Using Typologies to Frame Poverty and Service Delivery in Suburban America

Poverty in the suburbs is growing, but there is great diversity in the rates of growth of poverty as well as causes and consequences of the growth across different kinds of suburbs. Suburban typologies, systems to group different types of suburbs, are a useful tool for understanding the variation among suburbs and highlighting potential strategies for addressing poverty. This paper discusses why typologies of suburban communities are important, what factors have been considered in the development and use of typologies, what typologies have been developed to date, and lastly, how typologies can be used to inform strategies for addressing suburban poverty. Suburban typologies can assist in understanding the variation between suburbs in the overall level, duration, and causes of poverty as well as variation in resources, services, and opportunities available for addressing it (Allard & Roth, 2010; Kneebone & Berube, 2013). For example, suburbs experiencing a sharp increase in poverty coupled with large increases in population may have different social service needs than suburbs with sharp poverty increases and little or no growth in population. The typology research sheds light on those suburbs that are experiencing the most significant impacts from increases in poverty and can identify appropriate policy tools and strategies to help communities cope with poverty. Yet, typologies vary with respect to how suburbs are defined, which suburbs are included, and what factors are considered in their development. Not one consistent definition of suburb is used across the typologies that have been developed. Instead, different researchers classify different geographic areas as suburbs, in part, based on the availability of data. Typologies also differ in the sample of suburbs that are being classified. Some researchers focus on all suburban areas, whereas others focus more narrowly on subsets of suburbs, such as inner-ring suburbs or economically distressed suburbs. Finally, researchers use a range of factors and methodologies to develop these typologies including a number of different economic, demographic, and historical factors (Hanlon, 2010; Hanlon, Vicino, & Short, 2006; Mikelbank, 2004; Orfield & Luce, 2012). Their differences not withstanding, taken together, the suburban typologies that have been developed reveal a number of common findings related to the economic vitality and vulnerability of suburbs. Increasingly larger populations of suburban residents live in communities that do not resemble traditional perceptions of prosperous suburbs. Instead, they live in a diverse set of communities including those characterized by poor economic health with low average income and home values, less housing stability, large populations, diverse family structures and racial composition, and varying levels and composition of employment). Although poverty is increasing in suburbs throughout the country, it is growing fastest in distressed suburbs, which tend to be highly racially segregated and fiscally constrained. Moreover, suburbs closest to central cities are increasingly poor and increasingly non-white. The combination of population growth and economic decline in these communities serve as barriers for addressing the increase in poverty

Re-engineering a NiFe hydrogenase to increase the H2 production bias while maintaining native levels of O2 tolerance

Naturally occurring oxygen tolerant NiFe membrane bound hydrogenases have a conserved catalytic bias towards hydrogen oxidation which limits their technological value. We present an Escherichia coli Hyd-1 amino acid exchange that apparently causes the catalytic rate of H2 production to double but does not impact the O2 tolerance

Novel experimental and analysis strategies for fast voltammetry: 2. A troubleshoot-free flow cell for FSCV calibrations

Fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFMs) is a method traditionally used for real-time quantification of neurotransmitters in biological systems. Reliable calibration of CFMs is essential for converting FSCV signals to analyte concentrations and generally employs flow injection analysis (FIA) performed with flow cells fabricated in-house. Such FSCV FIA cells often require significant and ongoing troubleshooting with pulsing, leaking, flow inconsistencies and dead volume being major causes of common challenges. In this work, we address these issues by creating a robust, plug-and-play FSCV flow cell. This novel design permits reproducible, high-precision, and stable flow injection profiles using low-cost materials to improve FSCV calibration. The ready-to-print computer-aided designs and hardware list are provided

Poverty and Service Delivery in Suburban America Framing Paper

In the United States today, contrary to popular belief, living in the suburbs is not synonymous with living the American dream. An unprecedented number of people in the suburbs are living on household incomes of less than $20,000, many on much less. Increasingly, individuals and their families need to rely on services and public benefits to meet their basic needs (Kneebone & Berube, 2013). Over the past 30 years, poverty in the suburbs has grown due to multiple factors, including job decentralization, shifts in the location of affordable and subsidized housing, and the relocation to the suburbs of lower income immigrants and minorities (Covington, Freeman, & Stoll, 2011; Frey, 2011a). The rate of growth in suburban poverty has been particularly high in the past decade, outpacing growth in both urban and rural areas. During the Great Recession (2007-2009), high rates of unemployment and underemployment and the home foreclosure crisis brought the number of people living in poverty in the suburbs to an all-time high. Today, suburban areas are home to about 40 percent of all poor people in the country, an increase from 25 percent in 1980. Furthermore, in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, more people are living in poverty in the suburbs than in urban areas (Frey, 2011b). Suburbs are now facing a range of challenges traditionally associated with cities, such as high rates of unemployment and underemployment, lower educational attainment, food insecurity, and lack of access to health care. The increase in the suburban poverty rate is straining social service providers and local governments at a time when resources are shrinking (Allard & Roth, 2010). The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to better understand poverty and service delivery in suburban America, including how the dynamics of suburban poverty may differ from those in rural and urban communities and whether service models may need to be tailored to meet these differences. To that end, ASPE commissioned this framing paper to review and synthesize existing research, analyze the characteristics and service needs of those living in poverty in the suburbs, and identify information and research needed to more fully understand and guide efforts to address suburban poverty. To prepare this review, we used three types of information sources: existing literature, both published and unpublished; a select number of key informant interviews; and two sources of extant U.S. Census Bureau household survey data: the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides an annual count of the number of people living below 100 percent of the federal poverty level from 1959 to 2011, and the 2009-2011 American Community Survey (ACS) Weighted 3-Year Restricted-Use Files, a household survey of a nationally representative sample of individuals. These data provide information about all suburbs, including but not limited to, the 100 largest metropolitan areas (see Appendix 1). This paper will serve to frame the discussion during the Poverty and Service Delivery in Suburban America Roundtable, to be convened in 2014. The roundtable will bring together researchers, policy 5 experts, practitioners, and federal staff to discuss the issues raised in this paper and gaps in the research, formulate new research questions, consider the implications of the research for service delivery and public benefits, and assess opportunities for HHS and broader federal engagement

Poverty and Service Delivery in Suburban America Framing Paper

In the United States today, contrary to popular belief, living in the suburbs is not synonymous with living the American dream. An unprecedented number of people in the suburbs are living on household incomes of less than $20,000, many on much less. Increasingly, individuals and their families need to rely on services and public benefits to meet their basic needs (Kneebone & Berube, 2013). Over the past 30 years, poverty in the suburbs has grown due to multiple factors, including job decentralization, shifts in the location of affordable and subsidized housing, and the relocation to the suburbs of lower income immigrants and minorities (Covington, Freeman, & Stoll, 2011; Frey, 2011a). The rate of growth in suburban poverty has been particularly high in the past decade, outpacing growth in both urban and rural areas. During the Great Recession (2007-2009), high rates of unemployment and underemployment and the home foreclosure crisis brought the number of people living in poverty in the suburbs to an all-time high. Today, suburban areas are home to about 40 percent of all poor people in the country, an increase from 25 percent in 1980. Furthermore, in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, more people are living in poverty in the suburbs than in urban areas (Frey, 2011b). Suburbs are now facing a range of challenges traditionally associated with cities, such as high rates of unemployment and underemployment, lower educational attainment, food insecurity, and lack of access to health care. The increase in the suburban poverty rate is straining social service providers and local governments at a time when resources are shrinking (Allard & Roth, 2010). The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to better understand poverty and service delivery in suburban America, including how the dynamics of suburban poverty may differ from those in rural and urban communities and whether service models may need to be tailored to meet these differences. To that end, ASPE commissioned this framing paper to review and synthesize existing research, analyze the characteristics and service needs of those living in poverty in the suburbs, and identify information and research needed to more fully understand and guide efforts to address suburban poverty. To prepare this review, we used three types of information sources: existing literature, both published and unpublished; a select number of key informant interviews; and two sources of extant U.S. Census Bureau household survey data: the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides an annual count of the number of people living below 100 percent of the federal poverty level from 1959 to 2011, and the 2009-2011 American Community Survey (ACS) Weighted 3-Year Restricted-Use Files, a household survey of a nationally representative sample of individuals. These data provide information about all suburbs, including but not limited to, the 100 largest metropolitan areas (see Appendix 1). This paper will serve to frame the discussion during the Poverty and Service Delivery in Suburban America Roundtable, to be convened in 2014. The roundtable will bring together researchers, policy 5 experts, practitioners, and federal staff to discuss the issues raised in this paper and gaps in the research, formulate new research questions, consider the implications of the research for service delivery and public benefits, and assess opportunities for HHS and broader federal engagement

Damage patterns at the head-stem taper junction helps understand the mechanisms of material loss

Background: Material loss at the taper junction of metal-on-metal total hip replacements (MOM THRs) has been implicated in their early failure. The mechanisms of material loss are not fully understood; analysis of the patterns of damage at the taper can help us better understand why material loss occurs at this junction. Methods: We mapped the patterns of material loss in a series of 155 MOM-THRs received at our centre by scanning the taper surface using a roundness-measuring machine. We examined these material loss maps to develop a five-tier classification system based on visual differences between different patterns. We correlated these patterns to surgical, implant and patient factors known to be important for head-stem taper damage. Results: We found that 63 implants had ‘minimal damage’ at the taper (material loss <1mm3 ) and the remaining 92 implants could be categorised by four distinct patterns of taper material loss. We found that (1) head diameter and (2) time to revision were key significant variables separating the groups. Conclusion: These material loss maps allow us to suggest different mechanisms that dominate the cause of the material loss in each pattern: (a) corrosion, (b) mechanically assisted corrosion or (c) intra-operative damage or poor size tolerances leading to toggling of trunnion in taper

The Structure of Hydrogenase-2 from <i>Escherichia coli</i>:Implications for H₂ -Driven Proton Pumping

Under anaerobic conditions Escherichia coli is able to metabolize molecular hydrogen via the action of several [NiFe]-hydrogenase enzymes. Hydrogenase-2, which is typically present in cells at low levels during anaerobic respiration, is a periplasmic-facing membrane-bound complex that functions as a proton pump to convert energy from H2 oxidation into a proton gradient; consequently, its structure is of great interest. Empirically, the complex consists of a tightly-bound core catalytic module, comprising large (HybC) and small (HybO) subunits, which is attached to an Fe-S protein (HybA) and an integral membrane protein, HybB. To date, efforts to gain a more detailed picture have been thwarted by low native expression levels of hydrogenase-2 and the labile interaction between HybOC and HybA/HybB subunits. In this paper we describe a new over-expression system that has facilitated determination of high-resolution crystal structures of HybOC and, hence, a prediction of the quaternary structure of the HybOCAB complex