Giving Voice to the Underserved: A Review of How Lower-Income Virginians Fared in the 2012 Virginia General Assembly

In 2011, the Census Bureau, after sixteen years of study, released a new, more comprehensive calculus to better gauge poverty in America. This Supplemental Poverty Measure (the SPM ) calculates the poverty threshold by estimating not only the cost of food, but also expenses related to clothing, shelter, utilities, and medical costs. Further, the SPM makes adjustment for cost of living, depending upon where the family resides, and also takes into account governmental support, such as food stamps and tax credits, to determine income. Logically, more accurate data on poverty distribution by region, and a more precise measure of the effects of antipoverty programs like cash benefits, food assistance, and housing aid, should benefit a lawmaker seeking to make informed decisions on how to recalibrate the existing social safety net. Yet, the pushback against the SPM has been intense. The failure of efforts to reform or replace the existing poverty formula underscores how contentious poverty issues can be

Giving Voice to the Underserved: A Review of How Lower-Income Virginians Fared in the 2012 Virginia General Assembly

In 2011, the Census Bureau, after sixteen years of study, released a new, more comprehensive calculus to better gauge poverty in America. This Supplemental Poverty Measure (the SPM ) calculates the poverty threshold by estimating not only the cost of food, but also expenses related to clothing, shelter, utilities, and medical costs. Further, the SPM makes adjustment for cost of living, depending upon where the family resides, and also takes into account governmental support, such as food stamps and tax credits, to determine income. Logically, more accurate data on poverty distribution by region, and a more precise measure of the effects of antipoverty programs like cash benefits, food assistance, and housing aid, should benefit a lawmaker seeking to make informed decisions on how to recalibrate the existing social safety net. Yet, the pushback against the SPM has been intense. The failure of efforts to reform or replace the existing poverty formula underscores how contentious poverty issues can be

A Pilot Study of Social Cognition Training for Adults with High-Functioning Autism

Background: Difficulty with social interaction is universal in autism spectrum disorders and often constitutes the most debilitating feature of these conditions. Impaired social cognition (i.e., perceiving the emotions and intentions of others) makes it difficult to establish friendships and form positive social relationships, and is particularly incapacitating for adults with autism who must navigate the world unaided by parents. Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine the feasibility of a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention to improve social-cognitive functioning in adults with high-functioning autism (HFA). Methods: We modified the treatment manual of a previously validated form of group-based intervention, Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), for optimal use with HFA adults. We then conducted a pilot study to compare SCIT for autism (N=6) to treatment as usual (TAU) (N=4). Results: High levels of attendance and overwhelmingly positive satisfaction reports supported the feasibility of SCIT with this population. Participants in SCIT showed larger improvements in theory of mind skills and emotion identification skills when compared with individuals in the TAU condition. Conclusions: Findings indicate SCIT is an intervention program with promise for use with adults who have HFA. More research is needed to clarify the role of SCIT in improving social functioning for individuals with HFA beyond research settings

Experimental evaluation of a propulsive wing concept

The work presented in this thesis was performed in support of a NASA LEARN project which aimed to develop a novel propulsive wing airfoil section which could be applied to a future-generation high-efficiency aircraft in order to further improve gains in efficiency over current aircraft. The designed airfoil section extended the Griffith/Goldschmied airfoil concept to a Mach number of 0.7 for extended runs of laminar flow, pressure thrust, and wake filling. A lowspeed wind tunnel test was performed using a model of the designed propulsive airfoil section in order to validate the tools which were used for design, as well as to verify the pressure thrust concept. Results from the airfoil test indicated that the suction-enabled airfoil was accurately modeled during the design phase. A large reduction of drag was also observed for the suction-enabled airfoil. Lift and drag compared well between computational predictions and experimental measurements for the airfoil test conditions. Experimental testing of a cross-flow fan was also performed in a transonic wind tunnel to characterize the fan power requirements and suction capabilities when embedded in a surface in transonic flow. Results from this test indicated that cross-flow fans are capable of aiding in pressure recovery, as well as producing a discrete pressure rise at the trailing-edge region of an airfoil. This pressure recovery and discrete pressure rise are are both necessary for the operation of the propulsive airfoil. Shaft power measurements were also taken during operation of the cross-flow fan, and results are presented to characterize the requirements of the fan over a variety of Mach number and RPM operating conditions. Finally, data from the cross-flow fan wind tunnel tests were scaled for use in a systems analysis which was also a part of the LEARN project

Relationships between sub-clinical autistic traits, cognitve substrates, and social functioning in a typically developing college sample

The continuum theory of autism argues that the behavioral traits associated with the disorder are normally distributed throughout the population. Studies suggest that these traits can be reliably measured in first-degree relatives of individuals with autism and, more recently, in individuals in the general population. What remains unclear, however, is whether these traits in the general population are associated with similar cognitive and social profiles as those observed in autism. The current study examined associations between autistic traits, cognitive substrates, and social functioning in a group of typically developing college students. Sixty-seven undergraduate participants were recruited to complete self-report measures of autistic traits and social functioning and performance-based measures of theory of mind, executive functioning, and weak central coherence. Data was used to evaluate a model of relationships among these variables in a path analytic model. Results from this study partially supported the continuum hypothesis. Theory of mind was found to be strongly related to social autistic traits and social functioning while executive functioning was associated with non-social autistic traits. Results were also consistent with previous reports of higher endorsement of autistic traits among male participants than female participants and among individuals majoring the physical sciences as opposed to those majoring in the arts and humanities. Implications for the findings with regard to the manner in which autism is conceptualized, studied, and treated are discussed.Doctor of Philosoph

Discovery of biomarkers for glycaemic deterioration before and after the onset of type 2 diabetes: descriptive characteristics of the epidemiological studies within the IMI DIRECT Consortium

Aims/hypothesis: Here, we describe the characteristics of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) Diabetes Research on Patient Stratification (DIRECT) epidemiological cohorts at baseline and follow-up examinations (18, 36 and 48 months of follow-up). Methods: From a sampling frame of 24,682 adults of European ancestry enrolled in population-based cohorts across Europe, participants at varying risk of glycaemic deterioration were identified using a risk prediction algorithm (based on age, BMI, waist circumference, use of antihypertensive medication, smoking status and parental history of type 2 diabetes) and enrolled into a prospective cohort study (n = 2127) (cohort 1, prediabetes risk). We also recruited people from clinical registries with type 2 diabetes diagnosed 6-24 months previously (n = 789) into a second cohort study (cohort 2, diabetes). Follow-up examinations took place at ~18 months (both cohorts) and at ~48 months (cohort 1) or ~36 months (cohort 2) after baseline examinations. The cohorts were studied in parallel using matched protocols across seven clinical centres in northern Europe. Results: Using ADA 2011 glycaemic categories, 33% (n = 693) of cohort 1 (prediabetes risk) had normal glucose regulation and 67% (n = 1419) had impaired glucose regulation. Seventy-six per cent of participants in cohort 1 was male. Cohort 1 participants had the following characteristics (mean ± SD) at baseline: age 62 (6.2) years; BMI 27.9 (4.0) kg/m2; fasting glucose 5.7 (0.6) mmol/l; 2 h glucose 5.9 (1.6) mmol/l. At the final follow-up examination the participants' clinical characteristics were as follows: fasting glucose 6.0 (0.6) mmol/l; 2 h OGTT glucose 6.5 (2.0) mmol/l. In cohort 2 (diabetes), 66% (n = 517) were treated by lifestyle modification and 34% (n = 272) were treated with metformin plus lifestyle modification at enrolment. Fifty-eight per cent of participants in cohort 2 was male. Cohort 2 participants had the following characteristics at baseline: age 62 (8.1) years; BMI 30.5 (5.0) kg/m2; fasting glucose 7.2 (1.4) mmol/l; 2 h glucose 8.6 (2.8) mmol/l. At the final follow-up examination, the participants' clinical characteristics were as follows: fasting glucose 7.9 (2.0) mmol/l; 2 h mixed-meal tolerance test glucose 9.9 (3.4) mmol/l. Conclusions/interpretation: The IMI DIRECT cohorts are intensely characterised, with a wide-variety of metabolically relevant measures assessed prospectively. We anticipate that the cohorts, made available through managed access, will provide a powerful resource for biomarker discovery, multivariate aetiological analyses and reclassification of patients for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.This work was supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement no. 115317 (DIRECT), resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies in kind contribution. RWK was funded by a STAR Award Novo Nordisk co-financed PhD fellowship. The work undertaken by PWF was supported in part by programme grants from the ERC-2015-CoG_NASCENT_681742 and the Swedish Research Council; strategic funding for Lund University Diabetes Centre, where some of the work described herein was performed, was provided by the Swedish Research Council, Strategic Research Area Exodiab, (Dnr 2009-1039), the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (IRC15-0067), the Swedish Research Council, Linnaeus grant (Dnr 349-2006-237). EP holds a Wellcome Trust Investigator award (grant reference 102820/Z/13/Z). Contributions to this work by SBru. were co-financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grants NNF17OC0027594 and NNF14CC0001).published version, accepted version (12 month embargo), submitted versio

The Use of Rank Transformation and Multiple Regression Analysis in Estimating Residential Property Values With A Small Sample

Conventional multiple regression analysis which has been used in estimating residential property values typically relies upon cardinal data. This paper argues that appraisal theory requires the appraiser to rank the comparables from best to worst and use a regression technique which can be applied to ordinal data. The rank regression procedure illustrated here was successfully used on small sample sizes, and did not violate the critical assumptions underlying conventional multiple regression. The results indicate that the rank regression technique illustrated here is more theoretically correct than conventional multiple regression and produces a better model with more accurate price estimates.

A Procedure for Uncovering Acceptable and Nonacceptable Mortgage Applications through Discriminant Analysis Using Ranked Data

The procedure developed in this paper uses a less biased statistical technique than conventional discriminant analysis and parallels the ranking procedure used by loan officers. A variety of univariate and multivariate statistical procedures as well as comprehensive validation methods are used to develop a "best" model. The resulting model provides more accurate classification than other studies have shown, without violating federal law regarding discrimination.