Comptroller Susan Combs Distributes $489 Million in Monthly Sales Tax Revenue to Local Governments

This document provides information on the distributions of $489 million in monthly sales tax revenue to local governments

The Policy that Wasn’t: Surveying the Maternity Leave Policies of Indianapolis-Area Healthcare Systems

poster abstractThe United States is one of only four countries that does not set national standards regarding paid maternity leave policies for working mothers. On a national level, 70% of working mothers took time off of work during their last pregnancy. In Indiana alone, over 83,000 women gave birth in 2013. In the greater Indianapolis area, the healthcare system serves as a microcosm of the national workforce. Of the 38,000 healthcare positions in this region, 48% are filled by females. Thus, it is important to address the lack of maternity leave legislation as it affects so many working mothers on both the national and state level. Eight Indianapolis area hospital systems were surveyed (including IU School of Medicine), and none provided paid maternity leave for its employees. Mothers are left with the option of deferring to the national Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows for twelve weeks of unpaid leave following delivery. In addition, in certain hospital systems, employees can use accrued short-term disability if they are both eligible to apply for such benefits and have applied for coverage prior to the pregnancy. The greater Indianapolis healthcare systems were surveyed as a representation of the workforce as a whole and found to have varying policies regarding the time off given to new mothers. All were the same in that they provided no paid leave. As probable future working mothers, this issue is of great importance. It must be recognized that these findings add undue burden to mothers and infants. Only three states have created a paid family leave policy, and though national bills have been proposed, they have not been fully supported. With so many affected by this lack of policy, changes must be made to better serve working mothers in the state of Indiana and the nation as a whole

Integrating neuroscience knowledge into social work education: A case-based approach

New knowledge from the rapidly growing field of neuroscience has important implications for our understanding of human behavior in the social environment, yet little of this knowledge has made its way into social work education. This article presents a model for integrating neuroscience into instruction on human development, the bio psychosocial model, psychopathology, and social work theory. Key concepts such as critical periods of brain development, neural plasticity, memory, cognition, and the impact of stress and trauma are discussed. Case studies and discussion questions are used to demonstrate the integration of neuroscience knowledge into social work education. We argue that teaching neuroscience will enhance students’ critical thinking skills and better prepare them for direct and policy practice

Integrating neuroscience knowledge into social work education: A case-based approach

New knowledge from the rapidly growing field of neuroscience has important implications for our understanding of human behavior in the social environment, yet little of this knowledge has made its way into social work education. This article presents a model for integrating neuroscience into instruction on human development, the bio psychosocial model, psychopathology, and social work theory. Key concepts such as critical periods of brain development, neural plasticity, memory, cognition, and the impact of stress and trauma are discussed. Case studies and discussion questions are used to demonstrate the integration of neuroscience knowledge into social work education. We argue that teaching neuroscience will enhance students’ critical thinking skills and better prepare them for direct and policy practice

NFATc2 Modulates Microglial Activation in the AβPP/PS1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains are characterized by fibrillar amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide containing plaques and associated reactive microglia. The proinflammatory phenotype of the microglia suggests that they may negatively affect disease course and contribute to behavioral decline. This hypothesis predicts that attenuating microglial activation may provide benefit against disease. Prior work from our laboratory and others has characterized a role for the transcription factor, nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), in regulating microglial phenotype in response to different stimuli, including Aβ peptide. We observed that the NFATc2 isoform was the most highly expressed in murine microglia cultures, and inhibition or deletion of NFATc2 was sufficient to attenuate the ability of the microglia to secrete cytokines. In order to determine whether the NFATc2 isoform, in particular, was a valid immunomodulatory target in vivo, we crossed an NFATc2–/– line to a well-known AD mouse model, an AβPP/PS1 mouse line. As expected, the AβPP/PS1 x NFATc2–/– mice had attenuated cytokine levels compared to AβPP/PS1 mice as well as reduced microgliosis and astrogliosis with no effect on plaque load. Although some species differences in relative isoform expression may exist between murine and human microglia, it appears that microglial NFAT activity is a viable target for modulating the proinflammatory changes that occur during AD

Citizen Engagement: Analysis of Johnson County Budget Simulator

The report discusses the importance of citizen engagement in local budgeting and uses the budget simulator exercise of Johnson County as a case study to evaluate the benefits and challenges of the tool. The report concludes by discussing recommendations for local officials on citizen engagement and public communication strategies, especially in a fiscally challenging environment.The report was a service learning project of a MPA class, Resource Allocation and Control, taught by Dr. Alfred T. Ho at the School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas in spring, 2012. The results of the project were presented to officials of Johnson County, Kansas

Hispanic Student Access to Advanced Placement Courses

This qualitative, collective case study describes the perceptions of academically successful Hispanic students regarding their access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 4 suburban Texas high schools. A multistage, purposeful sampling scheme was used to select 28 participants for 4 focus groups. Six participants from the focus groups participated in interviews. The conceptual framework focused on Coleman’s (1988) theory of social capital. Classical content analysis revealed 4 major themes: (a) future, (b) course placement, (c) educational work ethic, and (d) relationships. The theme of relationships varied the most with discussion of the value of relationships with counselors, peers, parents, teachers, and other family members. Participants had both positive and negative experiences with two subcategories, counselors and teachers, who influenced their opinions about their placement in courses. Implications for researchers and practitioners are provided

Discourage Smoking by Minimizing Access to Cigarettes

Produced as a component of the Tobacco Town project, this report demonstrates the role of policy in reducing access to cigarettes, and includes key takeaways for policy makers.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1101/thumbnail.jp

Temporary Bridging Agents for use in Drilling and Completion of Enhanced Geothermal Systems

CSI Technologies, in conjunction with Alta Rock Energy and the University of Utah have undergone a study investigating materials and mechanisms with potential for use in Enhanced Geothermal Systems wells as temporary diverters or lost circulation materials. Studies were also conducted with regards to particle size distribution and sealing effectiveness using a lab-scale slot testing apparatus to simulate fractures. From the slot testing a numerical correlation was developed to determine the optimal PSD for a given fracture size. Field trials conducted using materials from this study were also successful

Characterization of Novel Src Family Kinase Inhibitors to Attenuate Microgliosis

Microgliosis is a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain pathology. Aβ peptide is hypothesized to act as a stimulus for microglia leading to activation of non-receptor tyrosine kinases and subsequent secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, the signaling pathways mediating microglial activation may be important therapeutic targets of anti-inflammatory therapy for AD. Four novel compounds were chosen after high throughput screening kinase activity assays determined them as potential Lyn kinase inhibitors. Their kinase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effect on Aβ-stimulated activation was assessed using the murine microglial cell line, BV2. Cells were treated with the compounds to determine effects on active, phosphorylated levels of Src family kinases, Src and Lyn, as well as MAP kinases ERK, JNK and p38. Only one compound, LDDN-0003499, produced a dose dependent decrease in basal levels of active, phosphorylated Src and Lyn in the BV2 cells. LDDN-0003499 treatment also attenuated the Aβ-stimulated increase in active, phosphorylated levels of Lyn/Src and TNFα and IL-6 secretion. This study identifies a novel small molecule Src family tyrosine kinase inhibitor with anti-inflammatory effects in response to Aβ stimulation of microglia. Further in vitro/in vivo characterization of LDDN-0003499 as well as structural modification may provide a new tool for attenuating microglial-mediated brain inflammatory conditions such as that occurring in AD