Access Equity: Driving Indiana Infrastructure and Communities to the Next Level

For over 25 years the American’s with Disabilities Act has required communities to plan for and transition their infrastructure and programs to become accessible. However, many communities still have a long way to go. This presentation takes compliance to the next level and engages community partners in the discussion of what access equity looks like and why it has to be the goal of a solid ADA transition plan

The developmental influence of primary memory capacity on working memory and academic achievement

In this study, we investigate the development of primary memory capacity among children. Children between the ages of 5-8 completed three novel tasks (split span, interleaved lists, and a modified free recall task) that measured primary memory by estimating the number of items in the focus of attention that could be spontaneously recalled in serial order. These tasks were calibrated against traditional measures of simple and complex span. Clear age- related changes in these primary memory estimates were observed. There were marked individual differences in primary memory capacity but each novel measure was predictive of simple span performance. Among older children, each measure shared variance with reading and mathematics performance, whereas for younger children the interleaved lists task was the strongest single predictor of academic ability. We argue that these novel tasks have considerable potential for the measurement of primary memory capacity and provide new, complementary ways of measuring the transient memory processes that predict academic performance. The interleaved lists task also shared features with interference control tasks, and our findings suggest that young children have a particular difficulty in resisting distraction, and that variance in the ability to resist distraction is also shared with measures of educational attainment

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of (Polyphenolic)-Sulfonates and Their Sodium Salts in Rodents

A series of polyphenolic-sulfonated compounds were observed to have potent anti-inflammatory activity and were protective against induced endotoxic shock in mice at 8 and 16 mg/kg, I.P. These agents proved to be potent elastase inhibitors in human leukocytes and J774-AI and IC-21 mouse macrophages as well as prostaglandin cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors in J774-AI macrophages. The compounds from 5 to 50 μM inhibited TNFα release from IC-21 macrophages and IL-1 release from mouse P388D1 macrophages induced by LPS. The binding of these cytokines to high affinity receptors on target cells, e.g. L929 fibroblasts and IL-2 in HuT78 T lymphoma cells, were also suppressed by the agents. These compounds blocked the adhesion of leukocytes and macrophages to the plasma membranes of L929 fibroblasts

Therapeutic Potential of Dietary Polyphenols

The chapter summarizes available research on polyphenols and the potential for polyphenol based therapeutics. Polyphenols have the potential to be used in a multi-target fashion therapeutically. The majority of the polyphenol benefits appear to share positive effects across multiple disease states including inflammatory diseases, diseases of metabolic dysregulation and cancer. The reviewed literature includes human, animal and cell culture based studies. Selected mechanisms within each disease state are highlighted including interleukin inflammatory markers, NF-κB, acetyl-CoA concentration regulation of metabolism, and p-glycoprotein multidrug efflux pump associated with cancer treatment failures. Reviewed studies discuss polyphenols inhibiting transcription factors that control expression on inflammatory factors as well as activating other transcription factors that increase expression of enzymes protective of oxidative damage. Levels of metabolic regulatory enzymes are also affected positively by polyphenol addition through epigenetic modifications. Epigenetic modifications affecting cancer development and progression appear positively affected by polyphenol treatment. Additionally, oxidative damage protection of normal cells can be achieved by polyphenol treatment thus limiting chemotherapeutic damage. Upon review of the available literature, a strong case for the potential use of polyphenols in therapeutic situations stands out. Potential risks included are that the purity and specific concentrations required to achieve therapeutic benefits without potential side effects need to be examined prior to the adoption of therapeutics

Suicide Screening in Primary Care: Use of an Electronic Screener to Assess Suicidality and Improve Provider Follow-Up for Adolescents

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using an existing computer decision support system to screen adolescent patients for suicidality and provide follow-up guidance to clinicians in a primary care setting. Predictors of patient endorsement of suicidality and provider documentation of follow-up were examined. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted to examine the implementation of a CDSS that screened adolescent patients for suicidality and provided follow-up recommendations to providers. The intervention was implemented for patients aged 12–20 years in two primary care clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Results The sample included 2,134 adolescent patients (51% female; 60% black; mean age = 14.6 years [standard deviation = 2.1]). Just over 6% of patients screened positive for suicidality. A positive endorsement of suicidality was more common among patients who were female, depressed, and seen by an adolescent−medicine board-certified provider as opposed to general pediatric provider. Providers documented follow-up action for 83% of patients who screened positive for suicidality. Documentation of follow-up action was correlated with clinic site and Hispanic race. The majority of patients who endorsed suicidality (71%) were deemed not actively suicidal after assessment by their provider. Conclusions Incorporating adolescent suicide screening and provider follow-up guidance into an existing computer decision support system in primary care is feasible and well utilized by providers. Female gender and depressive symptoms are consistently associated with suicidality among adolescents, although not all suicidal adolescents are depressed. Universal use of a multi-item suicide screener that assesses recency might more effectively identify suicidal adolescents

What can we learn about immediate memory from the development of children's free recall?

We ask the question: Which aspects of immediate memory performance improve with age? In two studies, we reexamine the widely held view that primary memory capacity estimates derived from children's immediate free recall are age invariant. This was done by assessing children's immediate free-recall accuracy while also measuring the order in which they elected to recall items (Experiment 1) and by encouraging children to begin free recall with items from towards the end of the presented list (Experiment 2). Across samples aged between 5 and 8 years we replicated the previously reported age-related changes in free-recall serial position functions when aggregated across all trials of the standard task, including an absence of age differences in the recency portion of this curve. However, we also show that this does not reflect the fact that primary memory capacity is constant across age. Instead, when we incorporate order of report information, clear age differences are evident in the recall of list-final items that are output at the start of a participant's response. In addition, the total amount that individuals recalled varied little across different types of free-recall tasks. These findings have clear implications for the use of immediate free recall as a means of providing potential indices of primary memory capacity and in the study of the development of immediate memory

Population genetic structure associated with a landscape barrier in the Western Grasswren (Amytornis textilis textilis)

Dispersal patterns can dictate genetic population structure and, ultimately, population resilience, through maintaining gene flow and genetic diversity. However, geographical landforms, such as peninsulas, can impact dispersal patterns and thus be a barrier to gene flow. Here, we use 13 375 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to evaluate genetic population structure and infer dispersal patterns of the Western Grasswren Amytornis textilis textilis (WGW, n = 140) in the Shark Bay region of Western Australia. We found high levels of genetic divergence between subpopulations on the mainland (Hamelin) and narrow peninsula (Peron). In addition, we found evidence of further genetic sub-structuring within the Hamelin subpopulation, with individuals collected from the western and eastern regions of a conservation reserve forming separate genetic clusters. Spatial autocorrelation analysis within each subpopulation revealed significant local-scale genetic structure up to 35 km at Hamelin and 20 km at Peron. In addition, there was evidence of male philopatry in both subpopulations. Our results suggest a narrow strip of land may be acting as a geographical barrier in the WGW, limiting dispersal between a peninsula and mainland subpopulation. In addition, heterogeneous habitat within Hamelin may be restricting dispersal at the local scale. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that the limited gene flow is asymmetrical, with directional dispersal occurring from the bounded peninsula subpopulation to the mainland. This study highlights the genetic structure existing within and between some of the few remaining WGW subpopulations, and shows a need to place equal importance on conservation efforts to maintain them in the future