An Algorithm for Cellular Reprogramming

The day we understand the time evolution of subcellular elements at a level of detail comparable to physical systems governed by Newton's laws of motion seems far away. Even so, quantitative approaches to cellular dynamics add to our understanding of cell biology, providing data-guided frameworks that allow us to develop better predictions about and methods for control over specific biological processes and system-wide cell behavior. In this paper we describe an approach to optimizing the use of transcription factors in the context of cellular reprogramming. We construct an approximate model for the natural evolution of a synchronized population of fibroblasts, based on data obtained by sampling the expression of some 22,083 genes at several times along the cell cycle. (These data are based on a colony of cells that have been cell cycle synchronized) In order to arrive at a model of moderate complexity, we cluster gene expression based on the division of the genome into topologically associating domains (TADs) and then model the dynamics of the expression levels of the TADs. Based on this dynamical model and known bioinformatics, we develop a methodology for identifying the transcription factors that are the most likely to be effective toward a specific cellular reprogramming task. The approach used is based on a device commonly used in optimal control. From this data-guided methodology, we identify a number of validated transcription factors used in reprogramming and/or natural differentiation. Our findings highlight the immense potential of dynamical models models, mathematics, and data guided methodologies for improving methods for control over biological processes

Kids in Transition to School (KITS)

During the summer and fall of 2016, children and families in 16 schools in Lane County participated in the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Program. KITS includes 16 weeks of group-based child classes and 12 weeks of parenting workshops, using an evidence-based curriculum designed to improve school readiness skills and parenting. To learn more about the KITS program from the perspective of participating families, four focus groups were held with parents who participated in KITS. A total of 44 parents participated in the groups, which were located in four different schools (two small, rural locations and two larger more urban school districts). Focus groups were conducted in English, and 3 Spanish-speaking parents participated in 2 of the groups. Translation was provided for Spanish speaking parents who participated. Groups were facilitated by members of the KITS evaluation team from the Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services at Portland State University. Participants reported mixed experiences prior to KITS in terms of children’s experience with preschool, with about half reporting that their child had been to preschool and about half indicating no prior group-based experiences. Focus group questions were designed to learn more about families’ experience with the KITS program (e.g., the enrollment process, attendance supports, etc.), about the benefits of the program for parents and children, and about any challenges encountered with the program. Focus group questions were designed to learn more about families’ experience with the KITS program (e.g., the enrollment process, attendance supports, etc.), about the benefits of the program for parents and children, and about any challenges encountered with the program. Focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed by the senior researcher to identify key themes. These themes and findings were then reviewed by the other team members and by the focus group facilitators to confirm and clarify findings

Fostering Strengths in Incarcerated Youth: The Development of a Measure of Psychological Empowerment in Oregon Youth Authority Correctional Facilities

Research on juvenile offender treatment and intervention has called for a shift from a deficits-based to a strengths-based approach (Marshall, Ward, Mann, Moulden, Fernandez, Serran, & Marshall, 2005; Wormith, Althouse, Simpson, Reitzel, Fagan, & Morgan, 2007; Zeldin, 2004). One potential approach to treatment fosters a sense of psychological empowerment in youth. Although research has yet to explore the experience of psychological empowerment within incarcerated youth, theory on empowerment suggests that it could help youth to create both cognitive (e.g., increased self-esteem, increased confidence) and behavioral (e.g., improving quality of life, social integration) changes in their lives (Cargo, Grams, Ottoson, Ward, & Green, 2003; Holden, Crankshaw, Nimsch, Hinnant, & Hund, 2004a). Empowerment-based programming may also help youth develop specific psychosocial capacities, such as competence, confidence, and self-efficacy, which are necessary skills for future success and community reintegration. The purpose of the current study was to establish a measure of psychological empowerment (PE) and explore potential behavioral correlates of PE for young men within Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) correctional and re-entry facilities. Using a cross-sectional, non-experimental design, quantitative data from self-report surveys of incarcerated youth on PE in three settings within correctional facilities as well as OYA staff ratings of behavioral success in five skill areas was collected. Confirmatory factor analyses did not support the three-factor structure of PE. A single-factor structure of Intrapersonal PE was found to fit the data in three correctional settings. The present study has implications for the reconceptualization and reoperationalization of psychological empowerment in this unique context. Using the confirmed sub-scale, results of hierarchical linear models indicated that Intrapersonal PE was a significant predictor of behavioral success in two of the five OYA domains. Even with an imperfect operationalization of PE, there was partial evidence for the predictive ability of Intrapersonal PE

Evaluation of the Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation Grants

In July 2014, Oregon’s Early Learning Division provided first-time funding for sixteen communities across the state to implement Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation (KRPI) projects. The KRPI projects share the common goal of improving children’s school readiness and, ultimately, improving school success and reducing the achievement gap. To achieve these goals, grantees were given considerable local flexibility to implement innovative approaches in one or more of the following areas: 1. Supporting kindergarten readiness skills and smooth transitions to kindergarten; 2. Increasing family engagement in children’s learning and connecting families and schools; 3. Providing professional development to early learning and/or elementary school professionals to improve knowledge and skills; and/or 4. Increasing alignment, connection, and collaboration in the prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) system. All grantees were also expected to work toward addressing achievement gaps for underrepresented children, including those with special needs, Dual Language Learners, and/or children from low income or racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. Across the sixteen grantees, a variety of different strategies and interventions were selected and implemented. Portland State University was contracted to conduct an evaluation of the KRPI initiative, with a focus on documenting and describing the types of innovations delivered, early program outcomes, and lessons learned from the first year of implementation. The evaluation took a multi-level, mixed-methods approach that included: Developing web-based reporting tools, including: Service reporting tools to track the types of events and interventions used; Demographic and background characteristics of participants; and Frequency of participation by early learning and elementary school professionals, families, and community partners; Outcome tools designed to capture short-term outcomes for three primary types of interventions: Kindergarten Transition programs Cross-Sector Professional Development activities; and Family Engagement activities; Interviewing 28 key stakeholders representing the 16 communities to document key project successes, challenges, and lessons learned; and conducting five site-specific “mini evaluations” that allowed a more in-depth evaluation of selected grantee projects

Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS)

With funding from the Race-to-the-Top grant, we are working with Oregon State University researchers to conduct a validation study to support the state’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). The QRIS provides technical assistance to child care facilities to improve quality, as well as ratings for child care facilities to help parents in decision-making. Center staff are collecting standardized observational measures of child care quality statewide to assess the extent to which QRIS ratings correspond to observed quality

Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods

Final project for URSP688L: Planning Technologies (Fall 2015). University of Maryland, College Park.For this project the Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods group worked with Baltimore’s Southwest Partnership (SWP) to create mapping resources for their seven partnering neighborhoods. The primary focus was to investigate the health and safety of Southwest Baltimore’s current neighborhood using the most recent ACS (American Community Survey) and Census Data as well as open source data provided by the City and the SWP, to determine if certain conditions influence one another. Like much of Baltimore, the Partnership’s neighborhoods have been isolated and neglected due to white flight, racially restrictive zoning, redlining, and “decades of disinvestment.”1 By using GIS mapping to visualize the neighborhood conditions and GIS analysis to pinpoint areas of opportunity and concern, we hope to help SWP focus their resources to attract new residents and investment, particularly from its neighboring partners and anchor institutions. Recently planners have used GIS to map areas of opportunity and spatial mismatch where, for example, employment needs do not match resident skills. Using crime data provided by the SWP and the City, this report compares street conditions and demographics in Southwest Baltimore with contributing factors or variables that would affect the neighborhoods’ health and safety. The following variables were mapped: racial demographics, median household income, vacant houses, crime density by type and time of day, urban tree canopy, street conditions, street lights, and illegal dumping sites. Analysis showed that the neighborhood trends reflected issues facing Baltimore City as a whole, so the study area was expanded to provide context and draw comparisons between the City and the SWP area. Both Baltimore City and the SWP area have overlapping clusters of aging infrastructure, low income, crime, and vacancies abutting areas of wealth and security. In the end, the limiting factors on the analysis were due to incomplete data sets, which SWP recognizes and continues to build.The Southwest Partnership (SWP), Baltimor

Family–Teacher Relationships and Child Engagement in Early Care and Education

Young children’s positive interactions with teachers and peers in early care and education (ECE) settings support the development of their social and academic skills. Identifying malleable factors that contribute to children’s positive engagement in these interactions is important in supporting early development. The current study examines one potential malleable factor that could be bolstered through supports for families and teachers alike: family–teacher relationships. We investigate associations between three specific domains of family–teacher relationships and children’s engagement in ECE, so that findings are specific and relevant to intervention. We examine data from Oregon’s Quality Rating Improvement System Validation Study; a diverse sample of 492 preschool-aged children in center-based ECE participated. Children’s engagement was directly observed; parents reported their perception of family–teacher relationships. Multilevel models examined the associations between family–teacher relationships and children’s positive engagement with teachers and peers in ECE classrooms. Results indicate a positive significant relationship between practices and children’s positive engagement with teachers. Although this association was not causal, it suggests that teachers who collaborate and communicate with families, respond to family feedback and cultural values, and demonstrate a family-focused concern may help children engage more positively with teachers. Findings are discussed, limitations addressed, and future directions provided

Comparing Household and Individual Measures of Access through a Food Environment Lens: What Household Food Opportunities Are Missed When Measuring Access to Food Retail at the Individual Level?

Geographers and public health researchers have long been interested in social, spatial, and economic factors that drive access and exposure to food retail. A growing body of evidence draws on mobility data to capture locations accessed by individuals beyond the home address. Given that food-related activities are shared by household members and often gendered, taking an individual-level approach might limit researchers’ ability to accurately describe access to food retail. Using data that includes Global Positioning System trajectories of forty-six adults from twenty-one households in Toronto, this study compares access to food retailers at the individual and household levels and evaluates measurement issues that arise when relying on one household member. Spatial and spatiotemporal measures of access were derived from individual and total household activity spaces. Differences in access were tested for men and women and moderating effects of neighborhood, shopping responsibility, car access, and employment status were investigated. Supermarket density was greater for women when compared with men in the household, as well as their total household measure. Additionally, within-household differences in counts of supermarkets were moderated by neighborhood. Future research should consider the role of place and the contributions of household members when measuring access to food at the individual level

Who’s cooking tonight? A time-use study of coupled adults in Toronto, Canada

Understanding how coupled adults arrange food-related labor in relation to their daily time allocation is of great importance because different arrangements may have implications for diet-related health and gender equity. Studies from the time-use perspective argue that daily activities such as work, caregiving, and non-food-related housework can potentially compete for time with foodwork. However, studies in this regard are mostly centered on individual-level analyses. They fail to consider cohabiting partners’ time spent on foodwork and non-food-related activities, a factor that could be helpful in explaining how coupled partners decide to allocate time to food activities. Using 108 daily time-use logs from seventeen opposite-gender couples living in Toronto, Canada, this paper examines how male and female partners’ time spent on non-food-related activities impact the total amount of time spent on foodwork by coupled adults and the difference in time spent on foodwork between coupled women and men. Results show that both male and female partners took a higher portion of foodwork when their partner worked longer. When men worked for additional time, the couple-level duration of foodwork decreased. Without a significant impact on the gender difference in foodwork duration, women’s increased caregiving duration was associated with a reduction of total time spent on foodwork by couples. An increase in caregiving and non-food-related chores by men was associated with an increased difference in duration of foodwork between women and men, which helped secure a constant total amount of foodwork at the couple level. These behavioral variations between men and women demonstrate the gender differences in one’s responsiveness to the change of partners’ non-food-related tasks. The associations found among non-food-related activities and foodwork are suggestive of a need to account for partners’ time allocation when studying the time-use dynamics of foodwork and other daily activities