Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization Proposals in the 113th Congress: Comparison of Major Features of Current Law and S.1356

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA; P.L. 105-220) is the primary federal program that supports workforce development activities, including job search assistance, career development, and job training. WIA established the One-Stop delivery system as a way to co-locate and coordinate the activities of multiple employment programs for adults, youth, and various targeted subpopulations. The delivery of these services occurs primarily through more than 3,000 One- Stop career centers nationwide. WIA includes four main titles that cover employment and training services, adult education and literacy services, the employment service, and vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities. The authorizations for appropriations for most programs under WIA expired at the end of FY2003. Since that time, WIA programs have been funded through the annual appropriations process. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a markup of S. 1356 (the Workforce Investment Act of 2013) on July 31, 2013, and ordered the bill reported by a vote of 18 to 3. S. 1356 would reauthorize WIA through 2018. S. 1356 would maintain the One-Stop delivery system established by WIA but would make changes to the programs, services, and governing structure of WIA, through changes to Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), state plan requirements, national programs, and alignment and coordination provisions across all titles. Some of the major changes include the adoption of primary indicators of performance across all WIA titles, the requirement of a Unified State Plan that includes all core programs, the authorization of innovation and replication grants, greater emphasis on economic and employment outcomes for adult education programs, and expanded services for youth and students with disabilities. This report provides a comparison of major themes in current WIA and in S. 1356

Ground reaction force estimates from ActiGraph GT3X+ hip accelerations.

Simple methods to quantify ground reaction forces (GRFs) outside a laboratory setting are needed to understand daily loading sustained by the body. Here, we present methods to estimate peak vertical GRF (pGRFvert) and peak braking GRF (pGRFbrake) in adults using raw hip activity monitor (AM) acceleration data. The purpose of this study was to develop a statistically based model to estimate pGRFvert and pGRFbrake during walking and running from ActiGraph GT3X+ AM acceleration data. 19 males and 20 females (age 21.2 ± 1.3 years, height 1.73 ± 0.12 m, mass 67.6 ± 11.5 kg) wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ AM over their right hip. Six walking and six running trials (0.95-2.19 and 2.20-4.10 m/s, respectively) were completed. Average of the peak vertical and anterior/posterior AM acceleration (ACCvert and ACCbrake, respectively) and pGRFvert and pGRFbrake during the stance phase of gait were determined. Thirty randomly selected subjects served as the training dataset to develop generalized equations to predict pGRFvert and pGRFbrake. Using a holdout approach, the remaining 9 subjects were used to test the accuracy of the models. Generalized equations to predict pGRFvert and pGRFbrake included ACCvert and ACCbrake, respectively, mass, type of locomotion (walk or run), and type of locomotion acceleration interaction. The average absolute percent differences between actual and predicted pGRFvert and pGRFbrake were 8.3% and 17.8%, respectively, when the models were applied to the test dataset. Repeated measures generalized regression equations were developed to predict pGRFvert and pGRFbrake from ActiGraph GT3X+ AM acceleration for young adults walking and running. These equations provide a means to estimate GRFs without a force plate

Federal Programs Available to Unemployed Workers

[Excerpt] Four groups of federal programs target unemployed workers: unemployment insurance programs, health care assistance, job search assistance, and training. This report describes these programs, how they interact with each other, and their funding. Unemployed workers and their families may experience substantial income loss. If the unemployed worker’s family income is low enough, there are a number of means-tested benefits and programs for which the unemployed worker’s family might qualify (e.g., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, SSI, or Medicaid). Eligibility for such benefits is not conditional on an individual’s current employment status. This report does not attempt to discuss these means-tested benefits and programs

Mixed state Pauli channel parameter estimation

The accuracy of any physical scheme used to estimate the parameter describing the strength of a single qubit Pauli channel can be quantified using standard techniques from quantum estimation theory. It is known that the optimal estimation scheme, with m channel invocations, uses initial states for the systems which are pure and unentangled and provides an uncertainty of O[1/m^(1/2)]. This protocol is analogous to a classical repetition and averaging scheme. We consider estimation schemes where the initial states available are not pure and compare a protocol involving quantum correlated states to independent state protocols analogous to classical repetition schemes. We show, that unlike the pure state case, the quantum correlated state protocol can yield greater estimation accuracy than any independent state protocol. We show that these gains persist even when the system states are separable and, in some cases, when quantum discord is absent after channel invocation. We describe the relevance of these protocols to nuclear magnetic resonance measurements

Recent progress toward understanding the molecular biology of von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis

The gene for von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) was recently identified by positional cloning and found to code for a large, ubiquitously expressed protein. This protein has both structural and functional similarity to a family of proteins with guanosine triphosphatase–activating properties, involved in the regulation of the protooncogene ras . One of the postulated functions of the NF1 gene product may relate to its ability to regulate ras -mediated cell proliferation. Selective pharmacotherapy directed at downregulating ras may be of benefit to patients with NF1.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50350/1/410310515_ftp.pd

Determinants of Financial Performance of Microfinance Banks in Kenya

Microfinance provides strength to boost the economic activities of low-income earners and thus contributes to eradication of poverty. However, microfinance institutions face stringent competition from commercial banks; the growth of microloan activities of commercial banks may confront microfinance institutions with increased competition for borrowers. In Kenya, the micro finance sector has extremely high competition indicated by the shifting market share and profitability. This study sought to examine the determinants of financial performance of Microfinance banks in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design and used secondary data from 7 Microfinance banks for a period of 5 years from 2011 to 2015. The data collected was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The study found a positive and statistically significant relationship between operational efficiency, capital adequacy, firm size and financial performance of microfinance banks in Kenya. However, the study found an insignificant negative relationship between liquidity risk, credit risk and financial performance of microfinance banks in Kenya. The study concluded that there is direct relationship between operational efficiency, capital adequacy, firm size and financial performance of microfinance banks in Kenya. Keywords: Financial performance, Operational Efficiency, Capital Adequacy, Firm Size Microfinance Banks

Short term doxycycline treatment induces sustained improvement in myocardial infarction border zone contractility.

Decreased contractility in the non-ischemic border zone surrounding a MI is in part due to degradation of cardiomyocyte sarcomeric components by intracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). We recently reported that MMP-2 levels were increased in the border zone after a MI and that treatment with doxycycline for two weeks after MI was associated with normalization of MMP-2 levels and improvement in ex-vivo contractile protein developed force in the myocardial border zone. The purpose of the current study was to determine if there is a sustained effect of short term treatment with doxycycline (Dox) on border zone function in a large animal model of antero-apical myocardial infarction (MI). Antero-apical MI was created in 14 sheep. Seven sheep received doxycycline 0.8 mg/kg/hr IV for two weeks. Cardiac MRI was performed two weeks before, and then two and six weeks after MI. Two sheep died prior to MRI at six weeks from surgical/anesthesia-related causes. The remaining 12 sheep completed the protocol. Doxycycline induced a sustained reduction in intracellular MMP-2 by Western blot (3649±643 MI+Dox vs 9236±114 MI relative intensity; p = 0.0009), an improvement in ex-vivo contractility (65.3±2.0 MI+Dox vs 39.7±0.8 MI mN/mm2; p<0.0001) and an increase in ventricular wall thickness at end-systole 1.0 cm from the infarct edge (12.4±0.6 MI+Dox vs 10.0±0.5 MI mm; p = 0.0095). Administration of doxycycline for a limited two week period is associated with a sustained improvement in ex-vivo contractility and an increase in wall thickness at end-systole in the border zone six weeks after MI. These findings were associated with a reduction in intracellular MMP-2 activity