INDUSTRIAL DIVERSIFICATION IN NONMETROPOLITAN COUNTIES AND ITS EFFECT ON ECONOMIC STABILITY

Applying indexes of economic instability and industrial diversification to Idaho's forty-three nonmetropolitan counties, this paper tests the hypothesis that unemployment is more stable in a more diverse economy. While results support the hypothesis, other aspects of a county's economic structure are just as influential. Indiscriminate diversification will not necessarily bring economic stability.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

A Case Study on the Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Mentoring Program and its Role in the Doctoral Preparation of Jackson Scholars for the Professoriate in Educational Administration at Predominately White Institutions

This dissertation is a qualitative research inquiry that used single-case study methodology to investigate the role of the Barbara L. Jackson Scholars Program in the doctoral preparation of Jackson Scholars for the Professoriate in educational administration at predominately White institutions (PWIs). Drawing from literature on effective mentoring practices for doctoral students in higher educational settings, the experiences of the Jackson Scholars in the Jackson Scholars Mentoring Program (Jackson Scholars Program) are viewed. Two primary lenses - Jacobi\u27s, (1991) seminal work framed around three commonly used mentoring components in higher education (psychosocial support, role modeling and professional development) and Tillman\u27s (2001) work on effective mentoring relationships and strategies for minority doctoral students preparation for the professoriate in educational administration at PWIs are used to look at mentoring in the Jackson Scholars Program in order to determine the effectiveness of the Jackson Scholars Program. Findings in this study derived from their experiences bring to the forefront the importance as well as the impact of mentoring in the Jackson Scholars Program and the role it plays in facilitating the successful doctoral preparation of Jackson Scholars for the professoriate in educational administration at PWIs. Specific factors that emerged as most attributable to their matriculation from doctoral studies to the professoriate are also enumerated. New data from this study may be used to develop or enhance mentoring in the Jackson Scholars Program in order to improve support for the preparation of doctoral students of color for the professoriate at PWIs. And finally, this study is relevant to the field of Education because it supplies data that may help fill a void in adolescent literature on the impact of preparing significantly more doctoral students of color for the professoriate in Educational Administration at PWIs

Defining Collaborative and Sustainable Apparel Consumption: Laying the Groundwork for Empirical Investigation

The objectives of this study are (a) to develop a theoretical framework of collaborative apparel consumption specifically articulating the evaluation of the potential sustainability of the various consumption modes and (b) to identify viable proposals for future research in this area with relevant research propositions. Using a metatheory approach, this paper illustrates the developed framework that explores these two major Internet-supported consumption modes (utility-based non-ownership and redistributed ownership) manifest in an apparel context using real industry examples, and then explore the implications of each consumption mode and business model for the consumer\u27s relationship with the product, peers, and organizations involved in these sharing schemes. This exploration highlights key factors that should be scrutinized for evaluating the potential sustainability of collaborative clothing consumption. These factors and related attributes relevant to each relationship are identified via a systematic content analysis of the literature. Finally, this paper will conclude with a series of research propositions for future research, which beg investigation

Infusing Environmental Sustainability into Textile and Apparel Curriculum: Professional Development Needs for a Discipline in Transition

In recent years there is evidence that apparel industry firms are beginning to acknowledge the environmental impacts of their products and processes. For example, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) was founded by a group of apparel industry, trade, governmental, and non-profit organizations as a collaborative initiative to reduce the environmental consequences of the soft goods industry (i.e., water use and quality; energy and emissions; waste; chemicals and toxicity) as well as social and labor issues (www.apparelcoalition.org/desired-outcomes). As these and other industry leaders invest in and support change toward greater sustainability, the educational programs that prepare young textile and apparel (TA) professionals must evolve as well. Incorporating environmental sustainability competencies and learning outcomes into textile and apparel curriculum is becoming an imperative

The journey toward the integration of sustainability in apparel and textiles education: a case study.

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior DesignMelody L. A. LeHewThe UN has challenged higher education to integrate sustainability across all disciplines, declaring 2005-2014 the Decade for Educational for Sustainable Development (DESD) (UNESCO, 2003). Education for sustainable development (ESD), a UNESCO initiative, advocates for reorienting education away from the industrial model of education, and has significant pedagogical implications for cultivating knowledge, skills, and values thought to support sustainable development (Rode & Michelsen, 2008; Sterling, 2004). Responsive action to this call has been sluggish (Everett, 2008; Rode & Michelsen, 2008). Concurrently, product development and design protocol is becoming more progressive in an effort to limit the impact of products on people and the planet, and there is an urgent need to evolve apparel and textile (AT) curriculum to better prepare undergraduates for this evolution. ESD may provide a way forward, but little is known about how it may succeed current educational practice or how such practice may impact learners in AT. The purpose of this study was to examine the learning and development experience of students enrolled in an apparel product development (APD) course that has been redeveloped according to the ESD framework. A qualitative case study was conducted during one semester to examine how students experienced the course. Data collection included student reflective writings, focus group interviews, and a researcher reflexive journal. Also, a survey was utilized to determine how students perceived their progress in the development of skills related to ESD. Both theory-driven and inductive coding procedures were used to identify themes across the qualitative data. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the quantitative survey data. Results of the study indicate that students yielded a positive, though challenging, learning and development experience in the course, and one that was considered exceptional in comparison to other courses in the same program. Among the learning and development outcomes experienced in the course considered most important, according to students, were sustainability literacy and the development of change agent skills. Further, the pedagogical perspectives of ESD which influenced the course redevelopment were perceived to be highly impactful. The study has identified pedagogical and curriculum design approaches which may be used to integrate sustainability more effectively into the AT curriculum and better foster the development of change agent skills

High resolution targeted proteomics: biomarker discovery in a mouse transgenic model of myopathy

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Reengineering Tumor Microenvironment with Sequential Interleukin Delivery

Some cytokines can reengineer anti-tumor immunity to modify the tumor micro-environment. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) can partially reduce tumor growth in several animal models, including prostate cancer. We hypothesized that addition of IL-18, which can induce the proliferation of several immune effector cells through inducing IFNγ could synergize with IL-27 to enhance tumor growth control. We describe our findings on the effects of IL-27 gene delivery on prostate cancer cells and how sequential therapy with IL-18 enhanced the efficacy of IL-27. The combination of IL-27 followed by IL-18 (27→18) successfully reduced cancer cell viability, with significant effects in cell culture and in an immunocompetent mouse model. We also examined a novel chimeric cytokine, comprising an IL-27 targeted at the C-terminus with a short peptide, LSLITRL (27pepL). This novel cytokine targets a receptor upregulated in tumor cells (IL-6Rα) via the pepL ligand. Interestingly, when we compared the 27→18 combination with the single 27pepL therapy, we observed a similar efficacy for both. This efficacy was further enhanced when 27pepL was sequenced with IL-18 (27pepL→18). The observed reduction in tumor growth and significantly enriched canonical pathways and upstream regulators, as well as specific immune effector signatures (as determined by bioinformatics analyses in the tumor microenvironment) supported the therapeutic design, whereby IL-27 or 27pepL can be more effective when delivered with IL-18. This cytokine sequencing approach allows flexible incorporation of both gene delivery and recombinant cytokines as tools to augment IL-27’s bioactivity and reengineer efficacy against prostate tumors and may prove applicable in other therapeutic settings

Poly I:C-priming of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells promotes a pro-tumorigenic phenotype in an immunocompetent mouse model of prostate cancer

Introduction: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are envisioned as a potential cellular vehicle for targeted cancer therapies due to their tumor tropism and immune permissiveness. An obstacle in their use is the duality in their interactions within tumors, rendering them pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic, in a context dependent manner. MSC preconditioning, or priming, has been proposed as a strategy for directing the effector properties of MSC at tumor sites.Methods: We primed human MSC derived from adipose tissues (ASC), a clinically advantageous MSC source, utilizing toll-like receptor agonists. Subsequently, we explored the consequences in tumor progression and transcriptome upon the interaction of tumor cells with primed or unprimed ASC in an in vivo model of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer related death in men in the USA.Results and discussion: In the studied model, poly I:C-primed ASC were found to significantly accelerate tumor growth progression. And while unprimed and LPS-primed ASC did not exert a significant effect on tumor growth at the macroscopic level, gene expression analyses suggested that all treatments promoted distinct modulatory effects in the tumor microenvironment, including altered modulation of angiogenesis, and immune response processes. However, the effects resulting from the collective interaction across these processes must be sufficiently skewed in a pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic direction for evidence of tumor progression modulation to be detectable at the macroscopic level. Our study highlights potential MSC-tumor microenvironment interactions that may be leveraged and should be considered in the development of cancer therapeutics utilizing MSC

Age-specific prevalence of human papilloma virus infection among Nigerian women

Background: Inconsistent trends in HPV prevalence by age have been described in Africa. We examined the age prevalence pattern and distribution of 37 HPV-DNA types among urban Nigerian women. Methods: The study population was a sample of 278 women who presented to cervical cancer screening programs in Abuja, Nigeria, between April and August 2012. Using a nurse administered questionnaire, information on demographic characteristics and risk factors of cervical cancer was collected and samples of cervical exfoliated cells were obtained from all participants. Roche Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test® was used to characterize prevalent HPV and log-binomial regression models were used to examine the association between potential correlates and the prevalence of HPV infection. Results: The mean age (SD) of the women enrolled was 38 (8) years. The overall prevalence of HPV was 37%. HPV 35 was the most prevalent HPV type in the study population. Among women age ≤ 30 years, 52% had HPV infection compared to 23% of those women who were older than 45 years (p = 0.006). We observed a significant linear association between age and the prevalence of HPV infections. The prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was 2.26 (1.17, 4.34) for any HPV infection, 3.83 (1.23, 11.94) for Group 1 HPV (definite carcinogens), and 2.19 (0.99, 4.84) for Group 2a or 2b HPV (probable or possible carcinogens) types, among women aged 18–30 years, compared to women who were older than 45 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV infection was highest among younger women and decreased steadily with age among this population of urban Nigerian women

Human papillomavirus seroprevalence and seroconversion following baseline detection of nine human papillomavirus types in young women

Background: Estimates of the humoral immune response to incident human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are limited. Methods: In this post hoc analysis of 3875 women aged 16-23 years from a 4-valent HPV vaccine trial (NCT00092482), HPV seroprevalence on day 1 was measured with a 9-valent HPV (HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/ 52/58) competitive Luminex immunoassay and compared with cervical/external genital HPV detection by po-lymerase chain reaction. In the control group, among women who were HPV DNA-negative on day 1, sero-conversion following initial HPV detection was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Results: Type-specific HPV seropositivity among women with no day 1 cervical/external genital HPV detection was 0.6%-3.6%. Women with any 9-valent HPV (9vHPV) cervical/external genital detection (796/3875; 20.5%) had concordant seropositivity ranging from 13.4% (HPV 45) to 38.5% (HPV 6). Among women in the control group who were negative for all HPV types on day 1, seroconversion by month 30 after initial detection ranged from 29% (HPV 45) to 75% (HPV 16). Conclusions: Humoral immune response to HPV is variable and dynamic, depending on type-specific exposure. This longitudinal analysis provides insight into the relationship between incident infection and seropositivity