Good places for ageing in place : development of objective built environment measures for investigating links with older people's wellbeing

Background: There is renewed interest in the role of the built environment in public health. Relatively little research to date investigates its impact on healthy ageing. Ageing in place has been adopted as a key strategy for coping with the challenges of longevity. What is needed is a better understanding of how individual characteristics of older people’s residential environments (from front door to wider neighbourhood) contribute to their wellbeing, in order to provide the basis for evidence-based housing/urban design and development of interventions. This research aimed to develop a tool to objectively measure a large range of built environment characteristics, as the basis for a preliminary study of potential relationships with a number of ‘place-related’ functional, emotional and social wellbeing constructs. Methods: Through a review of urban design literature, design documents, and existing measures, a new tool, the NeDeCC (Neighbourhood Design Characteristics Checklist) was developed. It was piloted, refined, and its reliability validated through inter-rater tests. A range of place-related wellbeing constructs were identified and measured through interviews with 200 older people living in a wide variety of rural-urban environments and different types of housing in England. The NeDeCC was used to measure the residential environment of each participant, and significant bivariate relationships with wellbeing variables were identified. Results: The NeDeCC was found to have convincing face and construct validity and good inter-rater and test/ retest reliability, though it would benefit from use of digital data sources such as Google Earth to eliminate the need for on-site survey. The significant relationships found in the study suggest that there may be characteristics of residential environments of potential relevance for older people’s lives that have been overlooked in research to date, and that it may be worthwhile to question some of the assumptions about where and how older people want to live (e.g. villages seem to be positive). They also point to the importance of considering non-linear relationships. Conclusions: The NeDeCC provides the basis for generation of evidence-based design guidance if it is used in prospective controlled studies or ‘natural experiments’ in the future. Ultimately, this will facilitate the creation of better places for ageing in place

Influences of Cattle on Postmetamorphic Amphibians on the Cumberland Plateau

Global decline of amphibian populations has been linked to various anthropogenic stressors. Recent studies have quantified the influences of cropland agriculture and deforestation; however, few have examined the impacts of allowing cattle access in wetlands on resident amphibians. I compared four wetlands exposed to cattle grazing for \u3e10 years against four wetlands that had not been grazed for \u3e10 years, at the University of Tennessee Plateau Research and Education Center. At each wetland I measured species richness, diversity, and species-specific relative abundance of postmetamorphic amphibians captured in pitfall traps and during breeding call surveys, amphibian egg mass abundance, shoreline vegetation structure, and soil compaction from March – August 2005 and 2006. Pathogen prevalence and histopathological changes were measured from a subsample of opportunistically collected amphibians. Landscape characteristics were quantified and related to amphibian community structure. Relative abundance of green frog metamorphs was 9.8X greater in 2006 and 2.3X greater in 2005 at non-access wetlands. Relative abundance of American toads was 68X and 76X greater at cattle-access wetlands in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Breeding call abundance of American toad, Fowler’s toad, and Cope’s gray treefrog was 4 – 25X greater at cattleaccess wetlands in 2006. There were 2X more spring peepers and pickerel frogs calling at non-access wetlands in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Species richness, diversity, and egg mass abundance were not significantly different between land-use types each year. In general, body size followed a density-dependent relationship across species. Height and percent horizontal and vertical cover of shoreline vegetation were 74%, 25% and 84% greater, respectively, in non-access wetlands in 2005; trends were similar in 2006. Soil compaction was 55% greater at cattle-access wetlands. Pathogen prevalence and histopathological changes did not differ between land uses. Landscape analyses revealed species-specific associations related to wetland isolation and geometric complexity of the landscape between wetlands. My results suggest that cattle influence community composition and postmetamorphic body size of amphibians, but effects are speciesspecific. Differences in postmetamorphic abundance may be related to less vegetation structure and lower water quality at cattle-access wetlands. Fencing cattle from wetlands may be a prudent conservation strategy for some amphibian species

A Mean-Risk Mixed Integer Nonlinear Program for Network Protection

Many of the infrastructure sectors that are considered to be crucial by the Department of Homeland Security include networked systems (physical and temporal) that function to move some commodity like electricity, people, or even communication from one location of importance to another. The costs associated with these flows make up the price of the network\u27s normal functionality. These networks have limited capacities, which cause the marginal cost of a unit of flow across an edge to increase as congestion builds. In order to limit the expense of a network\u27s normal demand we aim to increase the resilience of the system and specifically the resilience of the arc capacities. Divisions of critical infrastructure have faced difficulties in recent years as inadequate resources have been available for needed upgrades and repairs. Without being able to determine future factors that cause damage both minor and extreme to the networks, officials must decide how to best allocate the limited funds now so that these essential systems can withstand the heavy weight of society\u27s reliance. We model these resource allocation decisions using a two-stage stochastic program (SP) for the purpose of network protection. Starting with a general form for a basic two-stage SP, we enforce assumptions that specify characteristics key to this type of decision model. The second stage objective---which represents the price of the network\u27s routine functionality---is nonlinear, as it reflects the increasing marginal cost per unit of additional flow across an arc. After the model has been designed properly to reflect the network protection problem, we are left with a nonconvex, nonlinear, nonseparable risk-neutral program. This research focuses on key reformulation techniques that transform the problematic model into one that is convex, separable, and much more solvable. Our approach focuses on using perspective functions to convexify the feasibility set of the second stage and second order conic constraints to represent nonlinear constraints in a form that better allows the use of computational solvers. Once these methods have been applied to the risk-neutral model we introduce a risk measure into the first stage that allows us to control the balance between an efficient, solvable model and the need to hedge against extreme events. Using Benders cuts that exploit linear separability, we give a decomposition and solution algorithm for the general network model. The innovations included in this formulation are then implemented on a transportation network with given flow demand

Perceptions of Practice Educators in Social Work: Exploration of the Effects of Change

The dissertation explores lived experiences of practice educators, to capture their impressions of recent social work reforms affecting the assessment of social work students. A three-stage research study was conducted, aiming to gain the views of practice educators before, and then during the early stages of implementation, followed by a review of the data gathered involving social work professionals, to incorporate peer feedback, cross reference data and add research rigour. The rationale for the three-staged approach was to understand how participants perceived their changing role, explore personal and professional motivators for assessing students and identify ways of strengthening the available infrastructure of support. The strength based methodology, Appreciative Inquiry, was selected to shape the three stages of the study, seeking to draw out peak experiences as a catalyst for managing change. Data collection started with four small group interviews, progressing six months later to the completion of twelve individual interviews, culminating in sharing research findings with social work professionals six months hence, to validate emerging data about how practice educators could be better supported. By reframing the challenges expressed by participants, such as limited support, role marginalisation and low extrinsic reward, research findings have captured aspirations for increased support to sustain the climate of change and uncertainty for practice education. Solutions emerging from findings include strengthening local and national drivers to raise the profile of practice education, building research capacity, streamlining regional channels of support for individual, peer and group support and championing the practice educator role by raising awareness through inter-agency training and building more robust local partnerships

Evaluating the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program of the National Park Service

Following the end of the Civil War, Americans used the legend of the Underground Railroad as evidence of the country’s morality before the abolishment of slavery. Using oral history, historians substantiated the common narrative of white abolitionists aiding fugitive slaves into the mid-twentieth century. With the Civil Rights Movement and the growth of social history, this narrative was re-evaluated. In 1995, a Special Resource Study for the National Park Service determined that the Underground Railroad was not being recognized or preserved adequately. Following the recommendations of the study, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 was passed. This thesis evaluates the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program through three cases studies, in order to determine if it is an effective model for commemorating and preserving non-traditional sites, like those of the Underground Railroad

Regulation of VCAM-1 Expression by Tgfβ2 during the Formation of the Epicardium

The normal formation of the epicardium, the outer cell layer of the heart, is critical for subsequent development of the heart to proceed normally. Abnormalities in the epicardium lead to cardiac defects as shown in mice deficient in retinoid X receptor α (RXRα-/-), a model of congenital heart disease that exhibits many cardiac malformations including epicardial defects. The RXRα-/- epicardium is slower to form and once formed, it detaches from the myocardium. Previously an elevation of transforming growth factor β2 (TGFβ2) has been observed in RXRα-/- hearts at midgestation and an alteration in vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) was found at E11.5. Based on these findings it was hypothesized that proper expression of VCAM-1 is essential for normal cardiac morphogenesis and is regulated by TGFβ2 and/or retinoid signaling. VCAM-1 is a transmembrane protein known to be involved in epicardial cell adhesion and has been reported to inhibit epithelial to mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of epicardial cells. In this study the expression of VCAM-1 was analyzed from E9.5-E13.5 in the wild type (WT) and RXRα-/- mice using real time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blotting. At E11.5, VCAM-1 protein expression levels were similar to WT in the RXRα-/- mouse, but later (E12.5 and E13.5) misexpression of VCAM-1 was found in the epicardium of RXRα-/- mice. Specifically, VCAM-1 mRNA and protein were increased in the myocardium of the RXRα-/- heart compared to the WT at E12.5 and E13.5. Elevation of VCAM-1 protein was also found in E13.5 epicardial explants from RXRα-/- embryos. To investigate possible involvement of TGFβ2 in VCAM-1 regulation, E11.5 epicardial explants were treated with TGFβ2 and the treatment was found to promote upregulation of VCAM-1 in the epicardial cells. Treatment of embryos in whole embryo culture with TGFβ2 resulted in elevation of VCAM-1 and also caused epicardial detachment after 18 hours of treatment. RXRα and Smad4 were shown to bind to the mouse VCAM-1 promoter using ChIP analysis and the VCAM-1 promoter can be activated by TGFβ2 treatment (shown through use of a luciferase expression plasmid containing the VCAM1 promoter). Together the findings show that VCAM-1 is elevated in the hearts of RXRα-/- mice and TGFβ2 can regulate VCAM-1 expression in the embryonic heart, particularly in the epicardium. Elevated TGFβ2 in the heart, such as that observed in the RXRα-/- mouse, can cause upregulation of VCAM-1 in the myocardium and epicardium. Upregulation of VCAM-1 could decrease epicardial EMT, which is also observed in the RXRα. From our study we show that proper expression (levels and location) of VCAM-1 is essential for normal heart development and that misexpression of VCAM-1 can negatively affect formation of the heart

Double Trouble: Commingled Effects of Fast Food and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and the Intervening Role of Physical Activity on Childhood Obesity

Children are exposed to a great deal of food and beverage promotion. This is particularly concerning given that the prevalence of childhood obesity, a critical public health challenge, may be partially due to the increased consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages. However, there are lingering questions about the complex relationships between fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity levels, and childhood obesity. To address these complex relationships, this research examines the interaction of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, along with the frequency of physical activity, in leading to the likelihood of a child being overweight or obese. A primary concern is the compensatory role of physical activity in offsetting the direct and indirect effects of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on childhood obesity. For a sample of more than 4000 children between five and eleven years of age, results show that physical activity can partially counter the direct relationship between (1) fast food consumption and obesity and (2) sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity. However, this intervening role of physical activity indicates that activity level is unable to compensate for the combined effect of high fast food and high sugar-sweetened drink consumption on obesity likelihood. Conclusions for the public health community and possible implications for policy makers interested in the combined roles of fast food and sugar-sweetened drink consumption on childhood health and obesity are offered

Targeting TNF-α for cancer therapy

As the tumor vasculature is a key element of the tumor stroma, angiogenesis is the target of many cancer therapies. Recent work published in BMC Cell Biology describes a fusion protein that combines a peptide previously shown to home in on the gastric cancer vasculature with the anti-tumor cytokine TNF-α, and assesses its potential for gastric cancer therapy