Measuring work disability in the U.S.: conceptual, methodological, and diagnostic considerations

The Work-Disability Functional Assessment Battery (WD-FAB) is a self-reported measure, developed to allow the SSA to collect systematic and comprehensive information about claimants’ functioning. It consists of eight scales: Basic Mobility, Upper Body Function, Fine Motor Function, Community Mobility, Cognition & Communication, Resilience/Sociability, Social Interactions, and Mood & Emotions. Three studies were conducted to evaluate the WD-FAB and apply it as an outcome measure to examine questions relevant to work disability measurement. "Examining Activity Domain Structure of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF)" empirically tests the structure of the WHO’s ICF Activity subdomains by comparing it to the empirical structure of the WD-FAB. The comparison found good alignment between the physical function WD-FAB scales and ICF Mobility; several Activity subdomains converge into Cognition & Communication in the WD-FAB. Mental Functions and certain Interpersonal Interactions converge. A re-organization of the subdomains into distinct, measurable constructs is presented for future ICF revisions. "Who Applies to Social Security Disability Programs? Demographic and Functional Differences among Claimants" examines how Social Security disability claimants compare sociodemographically to the working age US population, assesses differences in claimants’ functional status by demographic characteristics, and showcases a method to detect Differential Item Functioning (DIF), which, once controlled for, minimizes measurement error. 17 items displayed DIF, primarily based upon gender. Claimants were sociodemographically different from the general sample and reported lower functioning. Within claimants, there were very few differences of consequence in function between different sociodemographic groups. "Determining Functional Profiles of Common Conditions explores the relationship between diagnoses and function." Common patterns of diagnoses among claimants were identified: musculoskeletal, cancer, multisystem, neurological & sensory, and mental conditions. Many of the diagnosis groups showed unique functional features. The identification of functional profiles for different condition groups suggests that WD-FAB scores may add value to the disability determination process. There is no single litmus test for work disability, but incorporating self-reported experiences is becoming an increasingly common focus in the field. This work demonstrates how a conceptually grounded self-reported measure of functioning can be used to understand the condition of individuals whose health limits their ability to work

Losing Ground: An Ethnography Of Vulnerability And Climate Change In Shishmaref, Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2012This dissertation presents an ethnography of vulnerability in Shishmaref, Alaska. The village of Shishmaref, population 563, faces imminent threat from increasing erosion and flooding events -- linked to climatic changes and ecological shift -- making the relocation of residents off of the island necessary in the foreseeable future. In spite of ongoing conversations with government agencies since 1974, an organized relocation has yet to occur in Shishmaref. While ecological shift and anthropogenic climate change are no doubt occurring in and around the island, the literature on vulnerability and disaster predicts that social systems contribute at least as much as ecological circumstances to disaster scenarios. This research tests this theory and asks the question: what exactly is causing vulnerability in Shishmaref, Alaska? The resulting dissertation is an exploration of the ecological, historical, social and cultural influences that contribute to vulnerability and risk in Shishmaref. Unlike common representations of climate change and disaster that present the natural environment as a sole driver of risk, this research finds complex systems of decision-making, ideologies of development, and cultural assumptions about social life contribute to why Shishmaref residents are exposed to erosion and flooding and why government intervention and planning remains difficult

9/11 Relief and Regranting Funds

This report provides an overview of the activities and beneficiaries of the funds and agencies involved in 9/11-related disaster relief and recovery, drawn from data compiled by the Foundation Center through September 2003. Reflecting differences in sources of information, the report offers two distinct and complementary views of the funds:Part I discusses findings from our 2003 survey of large and small relief funds and agencies. The survey provides a broad perspective on the activities and practices of 9/11-related charities and considers the impact of size and sponsor type on patterns of assistance, sources of support, and timetables for distributing aid. More importantly, it sheds light on some of the planning and operational constraints involved in the delivery of disaster relief and the creative responses and collaborative efforts required to overcome these difficulties and achieve results.Part II documents total contributions raised and distributed by 40 of the largest 9/11 relief and regranting funds. The analysis tracks the purposes and beneficiaries of nearly $2.2 billion distributed by these charities for relief and recovery efforts through September 2003, and projects distribution patterns for unspent funds

Giving in the Aftermath of 9/11: 2003 Update on the Foundation and Corporate Response

The unprecedented outpouring of charitable support that followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted the Foundation Center to launch a multiyear effort to track relief and recovery funding by foundations, corporations, and other institutional donors. Our goal early on was to document the philanthropic response as it was happening so that grantmakers and charities could better identify unmet needs, and to help the field respond to questions from the media, government officials, and the general public. Over the longer term, our goal is to provide a definitive record of the response that will help the philanthropic sector identify its successes and lessons learned, so that it can respond even more effectively to future disasters

Residential Place Attachment as an Adaptive Strategy for Coping With the Reduction of Spatial Abilities in Old Age

This study intended to test whether attachment to one\u2019s own residential place at neighborhood level could represent a coping response for the elderly (consistently with the \u201cdocility hypothesis;\u201d Lawton, 1982), when dealing with the demands of unfamiliar environments, in order to balance their reduction of spatial abilities. Specifically, a sequential path was tested, in which neighborhood attachment was expected to play a buffer role between lowered spatial competence and neighborhood satisfaction. The participants (N D 264), senior citizens (over 65-year-old), responded to a questionnaire including the measures of spatial self-efficacy, spatial anxiety, attitude toward wayfinding, residential attachment and residential satisfaction. Results from the mediation analysis showed that a lower perceived spatial self-efficacy is associated to a higher spatial anxiety, and both promote a more negative attitude toward wayfinding tasks in non-familiar places. This leads to a higher attachment to one\u2019s own neighborhood, which in turn predicts a higher residential satisfaction. Thus, the \u201cclosure\u201d response of becoming more attached to their residential place may be an adaptive strategy of the elderly for compensating the Person-Environment (P-E) mis-fit (Lawton and Nahemow, 1973) when they feel unable (or less able) to cope with the demands of unfamiliar environments

Drinking Water in Northwestern Alaska: Using or Not Using Centralized Water Systems in Two Rural Communities

Over the last 100 years, there have been major changes in the way Iñupiaq villages in Alaska have procured fresh water for drinking and other human uses. Since the 1960s, major funding has been provided by local, state, and federal agencies to install centralized water systems in these villages. These systems have arrived with great expectations, and yet many of them have a myriad of problems due to harsh weather conditions, low winter temperatures, and permafrost. Other obstacles to success of the water systems arise from local preference for traditional water resources. On the Seward Peninsula, some villages rely heavily on centralized water systems, while others continue to rely more heavily on traditional water sources. We demonstrate in this paper that local variables, including different environmental factors and a sense of agency in the modernization process, affect local choices about whether or not to use the centralized water systems. We conclude that local, culturally specific ideas about health and acceptable drinking water quality must be taken into account for these projects to be successful.Ces cent dernières années, la façon dont les villages iñupiaqs, en Alaska, se sont procuré l’eau douce nécessaire à la consommation et à d’autres usages humains a changé considérablement. Depuis les années 1960, des organismes fédéraux, locaux et d’État ont consacré beaucoup de financement à l’installation de réseaux centralisés d’alimentation en eau dans ces villages. Bien que les attentes étaient grandes à l’égard de ces réseaux, grand nombre d’entre eux ont connu une myriade de problèmes attribuables aux conditions climatiques difficiles de l’hiver, aux basses températures hivernales et au pergélisol. Parmi les autres obstacles à l’implantation réussie des réseaux d’alimentation en eau, notons la préférence qu’ont les gens de la région pour les sources d’eau traditionnelles. Dans la péninsule de Seward, certains villages dépendent fortement de réseaux centralisés d’alimentation en eau, tandis que d’autres villages continuent de dépendre surtout de sources d’eau traditionnelles. Nous démontrons dans cette communication que les variables locales, ce qui comprend divers facteurs environnementaux et la présence d’organismes se vouant au processus de modernisation, ont des incidences sur les choix faits dans la région, à savoir si les peuples décident de recourir aux réseaux centralisés d’alimentation en eau ou non. Nous en concluons que pour que ces projets réussissent, il faut tenir compte des idées des gens de la région en matière de culture, plus précisément en ce qui a trait à la santé et à une qualité acceptable d’eau potable

Panels and models for accurate prediction of tumor mutation burden in tumor samples

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is becoming standard-of-care in many types of human malignancies, but patient selection is still imperfect. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is being evaluated as a biomarker for ICB in clinical trials, but most of the sequencing panels used to estimate it are inadequately designed. Here, we present a bioinformatics-based method to select panels and mathematical models for accurate TMB prediction. Our method is based on tumor-specific, forward-step selection of genes, generation of panels using a linear regression algorithm, and rigorous internal and external validation comparing predicted with experimental TMB. As a result, we propose cancer-specific panels for 14 malignancies which can offer reliable, clinically relevant estimates of TMBs. Our work facilitates a better prediction of TMB that can improve the selection of patients for ICB therapy.Fil: Martinez Perez, Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Molina Vila, Miguel Angel. Hospital Universitario Quirón Dexeus; EspañaFil: Marino, Cristina Ester. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Systems of Access: A Multidisciplinary Strategy for Assessing the Social Dimensions of Sustainability

The concept of access to natural resources has been a specific concern of economists and ecologists and is a distinct component in recent models of social sustainability. Using a series of conceptual and empirical examples, this article extends the notion of access broadly to social institutions and sociocultural norms. We argue that access may be usefully construed as an analytic tool that has direct applicability to many sustainability issues as it allows for cross-disciplinary and public engagement. Here the concept of access, linked to Amartya Sen’s theory of capabilities, also makes visible the multi-scaled and interconnected social processes that influence the material world and from which certain individuals and communities are excluded. This article examines access as a set of culturally appropriate and equitable engagements that promote social sustainability with a series of four examples: access to actions necessary to reclaim a polluted river; access to restorative natural environments; access to information and research findings; and access to decision-making processes. Insights from these examples are integrated within the wider discourse on sustainability

Genotype data not consistent with clonal transmission of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis or goldfish schwannoma.

Recent discoveries of transmissible cancers in multiple bivalve species suggest that direct transmission of cancer cells within species may be more common than previously thought, particularly in aquatic environments. Fibropapillomatosis occurs with high prevalence in green sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas) and the geographic range of disease has increased since fibropapillomatosis was first reported in this species. Widespread incidence of schwannomas, benign tumours of Schwann cell origin, reported in aquarium-bred goldfish (Carassius auratus), suggest an infectious aetiology. We investigated the hypothesis that cancers in these species arise by clonal transmission of cancer cells. Through analysis of polymorphic microsatellite alleles, we demonstrate concordance of host and tumour genotypes in diseased animals. These results imply that the tumours examined arose from independent oncogenic transformation of host tissue and were not clonally transmitted. Further, failure to experimentally transmit goldfish schwannoma via water exposure or inoculation suggest that this disease is unlikely to have an infectious aetiology