Geospatial distribution and population substructure of subgroups of US ethnic minorities: implications for perpetuation of health disparities and paucity of precision medicine

Substructure due to familial-associated divisions exists in all large populations. Geographical heterogeneity in US ethnic minorities is a function of historical, social, political, and economic factors overlaying regional geographical biodiversity. Using geospatial, historical, demographic, genetic, and epidemiological databases, we identify 40 US microethnic isolates across the US, the “minorities within ethnic minorities” and locate their geospatial distributions within the US. Key components of the environment relevant to health disparities are identified and elaborated in terms of their impact on genomics. US ethnic minority microethnic isolates often have distinct genetic and social histories from the US ethnic majority that put these isolates at a disadvantage in the quest for access to relevant, precision medicine because of the magnitude of imbedded (North Atlantic Euro-American) bias in the existing databases. However, these microethnic isolates are also at a disadvantage when simply aggregated with their nearest ethnic minority macroethnic group (e.g., generic African American). The use of geospatial and ethnographic analyses has the potential to accelerate the accurate identification of heretofore disadvantaged subgroups of ethnic minority groups, bringing them into the mainstream of genomic diversity studies and healthcare acces

Phronesis and Hermeneutics: The Construct of Social / Economic Phenomenon and their Interpretation for a Sustainable Society

This article has provided a forum for analytical discourses pertaining to two philosophical and methodological concepts (Phronesis and Hermeneutics) in a bid to addressing the key objectives set out. Dscussions emanated from the work (more so from literature review carried out) clearly shows that, there is no crystal dichotomy between the two concepts, but more so the prevalence of inter-connectedness and interpretation of situations or even texts can also be based on an expression of positive biasness towards what one may perceive as being humanely justifiable, closely linked to Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutical philosophy. The methodological inquiry of the study’s reliance on literature review materials and other documentations has helped greatly in unravelling an open, but more critical discourses pertaining to the two case study countries selected (Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom)

A Model of Collaboration Network Formation with Heterogenous Skills

Collaboration networks provide a method for examining the highly heterogeneous structure of collaborative communities. However, we still have limited theoretical understanding of how individual heterogeneity relates to network heterogeneity. The model presented here provides a framework linking an individual's skill set to her position in the collaboration network, and the distribution of skills in the population to the structure of the collaboration network as a whole. This model suggests that there is a non-trivial relationship between skills and network position: individuals with a useful combination of skills will have a disproportionate number of links in the network. Indeed, in some cases, an individual's degree is non-monotonic in the number of skills she has--an individual with very few skills may outperform an individual with many. Special cases of the model suggest that the degree distribution of the network will be skewed, even when the distribution of skills is uniform in the population. The degree distribution becomes more skewed as problems become more difficult, leading to a community dominated by a few high-degree superstars. This has striking implications for labor market outcomes in industries where production is largely the result of collaborative effort

Qualitative evaluation of Fit Kids and Exercise Referral staying healthy projects

There is considerable research on the short term effects of physical activity programmes such as exercise referral, but less is know about long term impact. This qualitative review of Exercise Referral and Fit Kids programmes within Lincolnshire uncovers the long term impact of being part of physical activity interventions, the barriers and enablers to participation

Sickness in Storytelling: The Effects of Chronic Illness on Memoir and the Author

The thesis will be in two parts, research and creative. The first part will be a research-based paper exploring how the creation and content of memoir is influenced by authors with chronic illness, and the difficulties and unique perspective these authors bring to the craft of memoir will be investigated. The second part will be a short memoir that tells a personal story of living with an autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus. This first-person narrative will fluctuate between memories of personal experience, information on lupus, and self-reflection. Together, these parts will explore different aspects of chronic illness in memoir

The Investigation of Cold-mix Asphalt Creep Stiffness Testing Using Multiple Test Apparatuses and Gradations

Many current methods of designing and testing Cold In-Place Recycled (CIR) asphalt are undesirable because they require large amounts of material and significant preparation. In an effort to lessen the cost and time of materials testing, this research utilizes several different methods of small scale testing of creep stiffness. These methods include using a Discovery Hybrid Rheometer (DHR) and a three point bending test to find the creep stiffness of emulsion based CIR. The new testing methods utilized samples on the scale of up to a hundredth the size of what the traditional methods of testing require. The two smaller scale tests were compared to the traditional Indirect Tension Test (IDT) testing. In order to fully evaluate the two reduced sample size test methods, this research observed the effect of gradation, temperature, emulsifier type, and Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) content on creep stiffness. If successful, the use of these new test methods could significantly decrease the damage done to roads, and reduce the cost of material management incurred through the quality control testing methods for pavement. Results showed very good correlation between DHR and IDT testing with a proportional difference between the samples. The standard deviations between the DHR and IDT testing were 18.6% and 19.2% of the mean values respectively, indicating similar accuracies of tests. The tests were also able to distinguish between types of material. The proportional difference between the IDT and DHR is expected and is due to the difference of sample and loading configuration. This research begins the validation of using smaller scale DHR tests for CIR stiffness testing

Plan Now for Managing Electronic Data and Avoid Tomorrow’s Legal Risks

[Excerpt] In a world where the use of electronic data is rapidly increasing, companies must find ways to manage data now so that they effectively control compliance risks. The proliferation of electronic data is both astonishing and overwhelming. Given the storage power of average computers today, even the most modest mom-and-pop business may have electronic storage capacity equivalent to 2,000 four-drawer file cabinets. The task of managing electronic data is further compounded by the fact that the data is no longer just tangible pieces of paper, but rather are bytes of information that are constantly being edited, changed, and updated from different people and sources. Proper archiving, retention, monitoring, filtering, and encryption of electronic data are no longer optional: they are imperative