Half of Women in New Hampshire Have Experienced Sexual Harassment at Work

In this brief, authors Kristin Smith, Sharyn Potter, and Jane Stapleton discuss the results of a 2018 Granite State Poll survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire on workplace sexual harassment in New Hampshire. They report that over half of women and nearly one-quarter of men in New Hampshire have been victims of sexual harassment at their workplaces during their lifetimes. Women are more likely to state they suffered work-related consequences (for example, financial loss, being fired or demoted) than men, but similar shares reported quitting their jobs as a result of the harassment. Sexual harassment is problematic for the workplace, as it reduces worker morale and job satisfaction, diminishes productivity, and increases absenteeism and worker withdrawal. The authors suggest that employers would do well to invest in prevention, such as bystander intervention training, and encourage victims’ use of supports to mitigate the negative effects of workplace sexual harassment

The role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the multimodal management of growth hormone–secreting pituitary adenomas

Growth hormone (GH)–secreting pituitary adenomas represent a common source of GH excess in patients with acromegaly. Whereas surgical extirpation of the culprit lesion is considered first-line treatment, as many as 19% of patients develop recurrent symptoms due to regrowth of previously resected adenomatous tissue or to continued growth of the surgically inaccessible tumor. Although medical therapies that suppress GH production can be effective in the management of primary and recurrent acromegaly, these therapies are not curative, and lifelong treatment is required for hormonal control. Stereotactic radiosurgery has emerged as an effective adjunctive treatment modality, and is an appealing alternative to conventional fractionated radiation therapy. The authors reviewed the growing body of literature concerning the role of radiosurgical procedures in the treatment armamentarium of acromegaly, and identified more than 1350 patients across 45 case series. In this review, the authors report that radiosurgery offers true hormonal normalization in 17% to 82% of patients and tumor growth control in 37% to 100% of cases across all series, while minimizing adverse complications. As a result, stereotactic radiosurgery represents a safe and effective treatment option in the multimodal management of primary or recurrent acromegaly secondary to GH-secreting pituitary adenomas

Choosing Prevention Products: Questions to Ask When Considering Sexual and Relationship Violence and Stalking Prevention Products

The purpose of this white paper is to provide guidance to university and college leaders on how to choose products that address concerns of sexual and relationship violence and stalking from the perspective of prevention

Has the Employment Rate of People with Disabilities Declined? Policy Brief

A major debate has begun over reports of an unprecedented decline in the employment rate of working-age people with disabilities by those using currently available data sources to track the health employment and economic well-being of the United States population. Many question whether the decline is real, and some have even called on the Federal government to end its financial support for the dissemination of employment estimates for people with disabilities using currently available data. In this policy brief we summarize the arguments and evidence on the issue, and reflect on the importance of the issue for the ongoing debate on disability policy. We conclude that the decline is real and it has important implications for public policy

The Impact of Shape on the Perception of Euler Diagrams

Euler diagrams are often used for visualizing data collected into sets. However, there is a significant lack of guidance regarding graphical choices for Euler diagram layout. To address this deficiency, this paper asks the question `does the shape of a closed curve affect a user's comprehension of an Euler diagram?' By empirical study, we establish that curve shape does indeed impact on understandability. Our analysis of performance data indicates that circles perform best, followed by squares, with ellipses and rectangles jointly performing worst. We conclude that, where possible, circles should be used to draw effective Euler diagrams. Further, the ability to discriminate curves from zones and the symmetry of the curve shapes is argued to be important. We utilize perceptual theory to explain these results. As a consequence of this research, improved diagram layout decisions can be made for Euler diagrams whether they are manually or automatically drawn

Odontoameloblastoma with extensive chondroid matrix deposition in a guinea pig

Odontoameloblastomas (previously incorporated within ameloblastic odontomas) are matrix-producing odontogenic mixed tumors and are closely related in histologic appearance to the 2 other types of matrix-producing odontogenic mixed tumors: odontomas and ameloblastic fibro-odontomas. The presence or absence of intralesional, induced non-neoplastic tissue must be accounted for in the diagnosis. Herein we describe a naturally occurring odontoameloblastoma with extensive chondroid cementum deposition in a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Microscopically, the mass featured palisading neoplastic odontogenic epithelium closely apposed to ribbons and rings of a pink dental matrix (dentinoid), alongside extensive sheets and aggregates of chondroid cementum. The final diagnosis was an odontoameloblastoma given the abundance of odontogenic epithelium in association with dentinoid but a paucity of pulp ectomesenchyme. Chondroid cementum is an expected anatomical feature of cavies, and its presence within the odontoameloblastoma was interpreted as a response of the ectomesenchyme of the dental follicle to the described neoplasm. Our case illustrates the inductive capabilities of odontoameloblastomas while highlighting species-specific anatomy that has resulted in a histologic appearance unique to cavies and provides imaging and histologic data to aid diagnosis of these challenging lesions

Dismantling the Poverty Trap: Disability Policy for the 21st Century. Policy Brief

Working-age Americans with disabilities are much more likely to live in poverty than other Americans and generally did not share in the economic prosperity of the late 1990s. At the same time, public expenditures to support them are growing at a rate that will be difficult to sustain when the baby boom generation retires and begins to draw Social Security Retirement and Medicare benefits. We argue that this discouraging situation will continue unless we can bring disability programs into line with more contemporary understanding of the capabilities of people with disabilities and successfully implement broad, systemic reforms to promote their economic self-sufficiency. This policy brief summarizes a larger paper (Stapleton, O’Day, Livermore & Imparato, 2005). It suggests principles to guide reforms and encourage debate. Future policy briefs will elaborate on some of these principles

Development of Bone Targeting Drugs.

The skeletal system, comprising bones, ligaments, cartilage and their connective tissues, is critical for the structure and support of the body. Diseases that affect the skeletal system can be difficult to treat, mainly because of the avascular cartilage region. Targeting drugs to the site of action can not only increase efficacy but also reduce toxicity. Bone-targeting drugs are designed with either of two general targeting moieties, aimed at the entire skeletal system or a specific cell type. Most bone-targeting drugs utilize an affinity to hydroxyapatite, a major component of the bone matrix that includes a high concentration of positively-charged Ca(2+). The strategies for designing such targeting moieties can involve synthetic and/or biological components including negatively-charged amino acid peptides or bisphosphonates. Efficient delivery of bone-specific drugs provides significant impact in the treatment of skeletal related disorders including infectious diseases (osteoarthritis, osteomyelitis, etc.), osteoporosis, and metabolic skeletal dysplasia. Despite recent advances, however, both delivering the drug to its target without losing activity and avoiding adverse local effects remain a challenge. In this review, we investigate the current development of bone-targeting moieties, their efficacy and limitations, and discuss future directions for the development of these specific targeted treatments