An overview of New England's economic performance in 2010

In the first calendar year following the Great Recession, signs of an economic recovery began to take shape across New England. An improving labor market picture, growth in income, indications of a stabilizing housing market, and booming exports spurred economic growth in the region in 2010. As a result, New England’s overall performance surpassed that of the nation as a whole.Economic conditions - New England

A Geographically Targeted Approach for a Preceptor Tax Incentive Using Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)

Years before the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a health care shortage in Kentucky, its rural areas were already struggling to obtain and attract primary care medical practitioners. Even though the number of medical school graduates in the U.S. has steadily increased throughout the years, there is a general disinterest in rural or small-town practice, and legislators throughout the country have pondered ways to address this issue plaguing communities. Versions of Preceptor Tax Incentive legislation in Kentucky have been proposed in the General Assembly to address care shortages in the state, however, all have been unsuccessful at truly targeting rural areas where preceptors are needed the most. After interviews with Kentucky and Georgia policymakers, Kentucky AHEC officials, medical providers, and other stakeholders, we concluded that a more targeted approach to preceptor tax incentive legislation was needed using Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), which are geographic areas, population groups, or health care facilities that have been designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration as having a shortage of primary care health professionals. This new structure creates a nonrefundable income tax credit to be claimed by any non-compensated, community-based, Kentucky-licensed primary care preceptor practicing in one of Kentucky’s HRSA-designated Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and supervising 3rd and 4th year medical/osteopathic students, physician assistant students, and advanced practice registered nurse students. Since research shows that where medical students do their clinical rotations influences where they ultimately decide to practice, it is vital that there are plenty of primary care preceptors in rural and underserved areas to expose students to this kind of unique work environment. Increasing the number of primary care preceptors in rural communities would curb primary care shortages in the long-term and lead more medical students to practice in these areas once they graduate. Published briefs in the Commonwealth Policy papers are intended to provide specific examples of novel policies which may be applicable in multiple states and provinces of the U.S., in addition to providing “trickle up” solutions to the Congressional level

Curse or Blessing? Exploring risk factors of digital technologies in industrial operations

Both practitioners and scholars emphasise the benefits of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technology implementation, such as increased transparency and the availability of real-time data in operations processes. Current literature on I4.0 technologies tends to overemphasise the positive impact and transformational capabilities of digital technologies while there is little focus on evaluating potential risks associated with their adoption in industrial operations. An understanding of how supply chain risks are perceived in digitalisation projects within industrial operations and an understanding of decision-makers' responses to different types of risks has important managerial implications. Current literature, however, lacks systematic empirical evidence on the implementation of I4.0 applications and related risk factors. This study aims to address this research gap by exploring the relationship between I4.0 technologies and supply chain risks based on empirical evidence from 300 case studies of industrial practice in Germany and fifty-three interviews with relevant managers from selected use cases and with general experts in this field. Our findings show that digital technologies are frequently adopted to address certain existing supply chain risks but that their implementation introduces new sources of risks (e.g. cyber risks). Based on qualitative data analysis and drawing on Normal Accident Theory, we propose a framework to explicate the drivers and contingency factors of new sources of supply chain risks in the context of Industry 4.0 technologies. Practical recommendations are provided for supply chain managers to guide the process of managing supply chain risks based on the technological life cycle

Predictability of biotic stress structures plant defence evolution

To achieve ecological and reproductive success, plants need to mitigate a multitude of stressors. The stressors encountered by plants are highly dynamic but typically vary predictably due to seasonality or correlations among stressors. As plants face physiological and ecological constraints in responses to stress, it can be beneficial for plants to evolve the ability to incorporate predictable patterns of stress in their life histories. Here, we discuss how plants predict adverse conditions, which plant strategies integrate predictability of biotic stress, and how such strategies can evolve. We propose that plants commonly optimise responses to correlated sequences or combinations of herbivores and pathogens, and that the predictability of these patterns is a key factor governing plant strategies in dynamic environments.</p

Yoga in school sports improves functioning of autonomic nervous system in young adults: A non-randomized controlled pilot study

Background Yoga in school is a beneficial tool to promote the good health and well-being of students by changing the way they react to stress. The positive effects of yoga—taught in schools—on children, youth and young adults have been demonstrated in former studies using mostly subjective psychometric data. Aim The present trial aims to evaluate the potential effects of yoga on autonomic regulation in young adults by analyzing heart rate variability (HRV). Methods This study is a non-randomized, explorative, two-arm-pilot study with an active control group. Fourteen healthy young adults took part in a 10-week yoga program (90 min once a week) in school and were compared to a control group of 11 students who participated in conventional school sports (90 min once a week over 10 weeks). 24-hour electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded at baseline and following the 10-week intervention. From 20-minute of nocturnal sleep phases, HRV parameters were calculated from linear (time and frequency domain) and nonlinear dynamics (such as symbolic dynamics and Poincaré plot analysis). Analyses of variance (ANOVA) followed by t-tests as post-hoc tests estimating both statistical significance and effect size were used to compare pre-post-intervention for the two groups. Results The statistical analysis of the interaction effects did not reveal a significant group and time interaction for the individual nocturnal HRV indices. Almost all indices revealed medium and large effects regarding the time main effects. The changes in the HRV indices following the intervention were more dramatic for the yoga group than for the control group which is reflected in predominantly higher significances and stronger effect sizes in the yoga group. Conclusion In this explorative pilot trial, an increase of HRV (more parasympathetic dominance and overall higher HRV) after ten weeks of yoga in school in comparison to regular school sports was demonstrated, showing an improved self-regulation of the autonomic nervous system

The identification of archaeological eggshell using peptide markers

Avian eggshell survives well in alkaline and neutral soils, but its potential as an archaeological resource remains largely unexplored, mainly due to difficulties in its identification. Here we exploit the release of novel bird genomes and, for the first time on eggshell, use MALDI-ToF (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight) mass spectrometry in combination with peptide sequencing by LC-MS/MS. The eggshell proteome is revealed as unexpectedly complex, with 5755 proteins identified for a reference collection comprising 23 bird species. We determined 782 m/z markers useful for eggshell identification, 583 of which could be assigned to known eggshell peptide sequences. These were used to identify eggshell fragments recovered from a medieval site at Freeschool Lane, Leicester. We discuss the specificity of the peptide markers and highlight the importance of assessing the level of taxonomic identification achievable for archaeological interpretation

Evaluationsbericht der Erziehungswissenschaftlichen Lehr- und Forschungswerkstatt (ELF) der Technischen Universität Dresden: Auswertung der Teilnehmendenevaluationen aus dem Zeitraum Wintersemester 2013/14 bis Sommersemester 2018

Die Erziehungswissenschaftliche Lehr- und Forschungswerkstatt (ELF) ist ein Projekt, das an den Arbeitsbereich der Professur Schulpädagogik: Schulforschung des Instituts für Erziehungswissenschaft an der Technischen Universität Dresden angebunden ist und seit dem Wintersemester 2013/2014 Lehrveranstaltungen anbietet. Die ELF bietet engagierten Studierenden Raum, sich wissenschaftsbasiert in Team- und Kooperationsfähigkeit, Selbständigkeit und kritischer Selbstreflexion zu üben. Mit den Angeboten „Kollegiale Fallberatung“, „Blocktrainings zu sozialen und personalen Kompetenzen im Lehrer*innenberuf“ (kurz auch „Kompetenztrainings“ oder „Trainings“ genannt) und „Tutor*innentraining 1 und 2“ werden pädagogische Kompetenzen der Studierenden gestärkt, die bereits in der Organisation und Bewältigung des Studienalltags höchste Relevanz haben (Themen der Trainings sind bspw. Stress-/Zeitmanagement und Kommunikation) und auch im späteren Berufsalltag eine erhebliche Rolle spielen. Im Zuge dieser Lehrerfahrungen werden die Studierenden intensiv, individuell und prozessbezogen in ihren Lern- und Entwicklungsprozessen im Sinne eines Peer-Coaching von studentischen Mitarbeiter*innen der ELF begleitet. Die Reflexion dieser Selbsterfahrung als Lehrperson im Studium ist ein bedeutsamer Faktor für erfolgreiches pädagogisches Handeln im späteren Berufsleben, da die Handlungs- und Reflexionsfähigkeit der Teilnehmenden maßgeblich erweitert werden. Die Vermittlung der Lehrinhalte im Rahmen der ELF folgt darüber hinaus dem Prinzip eines Multiplikatorensystems. Die Teilnehmer*innen aller Lehrveranstaltungen der ELF erhalten mit der letzten Sitzung der Kollegialen Fallberatung, am Ende des zweiten Trainingstages der Kompetenztrainings und zum Abschluss des Tutor*innenprogrammes einen auf das jeweilige Format der Lehrveranstaltung zugeschnittenen Evaluationsbogen. Der Evaluationsbogen erhebt neben personenbezogenen Daten auch subjektive Einstellungen zu dem Format und der Durchführung des jeweiligen Lehrangebotes sowie der Leitung dessen durch die Peer-Leiter*innen, Einstellungen bezüglich der ELF und deren Wahrnehmung sowie die Einschätzung der individuellen Kompetenzentwicklung. Im vorliegenden Bericht werden die Ergebnisse der durchgeführten Evaluationen im Zeitraum vom Wintersemester 2013/14 bis zum Sommersemester 2018 dargestellt und erörtert.:1 Einführung 2 Methodik 3 Kollegiale Fallberatung (KFB) 4 Kompetenztrainings 5 Tutor*innentraining 1 6 Tutor*innentraining 2 7 Auswertung offene Fragen 8 Ausblick 9 Literatu

Tumor cell network integration in glioma represents a stemness feature

BACKGROUND: Malignant gliomas including glioblastomas are characterized by a striking cellular heterogeneity, which includes a subpopulation of glioma cells that becomes highly resistant by integration into tumor microtube (TM)-connected multicellular networks. METHODS: A novel functional approach to detect, isolate, and characterize glioma cell subpopulations with respect to in vivo network integration is established, combining a dye staining method with intravital two-photon microscopy, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), molecular profiling, and gene reporter studies. RESULTS: Glioblastoma cells that are part of the TM-connected tumor network show activated neurodevelopmental and glioma progression gene expression pathways. Importantly, many of them revealed profiles indicative of increased cellular stemness, including high expression of nestin. TM-connected glioblastoma cells also had a higher potential for reinitiation of brain tumor growth. Long-term tracking of tumor cell nestin expression in vivo revealed a stronger TM network integration and higher radioresistance of the nestin-high subpopulation. Glioblastoma cells that were both nestin-high and network-integrated were particularly able to adapt to radiotherapy with increased TM formation. CONCLUSION: Multiple stem-like features are strongly enriched in a fraction of network-integrated glioma cells, explaining their particular resilience