DuPage County, Illinois, Plan to End Homelessness: Progress at the Five-Year Mark and a Blueprint for Moving Forward

The DuPage County Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) was an early leader nationally and locally in the development and implementation of its 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in 2003. In October 2007, the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty was hired to conduct the evaluation and to facilitate a planning process to inform the update of the Plan.This report documents the tremendous successes of the past five years, outlines the process by which stakeholders were re-energized and re-engaged, and establishes a new blueprint for success for the coming five years. The DuPage County CoC is proceeding from this point even more committed to collaboration and success in ending homelessness in DuPage County

Can Solvent-or Mechanically-Extracted Carinata Meal Be Used as an Effective Source of Supplemental Protein to Cows Fed Poor Quality Forages?

Brassica carinata is an oilseed crop that requires a relatively short growing season and produces high crop yields. It is a great source for aviation biofuel, however it produces a large amount of waste that may be used as a protein supplement for cattle. We tested the effects of solvent- or mechanically-extracted carinata meal as a protein supplement to ad libitum ground or long-stem corn residue (i.e., corn plant left over from grain harvest) had on cow performance and digestibility. Fifty-six non-pregnant cows in 8 pens had ad libitum access to either long-stem or ground corn residue in addition to mechanically- or solvent-extracted carinata meal, canola meal (positive control), or no supplemental protein (negative control). Overall, change in body condition score (ΔBCS) was -0.6 ± 0.06 and was not affected by forage length or supplemental protein (P = 0.37). However, change in body weight (ΔBW) was greatest (P \u3c 0.01) among cows fed canola meal, least among cows fed supplemental mechanically-extracted carinata meal or no protein, and intermediate among cows fed solvent-extracted carinata meal. Cows fed ground corn residue had less ΔBW (P \u3c 0.02) cows fed long-stem corn residue. Carinata meal has a high concentration of glucosinolates, however the value of these chemical compounds can vary from processing methods. Due to the high level of glucosinolate concentration in mechanically- and solvent-extracted carinata meal (72.34 μmol/g DM and 16.51 μmol/g DM, respectively), which can impair thyroid function and cause other negative effects, levels of T3 and T4 were tested in cows. At d 56, T3 was greater (P = 0.05) in cows fed canola meal compared to negative control cows and carinata meal was different. Protein supplement type had no effect on T4, but T3 and T4 were less (P \u3c 0.04) at d 28 and d 56 among cows fed ground corn residue compared to cows fed longstem corn residue. Total DMI was less among cows fed no supplemental protein, intermediate for cows fed mechanically- or solvent-extracted carinata meal, and a tended (P = 0.10) to be greatest among cows fed canola (positive control) meal. Furthermore, forage intake was greater (P \u3c 0.01) in cows fed long-stem corn residue compared to cows fed ground corn residue. However, measures of total-tract DM, OM, NDF, and ADF digestibility were increased (P \u3c 0.01) by more than 23% among cows fed longstem compared to ground corn residue. Carinata meal could potentially serve as a source of supplemental protein for cows as a solvent-extracted form, but apparently not mechanically-extracted

Paths Forward to Salary Parity for New York: National Models for Equity in Early Childhood Education Compensation

Pay parity for early childhood educators is critical to reducing turnover, improving job quality, and achieving an equitable child care system. This publication explores compensation reform nationwide and offers ideas for local and state financing options to better support the early childhood workforce and New York families.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/bsec/1013/thumbnail.jp

‘Merely a Compliment’? Community Perceptions of Street Harassment in Melbourne, Australia

Community attitudes towards sexual and gender-based violence play a central role in normalising, excusing and minimising perpetrators’ actions, as well as fostering a violence-supportive culture. However, we currently know little regarding how members of the community understand or perceive ‘everyday’ or seemingly ‘minor’ forms of harassment and intrusion, such as street-based harassment, with most research focusing on sexual assault and rape. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods, vignette-based survey with members of the community in Melbourne, Australia. The survey examined participants’ perceptions of five scenarios depicting incidents that might constitute street harassment, including the extent to which participants viewed the scenarios as harmful, complimentary or in breach of social norms, and who bore responsibility for the incident. Findings suggest that participants typically held progressive understandings of harassment, but they nonetheless drew on victim-blaming or minimising discourses at times. In closing, we consider the implications for future research and primary prevention work

Cultivating Powerful Mentorship in Educator Credential Programs

This publication explores Bank Street’s approach to mentorship and lessons learned through implementation and features an interview with three Graduate School faculty members: Valentine Burr, Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning; Jessica Wontropski, D13 Residency Program Administrator and Director of General and Special Education Programs; and Cristian Solorza, Director of the TESOL and Bilingual/Dual Language Programs.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/bsec/1010/thumbnail.jp

Green Polymer Chemistry: Investigating the Mechanism of Radical Ring-Opening Redox Polymerization (R3P) of 3,6-Dioxa-1,8-octanedithiol (DODT)

The mechanism of the new Radical Ring-opening Redox Polymerization (R3P) of 3,6-dioxa-1,8-octanedithiol (DODT) by triethylamine (TEA) and dilute H2O2 was investigated. Scouting studies showed that the formation of high molecular weight polymers required a 1:2 molar ratio of DODT to TEA and of DODT to H2O2. Further investigation into the chemical composition of the organic and aqueous phases by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry demonstrated that DODT is ionized by two TEA molecules (one for each thiol group) and thus transferred into the aqueous phase. The organic phase was found to have cyclic disulfide dimers, trimers and tetramers. Dissolving DODT and TEA in water before the addition of H2O2 yielded a polymer with Mn = 55,000 g/mol, in comparison with Mn = 92,000 g/mol when aqueous H2O2 was added to a DODT/TEA mixture. After polymer removal, MALDI-ToF MS analysis of the residual reaction mixtures showed only cyclic oligomers remaining. Below the LCST for TEA in water, 18.7 °C, the system yielded a stable emulsion, and only cyclic oligomers were found. Below DODT/TEA and H2O2 1:2 molar ratio mostly linear oligomers were formed, with \u3c20% cyclic oligomers. The findings support the proposed mechanism of R3P. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules2004650

A Snapshot of ECE Apprenticeship Programs

This publication offers a closer look at the key features of existing apprenticeship programs across the United States—such as the diversity and range of approaches to credentials, partnership models, funding, and how programs deliver quality mentoring and/or coaching support—to reimagine how program quality can be strengthened to deepen learning for participants.https://educate.bankstreet.edu/bsec/1012/thumbnail.jp

Evaluating Nanoshells and a Potent Biladiene Photosensitizer for Dual Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Light-activated therapies are ideal for treating cancer because they are non-invasive and highly specific to the area of light application. Photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are two types of light-activated therapies that show great promise for treating solid tumors. In PTT, nanoparticles embedded within tumors emit heat in response to laser light that induces cancer cell death. In PDT, photosensitizers introduced to the diseased tissue transfer the absorbed light energy to nearby ground state molecular oxygen to produce singlet oxygen, which is a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) that is toxic to cancer cells. Although PTT and PDT have been extensively evaluated as independent therapeutic strategies, they each face limitations that hinder their overall success. To overcome these limitations, we evaluated a dual PTT/PDT strategy for treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells mediated by a powerful combination of silica core/gold shell nanoshells (NSs) and palladium 10,10-dimethyl-5,15-bis(pentafluorophenyl)biladiene-based (Pd[DMBil1]-PE

Association Between Cytokines and Liver Histology in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

BackgroundReliable non-invasive markers to characterize inflammation, hepatocellular ballooning, and fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are lacking. We investigated the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and features of NAFLD histology to gain insight into cellular pathways driving NASH and to identify potential non-invasive discriminators of NAFLD severity and pattern.MethodsCytokines were measured from plasma obtained at enrollment in pediatric participants in NASH Clinical Research Network studies with liver biopsy-proven NAFLD. Cytokines were chosen a priori as possible discriminators of NASH and its components. Minimization of Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was used to determine cytokines retained in multivariable models.ResultsOf 235 subjects, 31% had "Definite NASH" on liver histology, 43% had "Borderline NASH", and 25% had NAFLD but not NASH. Total plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1) and activated PAI1 levels were higher in pediatric participants with Definite NASH and with lobular inflammation. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) was higher in those with stage 3-4 fibrosis and lobular inflammation. sIL-2rα was higher in children with stage 3-4 fibrosis and portal inflammation. In multivariable analysis, PAI1 variables were discriminators of Borderline/Definite NASH, definite NASH, lobular inflammation and ballooning. IL-8 increased with steatosis and fibrosis severity; sIL-2rα increased with fibrosis severity and portal inflammation. IL-7 decreased with portal inflammation and fibrosis severity.ConclusionsPlasma cytokines associated with histology varied considerably among NASH features, suggesting promising avenues for investigation. Future, more targeted analysis is needed to identify the role of these markers in NAFLD and to evaluate their potential as non-invasive discriminators of disease severity