Education Nonprofit Organization: A Hierarchical Decision Modeling Tool for State Engagement Choice

Decision models can be useful in various industries. In this project, a hierarchical decision model (HDM) is employed to assist a nonprofit organization called “eKnow” that is concerned with improving high-speed internet access to American schools. When initially launched, eKnow’s engagement decisions were based on immediate opportunities and educational or political connections in particular states. Now, after having already worked a number of states, decision criteria have matured. Over the winter of 2017/2018, eKnow is working to identify which which states to enter next. The purpose of this study was to assist eKnow in their effort by helping to identify and define the most relevant decision criteria and then to use those criteria in an HDM-based prioritization of five states by subject matter experts at eKnow. This result is then available to assist decision makers move forward

Rat Default Mode Network.

<p>When the bilateral seed was placed in the Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex approximately Bregma in mm: +/-0.5; 2.5; 1.7 the DMN was distinguished. Axial rat brain images are sorted from left to right in rostral to caudal order. The image to the far left shows positive color-coded FC-values in pre limbic cortex, infra limbic cortex, orbital cortex and cingulate cortex. The two middle images show positive FC-values in cingulate cortex, septal nuclei. Also, note the bilateral anticorrelated color-coded regions in the motor-sensory cortical region throughout the images. Note the lack of signal in hippocampus. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Rat Ventral Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>This network was detected by placing the bilateral seed in approximately Bregma in mm: +/-1.5; 6.5; 1.7. Axial rat brain images are sorted from left to right in rostral to caudal order. The image to the far left shows bilateral lower positive FC-values in prefrontal cortex, and bilateral higher positive FC-values in the nucleus accumbens. The middle image shows bilateral positive FC-values in nucleus accumbens, and lower positive FC-values in medial caudate putamen as well as prefrontal cortex. The image to the far right shows positive FC-values in nucleus accumbens and lower positive FC-values in caudate putamen. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Human Ventral Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>A bilateral seed placed in Talairach coordinates in mm: +/-14; 5; -8 revealed the ventral basal ganglia network. Top left image displays an axial, top right a sagital and bottom image a coronal view of the human brain. Note the possitive FC-values of the bilateral nucleus accumbens in the axial view, the unilateral sagittal view of nucleus accumbens and the possitive FC-values in the caudate as well as putamen, and the coronal bilateral view of nucleus accumbens as well as lower possitive FC-values indicating a part of the ventromedial prefrontal cortical region. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Human Dorsal Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>A dorsal basal ganglia network in the human brain was defined by placing a bilateral seed in Talairach coordinates in mm: +/-21; 0; 7. Top left image displays an axial, top right a sagittal and bottom image a coronal view of the human brain. Note the possitive FC-values of the bilateral putamen, as well as the supplementary motor area in the axial view, the unilateral sagittal view of putamen, and the coronal bilateral view of putamen. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Rat Seed Correlation Matrix.

<p>Note the high correlations between the somatosensory and motor regions as well as the high correlations between the seeds in the DMN. CPu = Caudatus Putamen, Acb = n. Accumbens, M1 = primary motor cortex, S1 = primary somatosensory cortex, RACC = Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex, DMN-Rost = PrL: Prelimbic Cortex DMN-Caud = Cg1: Cingulate Cortex, area 1. The values displayed are Fisher z-transformed correlation values.</p

Rat Dorsal Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>To define this network, a bilateral seed was placed at approximately Bregma in mm: +/-3.5; 4; -0.3. Axial rat brain images are sorted from left to right in rostral to caudal order. The images from the far left to the right all show bilateral positive FC-values bilateral caudate putamen and week positive FC-values in the rostral somatosensory cortex in the three images to the left. Note that all images also includes an anticorrelated caudal cingulate gyrus region. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Seed placement in humans for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.

<p>The coordinates of the seeds in the animal data, which all are placed in both brain hemispheres, were carefully placed with the help of Paxinos rat atlas [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0120345#pone.0120345.ref036" target="_blank">36</a>] to match the morphological structures as much as possible (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0120345#pone.0120345.t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a> and <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0120345#pone.0120345.s001" target="_blank">S1 Fig.</a> for coordinates and seed placements).</p><p>Seed placement in humans for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.</p

Seed placement in rat for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.

<p>Seed placement in rat for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.</p

Human Seed Correlation Matrix.

<p>Note the high correlations between the somatosensory and motor regions as well as the high correlations between the prefrontal regions of the brain. Put = Putamen, NAcc = Nucleus Accumbens, PriMot = Primary Motor Cortex, PriSen = Primary Sensory Cortex, DMN = Posterior Cingulate Cortex, Put-BA6 = Brodmann Area 6 within the Putamen network DMN-PFC = Prefrontal Cortex within the DMN, NAcc-BA10 = Brodmann Area 10 within the ventral basal ganglia network. The values displayed are Fisher z-transformed correlation values.</p