium spp parasites that first replicate in the human liver to establish infection before spreading to erythrocytes. Liver-stage malaria research has remained challenging due to the lack of a clinically relevant and scalable in vitro model of the human liver. Here, we demonstrate that organoids derived from intrahepatic ductal cells differentiated into a hepatocyte-like fate can support the infection and intrahepatic maturation of Plasmodium falciparum. The P.falciparum exoerythrocytic forms observed expressed both early and late-stage parasitic proteins and decreased in frequency in response to treatment with both known and putative antimalarial drugs that target intrahepatic P.falciparum. The P.falciparum-infected human liver organoids thus provide a platform not only for fundamental studies that characterise intrahepatic parasite-host interaction but can also serve as a powerful translational tool in pre-erythrocytic vaccine development and to identify new antimalarial drugs that target the liver stage infection.</p

Three-color dSTORM Imaging and Analysis of Recombination Foci in Mouse Spread Meiotic Nuclei

During the first meiotic prophase in mouse, repair of SPO11-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), facilitating homologous chromosome synapsis, is essential to successfully complete the first meiotic cell division. Recombinases RAD51 and DMC1 play an important role in homology search, but their mechanistic contribution to this process is not fully understood. Super-resolution, single-molecule imaging of RAD51 and DMC1 provides detailed information on recombinase accumulation on DSBs during meiotic prophase. Here, we present a detailed protocol of recombination foci analysis of three-color direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) imaging of SYCP3, RAD51, and DMC1, fluorescently labeled by antibody staining in mouse spermatocytes. This protocol consists of sample preparation, data acquisition, pre-processing, and data analysis. The sample preparation procedure includes an updated version of the nuclear spreading of mouse testicular cells, followed by immunocytochemistry and the preparation steps for dSTORM imaging. Data acquisition consists of three-color dSTORM imaging, which is extensively described. The pre-processing that converts fluorescent signals to localization data also includes channel alignment and image reconstruction, after which regions of interest (ROIs) are identified based on RAD51 and/or DMC1 localization patterns. The data analysis steps then require processing of the fluorescent signal localization within these ROIs into discrete nanofoci, which can be further analyzed. This multistep approach enables the systematic investigation of spatial distributions of proteins associated with individual DSB sites and can be easily adapted for analyses of other foci-forming proteins. All computational scripts and software are freely accessible, making them available to a broad audience.</p

Experiences of case managers in providing person-centered and integrated care based on the Chronic Care Model:A qualitative study on embrace

<div><p>Background</p><p>Due to the rise in the number of older adults within the population, healthcare demands are changing drastically, all while healthcare expenditure continues to grow. Person-centered and integrated-care models are used to support the redesigning the provision of care and support. Little is known, however, about how redesigning healthcare delivery affects the professionals involved.</p><p>Objectives</p><p>To explore how district nurses and social workers experience their new professional roles as case managers within Embrace, a person-centered and integrated-care service for community-living older adults.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We performed a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews with case managers (district nurses, n = 6; social workers, n = 5), using a topic-based interview guide. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.</p><p>Results</p><p>The experiences of the case managers involved four major themes: 1) the changing relationship with older adults, 2) establishing the case-manager role, 3) the case manager’s toolkit, and 4) the benefits of case management. Within these four themes, subthemes addressed the shift to a person-centered approach, building a relationship of trust, the process of case management, knowledge and experience, competencies of and requirements for case managers, and the differences in professional background.</p><p>Discussion</p><p>We found that this major change in role was experienced as a learning process, one that provided opportunities for personal and professional growth. Case managers felt that they were able to make a difference, and found their new roles satisfying and challenging, although stressful at times. Ongoing training and support were found to be a prerequisite in helping to shift the focus towards person-centered and integrated care.</p></div