Application of a Model of Planned Change to the Analysis of the Organization of Regional Problems

The definition of regional development we have posed focuses on regional development programs which alter the nature of development in a region in a direction which would not have occurred as a natural consequence of ongoing economic or social forces. The program thus imposes a "change" on the region which is the result of a "planned" policy decision. In the field of organization research, analysis of the management of planned change has been the focus of attention for twenty years. In this portion of the case analysis I hope to apply some of these concepts to gain further insights into the dynamics of regional development. The purpose of existing research in this area has been to clarify several dimensions of change in human systems. The most general purpose is to describe and model the process of inducing and maintaining change in human systems. Within the context of the modeling research, attention has been focussed on the nature of the mechanisms for implementing change in organizational settings. This research evolved into the development of strategies for the management of change in large organizations which has been directed toward application in the fields of management and consulting. The objects of this research fall within the first and second of these areas: the dynamics of inducing and maintaining change, and the nature of the implementation mechanisms

Correlation Between Lumbopelvic and Sagittal Parameters and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults With Lumbosacral Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design:Secondary analysis of prospective, multicenter data. Objective:To evaluate impact of sagittal parameters on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. Methods:Adults with unoperated lumbosacral spondylolisthesis were identified in the Spinal Deformity Study Group database. Pearson's correlations were calculated between SF-12 (Short Form-12)/Scoliosis Research Society-30 (SRS-30) scores and radiographic parameters (C7 sagittal vertical axis [SVA] deviation, T1 pelvic angle, pelvic tilt [PT], pelvic incidence, sacral slope, slip angle, Meyerding slip grade, Labelle classification). Main effects linear regression models measured association between individual health status measures and individual radiographic predictor variables. Results:Forty-five patients were analyzed (male, 15; female, 30; average age 40.5 ± 18.7 years; 14 low-grade, 31 high-grade). For low-grade slips, SVA had strong negative correlations with SF-12 mental component score (MCS), SRS-30 appearance, mental, and satisfaction domains (r = -0.57, r = -0.60, r = -0.58, r = -0.53, respectively; P < .05). For high-grade slips, slip angle had a moderate negative correlation with SF-12 MCS (r = -0.36; P = .05) and SVA had strong negative correlations with SF-12 physical component score (PCS), SRS-30 appearance and activity domains (r = -0.48, r = -0.48, r = -0.45; P < .05) and a moderate negative correlation with SRS-30 total (r = -0.37; P < .05). T1 pelvic angle had a moderate negative correlation with SF-12 PCS and SRS-30 appearance (r = -0.37, r = -0.36; P ≤ .05). For every 1° increase in PT, there was a 0.04-point decrease in SRS appearance, 0.05-point decrease in SRS activity, 0.06-point decrease in SRS satisfaction, and 0.04-point decrease in SRS total score (P < .05). Conclusion:Lumbosacral spondylolisthesis in adults negatively affects HRQoL. Multiple radiographic sagittal parameters negatively affect HRQoLs for patients with low- and high-grade slips. Improvement of sagittal parameters is an important goal of surgery for adults with lumbosacral spondylolisthesis

An Overview of Organizational Research in Regional Development: Five Parallel Case Studies

In this paper we present proposals for a program of research into problems of complex organizations. The area of interest is organization for integrated regional development and our research will be based on five regional development cases undertaken in different circumstances in various parts of the world. Organization theory is not a unified field of research but includes many complementary approaches. The authors of this paper reflect this diversity. However, in designing these research proposals we find important points of commonality. The overall research conception based on a multiorganization approach is one such point. This is supported by a common definition of integrated regional development, which we pose for the purpose of organization study, and a common specification for the case descriptions, which form the first output stages of our program. However, in the analytic stages, which follow these descriptions, we see value in following somewhat different approaches. This diversity should strengthen the value of the final output. In this paper we cover generally the scope and purposes of the overall program. The scope of case descriptions is presented together with an outline of the questions which are addressed in the post-description analytic stages

Utilization of screening mammography in older women according to comorbidity and age: protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of new invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed each year in the United States occur among women aged 65 years and older. The increasing life expectancy coupled with the attendant rise in breast cancer incidence and elimination of out-of-pocket expenses for screening mammography as a result of the Affordable Care Act could lead to higher utilization rates of screening mammography. Although research indicates that life expectancy should be a strong consideration when making screening decisions among older women, the extent to which screening mammography utilization is tailored to comorbidity and life expectancy is not well established. METHODS/DESIGN: To identify relevant studies, a systematic search of the literature will be conducted using PubMed and EMBASE between January 1, 1991, and March 1, 2016. Additional studies will be found through citation review or by contacting experts in the field. The inclusion criteria will be any study design comprised of women aged 65 and older, assessing women’s comorbidity, functional impairments, and/or health status, and reporting outcome measures that addressed mammography utilization within the last 1–5 years. For each study, two authors will independently abstract data regarding study eligibility and outcomes to determine relevance. Quantitative results will be extracted from text and tables, choosing preferably those adjusted for important confounders. DISCUSSION: The review will provide evidence on the impact of comorbidity, functional limitations, and health status on screening mammography utilization in older women and inform decision aids in this area. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016032661 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0345-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Contrast Adaptation in Subthreshold and Spiking Responses of Mammalian Y-Type Retinal Ganglion Cells

Retinal ganglion cells adapt their responses to the amplitude of fluctuations around the mean light level, or the contrast. But, in mammalian retina, it is not known whether adaptation arises exclusively at the level of synaptic inputs or whether there is also adaptation in the process of ganglion cell spike generation. Here, we made intracellular recordings from guinea pig Y-type ganglion cells and quantified changes in contrast sensitivity (gain) using a linear-nonlinear analysis. This analysis allowed us to measure adaptation in the presence of nonlinearities, such as the spike threshold, and to compare adaptation in subthreshold and spiking responses. At high contrast (0.30), relative to low contrast (0.10), gain reduced to 0.82 ± 0.016 (mean ± SEM) for the subthreshold response and to 0.61 ± 0.011 for the spiking response. Thus, there was an apparent reduction in gain between the subthreshold and spiking response of 0.74 ± 0.013. Control experiments suggested that the above effects could not be explained by an artifact of the intracellular recording conditions: extracellular recordings showed a gain change of 0.58 ± 0.022. For intracellular recordings, negative current reduced the spike output but did not affect the gain change in the subthreshold response: 0.80 ± 0.051. Thus, adaptation in the subthreshold response did not require spike-dependent conductances. We conclude that the contrast-dependent gain change in the spiking response can be explained by both a synaptic mechanism, as reflected by responses in the subthreshold potential, and an intrinsic mechanism in the ganglion cell related to spike generation

Screening Mammography Use in Older Women According to Health Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The extent to which screening mammography (SM) recommendations in older women incorporate life expectancy factors is not well established. Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate evidence on SM utilization in older women by life expectancy factors. Data sources: We searched Medline, Embase and Web of Science from January 1991 to March 2016. Study selection: We included studies examining SM utilization in women ages ≥ 65 years that measured life expectancy using comorbidity, functional limitations or health or prognostic status. Data extraction and synthesis: ORs and 95% CIs were extracted and grouped by life expectancy category. Findings were aggregated into pooled ORs and 95% CIs and meta-analyzed by life expectancy category. Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was SM utilization within the last 5 years. Life expectancy factors included number of comorbidities, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, self-reported health status and 5-year prognostic indices. Results: Of 2,606 potential titles, we identified 25 meeting the inclusion criteria (comorbidity: eight studies, functional status: 11 studies and health/prognostic status: 13 studies). Women with higher CCI scores had decreased SM utilization (pooled OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.67–0.85), but increased absolute number of comorbidities were weakly associated with increased SM utilization (pooled OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.36). Women with more functional limitations had lower SM use odds than women with no limitations (pooled OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.62–0.83). Screening utilization odds were lower among women with poor vs excellent health (pooled OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.74–0.96). Conclusion: Greater CCI score, functional limitations and lower perceived health were associated with decreased SM use, whereas higher absolute number of comorbidities was associated with increased SM use. SM guidelines should consider these factors to improve assessments of potential benefits and harms in older women

Functional circuitry of visual adaptation in the retina

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65522/1/jphysiol.2008.156638.pd

Distinct expressions of contrast gain control in parallel synaptic pathways converging on a retinal ganglion cell

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65990/1/jphysiol.2008.156224.pd