Millenial Housing

This thesis contends that growing cities around the world are out pricing the younger demographic from the urban fabric. Contends that constantly rising real estate markets are forcing Millenials outside of city centers. Understands that socially, the younger demographic provides the energy and income required to keep the city alive. And believes that in order for the younger demographic to reclaim their position in the housing market, a new typology of living needs to be created

Information Technology and Medical Missteps: Evidence from a Randomized Trial

We analyze the effect of a decision support tool designed to help physicians detect and correct medical "missteps". The data comes from a randomized trial of the technology on a population of commercial HMO patients. The key findings are that the new information technology lowers average charges by 6% relative to the control group. This reduction in resource utilization was the result of reduced in-patient charges (and associated professional charges) for the most costly patients. The rate at which identified issues were resolved was generally higher in the study group than in the control group, suggesting the possibility of improvements in care quality along measured dimensions and enhanced diffusion of new protocols based on new clinical evidence.

Developments in International Criminal Law (Foreword)

Many of the contributions to this issue of the Journal focus on several recent historic developments in the field of international criminal law. In July of 1998, the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC) concluded an intensive five-week session in Rome by adopting a statute for such a. court. Although the United States voted against the statute, its vote, as several contributions to this issue make clear, does not signal U.S. opposition to an international criminal court as such, but, rather, concern that certain features of the statute produced by the Rome Conference may undermine the achievement of other international goals that the United States believes are no less critical for world order and the international protection of human rights. The United States has been a firm supporter of the two existing international criminal courts-the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)- and its support may prove just as crucial to the success of the ICC

Access to essential technologies for safe childbirth: a survey of health workers in Africa and Asia

Background: The reliable availability of health technologies, defined as equipment, medicines, and consumable supplies, is essential to ensure successful childbirth practices proven to prevent avoidable maternal and newborn mortality. The majority of global maternal and newborn deaths take place in Africa and Asia, yet few data exist that describe the availability of childbirth-related health technologies in these regions. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of health workers in Africa and Asia in order to profile the availability of health technologies considered to be essential to providing safe childbirth care. Methods: Health workers in Africa and Asia were surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. A list of essential childbirth-related health technologies was drawn from World Health Organization guidelines for preventing and managing complications associated with the major causes of maternal and newborn mortality globally. Demographic data describing each birth center were obtained and health workers reported on the availability of essential childbirth-related health technologies at their centers. Comparison analyses were conducted using Rao-Scott chi-square test statistics. Results: Health workers from 124 birth centers in 26 African and 15 Asian countries participated. All facilities exhibited gaps in the availability of essential childbirth-related health technologies. Availability was significantly reduced in birth centers that had lower birth volumes and those from lower income countries. On average across all centers, health workers reported the availability of 18 of 23 essential childbirth-related health technologies (79%; 95% CI, 74%, 84%). Low-volume facilities suffered severe shortages; on average, these centers reported reliable availability of 13 of 23 technologies (55%; 95% CI, 39%, 71%). Conclusions: Substantial gaps exist in the availability of essential childbirth-related health technologies across health sector levels in Africa and Asia. Strategies that facilitate reliable access to vital health technologies in these regions are an urgent priority

Synthesis and multiplexed activity profiling of synthetic acylphloroglucinol scaffolds

Reported here are novel formic-acid-mediated rearrangements of dearomatized acylphloroglucinols to access a structurally diverse group of synthetic acylphloroglucinol scaffolds (SASs). Density-functional theory (DFT) optimized orbital and stereochemical analyses shed light on the mechanism of these rearrangements. Products were evaluated by multiplexed activity profiling (MAP), an unbiased platform which assays multiple biological readouts simultaneously at single-cell resolution for markers of cell signaling, and can aid in distinguishing genuine activity from assay interference. MAP identified a number of SASs that suppressed pS6 (Ser235/236), a marker for activation of the mTOR and ERK signaling pathways. These results illustrate how biomimetic synthesis and multiplexed activity profiling can reveal the pharmacological potential of novel chemotypes by diversity-oriented synthesis.R35 GM118173 - NIGMS NIH HHS; R01 CA226833 - NCI NIH HHS; U01 TR002625 - NCATS NIH HHS; R24 GM111625 - NIGMS NIH HHS; R01 GM092218 - NIGMS NIH HHS; P30 DK058404 - NIDDK NIH HHS; P41 GM076263 - NIGMS NIH HHS; T32 GM007347 - NIGMS NIH HHS; F30 CA236131 - NCI NIH HHS; P30 CA068485 - NCI NIH HHS; T32 GM065086 - NIGMS NIH HHSAccepted manuscrip

Age-related changes to motor synergies in multi-joint and multi-finger manipulative skills: a meta-analysis

Purpose The aim of the current meta-analysis was to examine the extent to which there are differences in upper extremity motor synergies across different age groups in manipulative tasks. Methods The studies that used the uncontrolled manifold method to examine the effect of age on motor synergies in multijoint and multi-finger tasks were selected. Sixteen relevant studies from 1154 articles were selected for the meta-analysis—4 and 12 studies considered multi-joint kinematics and multi-finger kinetic tasks respectively. Results The results of the meta-analysis suggested reduced strength of synergies in multi-finger task in older adults, but this was not the case for synergies in multi-joint task. Part of this age-related difference in finger function is related to the increased variability in total force in grasping tasks. However, reductions in the strength of multi-finger synergies in hand functions following ageing appear to depend on the characteristics of the task. Conclusions These findings indicate that the cooperation among fingers to stabilise the total required force to apply for grasping and other fine motor skills is less efficient in older adults that might affect the quality of manipulative tasks

Patent foramen ovale: Unanswered questions

The foramen ovale is a remnant of the fetal circulation that remains patent in 20-25% of the adult population. Although long overlooked as a potential pathway that could produce pathologic conditions, the presence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been associated with a higher than expected frequency in a variety of clinical syndromes including cryptogenic stroke, migraines, sleep apnea, platypnea-orthodeoxia, deep sea diving associated decompression illness, and high altitude pulmonary edema. A unifying hypothesis is that a chemical or particulate matter from the venous circulation crosses the PFO conduit between the right and left atria to produce a variety of clinical syndromes. Although observational studies suggest a therapeutic benefit of PFO closure compared to medical therapy alone in patients with cryptogenic stroke, 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) did not confirm the superiority of PFO closure for the secondary prevention of stroke. However, meta-analyses of these RCTs demonstrate a significant benefit of PFO closure over medical therapy alone. Similarly, observational studies provide support for PFO closure for symptomatic relief of migraines. But one controversial randomized study failed to replicate the results of the observational studies while another two demonstrated a partial benefit. The goal of this review is to discuss the clinical conditions associated with PFO and provide internists and primary care physicians with current data on PFO trials, and clinical insight to help guide their patients who are found to have a PFO on echocardiographic testing

A Shifted Perspective on Affordable Micro Housing

This thesis contends that growing cities around the world are out-pricing the younger demographic from the urban fabric. It recognizes that constantly rising real estate markets are forcing millennials outside of city centers. It understands that socially, the younger demographic provide the energy and atmosphere required to keep the city alive, and ultimately believes that in order fro young professionals to reclaim their position int he hosing market, a new typology of hosing need to be established. Such housing takes increasing urban density into consideration, and provides an appropriate dwelling supply for expensive cities moving forward. It is a typology that builds upon, the ADAPT NYC initiative started by Mayor Bloomberg and promotes micro unit housing as the progressive solution to expensive rental rates around the world. However, this thesis also acknowledges the existing sociopolitical and economic issues surrounding micro unit housing today. Current zoning ordinances do no permit this typology and developers need to be grated government-owned land in order to both construct and find profit in each venture. As a solution, this thesis contends that micro unit housing should become a subdivision within a larger mixed-use development. It argues that through a series of financial models, a flexible combination of commercial, retail, and high-end residential spaces will establish the economic feasibility for developers to provide micro unit hosing at an affordable rate. Additionally, this proposal addresses the zoning allowances architecturally through the invention of a new apartment archetype: a residential typology that provide a series of shared communal spaces, which provide programs to the inhabitants of an otherwise 350 square foot apartment unit. Communal spaces, which are comprised of bars, cafes, lounges, offices, and so on, will begin to connect all of the building\u27s occupants, while bridging the political gap existing within a mixed-use development, and merging the building into one holistic community