2005 Revised Omaha Economic Development Plan: Plan for Northeast Omaha

The 2005 Revised OEDP provides OEDC with current data and analysis to initiate and complete a strategic process to develop an action plan for community and economic development activities and projects. The 2005 Revised Overall Economic Development Plan (OEDP) prepared by the Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) for the Omaha Economic Development Corporation (OEDC) replaces the original OEDP first prepared in 1978. While a variety of revisions and updates over the years helped keep the original OEDP relatively current and helpful in development activities, in 2005 OEDC President Alvin Goodwin commissioned CPAR to provide a new basic planning document for the organization. Working with OEDC staff, and using the original OEDP as a framework, faculty and staff from CPAR, with the assistance of UNO graduate students, collected and analyzed data for the 2005 Revised Overall Economic Development Plan. The Revised OEDP retains and updates several of the sections from the original Plan but also adds new sections. Overall economic development plans contain a wealth of information about the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the geographic area targeted for development by a community development corporation (CDC). CDCs, like the Omaha Economic Development Corporation, engage in many and varied community and economic development projects in its service area, and the overall economic development plan provides needed information to implement these projects. For example, the OEDP helps the community development corporation identify community needs as well as opportunities for business and economic development. Data from the OEDP can also be utilized for marketing and promotional purposes to attract new firms and customers. The OEDP serves as a source of information for formulating broad, long-term organizational goals, as well as specific, short-term development strategies and actions. Finally, the OEDP helps coordinate development activities, plans, and projects among the range of other organizations working in or adjacent to the target area

TRB3 is stimulated in diabetic kidneys, regulated by the ER stress marker CHOP, and is a suppressor of podocyte MCP-1

The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy continues to rise, highlighting the importance of investigating and discovering novel treatment strategies. TRB3 is a kinase-like molecule that modifies cellular survival and metabolism and interferes with signal transduction pathways. Herein, we report that TRB3 expression is increased in the kidneys of type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice. TRB3 is expressed in conditionally immortalized podocytes; however, it is not stimulated by elevated glucose. The diabetic milieu is associated with increased oxidative stress and circulating free fatty acids (FFA). We show that reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2 and superoxide anion (via the xanthine/xanthine oxidase reaction) as well as the FFA palmitate augment TRB3 expression in podocytes. C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) is a transcription factor that is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum stress response. CHOP expression increases in diabetic mouse kidneys and in podocytes treated with ROS and FFA. In podocytes, transfection of CHOP increases TRB3 expression, and ROS augment recruitment of CHOP to the proximal TRB3 promoter. MCP-1/CCL2 is a chemokine that contributes to the inflammatory injury associated with diabetic nephropathy. In these studies, we demonstrate that TRB3 can inhibit basal and stimulated podocyte production of MCP-1. In summary, enhanced ROS and/or FFA associated with the diabetic milieu induce podocyte CHOP and TRB3 expression. Because TRB3 inhibits MCP-1, manipulation of TRB3 expression could provide a novel therapeutic approach in diabetic kidney disease