Partnership, Philanthropy and Innovation: 21st Century Revitalization in Legacy Cities

In Legacy Cities throughout the United States, local philanthropic foundations provide resources to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working at the forefront of areas such as education, affordable housing and arts and culture. In the past three decades, NGOs in these places have become leaders in urban revitalization, responding to the consequences of their cities’ economic restructuring and depopulation. This dissertation finds that local foundations influence urban revitalization in cities where the institutional make-up of local growth coalitions largely comprises NGOs such as intermediaries, anchor institutions and local development organizations. In this work, philanthropic foundations committed millions of dollars to urban improvements, economic development and capacity building. Between 2003 and 2012, philanthropic expenditure for urban revitalization ($6.3 billion) surpassed that of federal support provided through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) ($5.9 billion). While many scholars have documented efforts to renew Legacy Cities, their contributions largely focus on the activities of government, non-profit organizations, citizen-led efforts, or the private sector. Their mentions of philanthropy are limited. To remedy this gap, this study examines the influence of philanthropic foundations in Legacy City revitalization, namely local foundations’ roles in the conception, planning and implementation of related activities. It assesses the foundations involved in urban revitalization, the grants made, the organizations that receive them, and the activities they fund. It then presents three case studies: Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, to explore the strategies, relationships and outcomes of this type of philanthropic activity. It finds that in cities with high levels of local philanthropy, as measured by number of local foundations and grant expenditure, foundations influence urban revitalization practice. It concludes that in the 21st century, local growth coalitions have evolved to include local foundation and mission-driven NGOs as active agenda-setting members

Whose Job Is It Anyway? Preparing Arbitrators for Consumer Dispute Resolution Programs

[Excerpt] In many respects, we have entered into a golden era in the evolution and study of conflict resolution. One of the most obvious examples of this new era is the significant growth of conflict resolution programs in institutions of higher education. The purpose of this article is to examine the current state of university and law school conflict resolution programs. We then offer some conclusions and recommendations for addressing what we believe to be the critically important role academia can and should play in training arbitrators. Our review of academic programs suggests that the array of offerings has grown substantially and includes credit courses, clinics, degree programs, and certificates in conflict resolution. At our own institution, Cornell University, the response by our student body to opportunities for studying conflict resolution has overwhelmed our current capacity to meet their needs and interests

Let them know they can just run around and nobody expects them to do homework: parents' expectations of early childhood education and care in Kenya

This paper reports findings from a study of Kenyan parents' perceptions of an ideal early childhood educational environment for their children. Honouring their voices and showcasing them as advocates for quality early childhood education and care, findings are presented as constructed conversations between parents. Twenty-three parents who are professionals, have young children and live in Nairobi were interviewed for this study. Data were then analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Parents reported that quality programs included playfulness, freedom and purpose and that it took a partnership of teacher, child and parent to realise the ideal

Interpersonal skills and Facebook use among college students

The use of Facebook® among college students is prevalent, and its relationship with interpersonal skills is unknown. A cross-sectional design study using a convenience sample of undergraduate students enrolled in one of four sections of an upper-level nutrition course at a Northeastern, public university was conducted to investigate this relationship. Participants completed a paper survey containing items that assessed interpersonal skills, Facebook® use, and demographics. Data from 136 participants were analyzed to determine what, if any, relationship exists between Facebook® use and interpersonal skills. A statistically significant relationship was found between three pairs of variables: the Bergen Facebook® Addiction Scale total scores and a communication subscale, r(127) = -0.29, p \u3c0.01; the Bergen Facebook® Addiction Scale total scores and a conflict resolution subscale, r(127) = -0.34, p \u3c0.01; and the Bergen Facebook® Addiction Scale total scores and a total Interpersonal Skills Scale, r(127) = -0.25, p \u3c0.01. Given the inverse relationship of these variables, health educators may need to emphasize interpersonal skills to a greater extent than in the past; however, further research investigating Facebook® use and interpersonal skills should be conducted to better understand this relationship and determine whether or not it is a causal relationship

Cromossomo Y na síndrome de Turner: revisão da literatura

Turner syndrome (TS) is one of the most common types of aneuploidy among humans, and is present in 1:2000 newborns with female phenotype. Cytogenetically, the syndrome is characterized by sex chromosome monosomy (45,X), which is present in 50-60% of the cases. The other cases present mosaicism, with a 45,X cell line accompanied by one or more other cell lines with a complete or structurally abnormal X or Y chromosome. The presence of Y-chromosome material in patients with dysgenetic gonads increases the risk of gonadal tumors, especially gonadoblastoma. The greatest concern is the high risk of developing gonadoblastoma or other tumors and virilization during puberty if chromosome Y-specific sequences are present. The role of the Y chromosome in human oncogenesis is still controversial. Even though gonadoblastoma is a benign tumor, it can undergo transformation into invasive dysgerminoma in 60% of the cases, and also into other, malignant forms of germ cell tumors. Although some authors have questioned the high incidence of gonadoblastoma (around 30%), the risk of developing any kind of gonadal lesion, whether tumoral or not, justifies investigation of Y-chromosome sequences by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a highly sensitive, low-cost and easy-to-perform technique. In conclusion, mosaicism of both the X and the Y chromosome is a common finding in TS, and detection of Y-chromosome-specific sequences in patients, regardless of their karyotype, is necessary in order to prevent the development of gonadal lesions.A síndrome de Turner (ST) é uma das aneuploidias mais comuns em humanos e está presente em 1:2000 recém-nascidas com fenótipo feminino. Citogeneticamente, a síndrome é caracterizada por uma monossomia de cromossomo sexual (45,X) em 50-60% dos casos. Os demais casos apresentam mosaicismo com uma linhagem celular 45,X acompanhada de outra(s) com o cromossomo X ou Y íntegros ou com alterações estruturais. A presença de material do cromossomo Y em pacientes com gônadas disgenéticas aumenta o risco de tumores gonadais, especialmente gonadoblastoma. A consideração mais importante diz respeito ao elevado risco de desenvolvimento de gonadoblastoma ou outros tumores e a virilização na puberdade se sequências cromossomo Y-específicas estiverem presentes. O papel do cromossomo Y na oncogênese dos cânceres humanos ainda é controverso. Apesar de o gonadoblastoma ser um tumor benigno, ele pode transformar-se num disgerminoma invasivo em 60% dos casos e também em outras formas malignas de tumores de células germinativas. Apesar de alguns autores questionarem a alta incidência (em torno de 30%) de gonadoblastoma, o risco do desenvolvimento de qualquer tipo de lesão gonadal, tumoral ou não, justifica a pesquisa de sequências do cromossomo Y por PCR (reação de polimerase em cadeia), técnica de alta sensibilidade, baixo custo e fácil execução. Em conclusão, o mosaicismo cromossômico tanto do X como do Y é um fato comum na ST e a detecção de sequências cromossomo Y-específicas nas portadoras, independentemente do seu cariótipo, é necessária para prevenir o desenvolvimento de lesões gonadais.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Centro de Extensão UniversitáriaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of Medicine Division of EndocrinologyUNIFESP, Department of Medicine Division of EndocrinologySciEL

Human BLCAP transcript: new editing events in normal and cancerous tissues

Bladder cancer-associated protein (BLCAP) is a highly conserved protein among species, and it is considered a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene originally identified from human bladder carcinoma. However, little is known about the regulation or the function of this protein. Here, we show that the human BLCAP transcript undergoes multiple A-to-I editing events. Some of the new editing events alter the highly conserved amino terminus of the protein creating alternative protein isoforms by changing the genetically coded amino acids. We found that both ADAR1 and ADAR2-editing enzymes cooperate to edit this transcript and that different tissues displayed distinctive ratios of edited and unedited BLCAP transcripts. Moreover, we observed a general decrease in BLCAP-editing level in astrocytomas, bladder cancer and colorectal cancer when compared with the related normal tissues. The newly identified editing events, found to be downregulated in cancers, could be useful for future studies as a diagnostic tool to distinguish malignancies or epigenetic changes in different tumors

The Molloy Student Literary Magazine Volume 12

The Molloy Student Literary Magazine, sponsored by Molloy College’s Office of Student Affairs, is devoted to publishing the best previously unpublished works of prose, poetry, drama, literary review, criticism, and other literary genres, that the Molloy student community has to offer. The journal welcomes submissions, for possible publication, from currently enrolled Molloy students at all levels. All submitted work will undergo a review process initiated by the Managing Editor prior to a decision being made regarding publication of said work. Given sufficient content, The Molloy Student Literary Magazine is published twice annually in Spring and Fall. Interested contributors from the currently enrolled Molloy student community should send work via e-mail attachment and brief cover letter (including a two-sentence biographical statement) to: Dr. Damian Ward Hey, Managing Editor, The Molloy Student Literary Magazine: [email protected]. Enrolled students who are interested in becoming members of The Molloy Student Literary Magazine staff may e-mail letters of inquiry. Excelsior!https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/eng_litmag/1004/thumbnail.jp

Novel Polyimide Battery Separator Imbibed with Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids

The journey to Mars will require advancements in many existing technologies, including space power and energy storage systems. According to the 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps, energy storage is a critical technology area to develop for both terrestrial as well as future long-term space missions. Currently, batteries represent one of the major areas in need of advancement, both in terms of energy density as well as safety. Recently, concerns regarding the fire safety of commercial lithium-ion batteries have prompted efforts to produce nonflammable battery components, namely the electrolyte and separator. Commercial lithium-ion batteries utilize polyolefin separators imbibed with a lithium salt dissolved in cyclic carbonates. This separator/electrolyte combination imparts good ionic conductivities in the range of 10(exp -2) to 10(exp -3) S/cm. However, the cyclic carbonates and polyolefin separator are inherently flammable. Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) appear to be a safer alternative to cyclic carbonates. They offer good ionic conductivities, similar to those observed in cyclic carbonates, but are inherently nonvolatile and nonflammable giving them a safety advantage. Many promising RTILs for battery electrolytes are not compatible with commercial polyolefin separator materials. Polyimide aerogels possess an open-porous, fibrillar network architecture which offers a high degree of porosity (typically greater than 85 porous), required for lithium ion conduction, as well as good mechanical properties. Furthermore, these materials are compatible with all tested RTILs. By creating a polyimide gel and imbibing the gel with a RTIL containing a lithium salt instead of super critically drying them to form aerogels, a nonflammable separator/electrolyte system with conductivities in the range of 1x10(exp -3) S/cm has been demonstrated