What Should EDA Fund? Developing a Model for Pre-Assessment of Economic Development Investments

This paper describes the completion of a “comprehensive study of regionalism” that was conducted by a joint team of economists and economic development specialists for the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The project consisted of two main activities: an examination of the factors associated with economic development success and the creation of a practical interactive tool for EDA project assessment and comparison. Findings from surveys, interviews, and project case studies are discussed in terms of their support for a positive relationship between successful economic development efforts and factors such as leadership and private investment. Also, the authors discuss the creation of a quantitative assessment model utilizing well-known approaches such as economic impact multipliers and cluster theory. The primary contribution of this work to the existing body of EDA-focused research and evaluation literature is introducing a means of using standardized scores, also known as z-scores, to compare and assess economic development projects across both industries and regions.regional economic development, economic impact, assessment model, EDA, z-score

A study to improve the mechanical properties of silicon carbide ribbon fibers

Preliminary deposition studies of SiC ribbon on a carbon ribbon substrate showed that the dominant strength limiting flaws were at the substrate surface. Procedures for making the carbon ribbon substrate from polyimide film were improved, providing lengths up to 450 meters (1,500 ft.) of flat carbon ribbon substrate 1,900 microns (75 mils) wide by 25 microns (1 mil) thick. The flaws on the carbon ribbon were smaller and less frequent than on carbon ribbon used earlier. SiC ribbon made using the improved substrate, including a layer of pyrolytic graphite to reduce further the severity of substrate surface flaws, showed strength levels up to the 2,068 MPa (300 Ksi) target of the program, with average strength levels over 1,700 MPa (250 Ksi) with coefficient of variation as low as 10% for some runs

Releasing Authority Chairs: A Comparative Snapshot Across Three Decades

This report provides a comparative analysis of releasing authority chairs' views of the issues and challenges confronting them at two points in time: 1988 and 2015. Drawing from two surveys, one conducted during the tenure of an ACA Parole Task Force that functioned from 1986-1988, and the other a survey published in 2016 by the Robina Institute called The Continuing Leverage of Releasing Authorities: Findings from a National Survey, this new publication highlights both change and constancy relative to a wide range of comparative markers including, but not limited to, structured decision tools, prison crowding and risk aversion, and the myriad factors considered in granting or denying parole

Mice Infected with Low-virulence Strains of Toxoplasma gondii Lose their Innate Aversion to Cat Urine, Even after Extensive Parasite Clearance

Toxoplasma gondii chronic infection in rodent secondary hosts has been reported to lead to a loss of innate, hard-wired fear toward cats, its primary host. However the generality of this response across T. gondii strains and the underlying mechanism for this pathogen mediated behavioral change remain unknown. To begin exploring these questions, we evaluated the effects of infection with two previously uninvestigated isolates from the three major North American clonal lineages of T. gondii, Type III and an attenuated strain of Type I. Using an hour-long open field activity assay optimized for this purpose, we measured mouse aversion toward predator and non-predator urines. We show that loss of innate aversion of cat urine is a general trait caused by infection with any of the three major clonal lineages of parasite. Surprisingly, we found that infection with the attenuated Type I parasite results in sustained loss of aversion at times post infection when neither parasite nor ongoing brain inflammation were detectable. This suggests that T. gondii-mediated interruption of mouse innate aversion toward cat urine may occur during early acute infection in a permanent manner, not requiring persistence of parasitecysts or continuing brain inflammation.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

Prescribing Behavior through Describing Life Stages in Alfonso X's Setenario

Case No. 930764-CA Category No. 14 RESPONDENT\u27S BRIEF PETITION TO REVIEW THE ORDERS OF THE DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING AND OF THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE REVOKING PETITIONER\u27S LICENSE TO PRACTICE AS A HEALTH FACILITY ADMINISTRATOR

The Continuing Leverage of Releasing Authorities: Findings from a National Survey

The Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice launched a national survey of releasing authorities in March 2015 to each state, and the U.S. Parole Commission. The importance of the survey was underscored by an endorsement from the Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI). We are pleased to present the results from this important survey here. This is the first comprehensive survey of parole boards completed in nearly 10 years. Its findings provide a rich database for better understanding the policy and practice of paroling authorities. The last survey to be conducted of paroling authorities was in 2007/2008.The current report offers an expansion and update of previous surveys. The results summarized throughout the report offer a timely resource for paroling authorities, correctional policy-makers and practitioners, legislators, and those with a public policy interest in sentencing and criminal justice operations. It is our hope that the document and its findings provide key justice system and other stakeholders with an incisive snapshot of the work of paroling authorities across the country in a manner that contributes to a larger conversation about sound and effective parole release and revocation practices.The completion of this comprehensive survey and the reporting of its findings offers a timely and invaluable resource for releasing authorities. It provides them and other key justice system stakeholders with a comparative understanding of their colleagues' work across the nation, and contributes to a larger conversation pertaining to effective parole release and revocation practices

Constitutive CD8 expression allows inefficient maturation of CD4+ helper T cells in class II major histocompatibility complex mutant mice.

Although mature CD4+ T cells bear T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and mature CD8+ T cells bear TCRs that recognize class I MHC, it is possible that the initial commitment of an immature thymocyte to a CD4 or CD8 lineage is made without regard to the specificity of the TCR. According to this model, CD4+ cells with class I TCR do not mature because the CD8 coreceptor is required for class I MHC recognition and positive selection. If this model is correct, constitutive expression of CD8 should allow CD4+ T cells with class I-specific TCRs to develop. In this report, we show that mature peripheral CD4+ cells are present in class II MHC-deficient mice that express a constitutive CD8.1 transgene. These cells share a number of properties with the major class II MHC-selected CD4 population, including the ability to express CD40 ligand upon activation. Although mature CD4 cells are also detectable in the thymus of class II MHC mutant/CD8.1 transgenic mice, they represent a small fraction of the mature CD4 cells found in mice that express class II MHC. These results indicate that some T cells choose the CD4 helper lineage independent of their antigen receptor specificity; however, the inefficiency of generating class I-specific CD4 cells leaves open the possibility that an instructive signal generated upon MHC recognition may bias lineage commitment

The cytoplasmic domain of CD4 promotes the development of CD4 lineage T cells.

Thymocytes must bind major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins on thymic epithelial cells in order to mature into either CD8+ cytotoxic T cells or CD4+ helper T cells. Thymic precursors express both CD8 and CD4, and it has been suggested that the intracellular signals generated by CD8 or CD4 binding to class I or II MHC, respectively, might influence the fate of uncommitted cells. Here we test the notion that intracellular signaling by CD4 directs the development of thymocytes to a CD4 lineage. A hybrid protein consisting of the CD8 extracellular and transmembrane domains and the cytoplasmic domain of CD4 (CD884) should bind class I MHC but deliver a CD4 intracellular signal. We find that expression of a hybrid CD884 protein in thymocytes of transgenic mice leads to the development of large numbers of class I MHC-specific, CD4 lineage T cells. We discuss these results in terms of current models for CD4 and CD8 lineage commitment