A Study of Selected Antipoverty Interventions Among the United States Poor

This thesis has several components. Its review of antipoverty literature leads-in to a theoretical perspective of the causes, effects, and remediation of poverty in the United States. A small minority of powerful individuals and corporations who monopolize decision- making apparatuses consistently make decisions which nurture unjust, inequitable allocations of the nation\u27s resources. As they protect their vested interests, the socio- economic and political systems which perpetuate the gross economic imbalance between rich and poor are nurtured . The poor (and increasingly , the middle class) are left virtually powerless, even over the decisions which affect their own lives. In order to explore various approaches to poverty, a survey of 65 agencies was conducted . It studies the goals, scope, modus operandi, staffing, funding, eligibility requirements, and other features of primarily nonprofit organizations. These agencies play a vital role in the reduction of poverty. They provide material aid, crisis intervention, advocacy, and supportive relationships to the poor. Their services are a partial solution to the problem of poverty , but the sheer volume of clients acts as a deterrent to their effectiveness. They cannot continue the struggle against poverty alone

In Vitro Culture of Cells Exfoliated in the Urine by Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

As an approach to facilitate the understanding of the progression of diabetic renal disease, we assessed the urine of diabetic patients and normal volunteers for the presence of cells that could be cultured in vitro. The results suggest that both normal control subjects and diabetic patients, without clinically detectable microangiopathy, exfoliate few culturable cells into the urine. In contrast, diabetics with documented retinopathy but without nephropathy exfoliate substantially higher numbers of culturable cells (5.2 cells/100 ml urine), whereas diabetics with both retinopathy and advanced nephropathy exfoliate even greater numbers of culturable cells (50.8 cells/100 ml urine). The cells that are exfoliated and culturable can be divided into five distinct cell types based on morphology at the light microscope level. The exfoliated cells proliferate at clonal density after isolation from urine and are epithelial in appearance. These data suggest that the culture of cells from urine might have diagnostic value as an early indicator of diabetic renal disease and provide a convenient, noninvasive new source of human kidney epithelial cells

"Who's ready for the cave?" Thailand's Tham Luang Rescue Museum as teaching case study

This article demonstrates how a teaching case study approach can benefit museum studies courses. It takes as its focus the widely reported rescue of a boys’ football team from a flooded cave in Thailand (2018). The success of this multinational effort led to immediate calls for the establishment of a “living museum” dedicated to remembering what became known as the “Tham Luang cave rescue.” Discussion of the potential form and function of this envisaged museum plus its wider ramifications formed a key component of a newly validated international MA program taught in the UK and China by local academics and practitioners. Issues addressed include collections management, interpretation and display as well as ethical considerations relating to funding and forward planning. These were debated through groupwork, student presentations and report writing. The article reflects on this experience and the lessons it has for studying museums. It advocates the use of other topical events as the basis for similar teaching case studies on the grounds that this best equips students with the knowledge and skills required in the workplace

Scenario planning as communicative action: lessons from participatory exercises conducted for the Scottish livestock industry

AbstractBased on Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action, this paper critiques the transparency and legitimacy of participatory scenario planning, considering a case study of scenario development for the livestock industry within Scotland. The paper considers the extent to which the case study approximates the conditions for ‘ideal speech situations’ and how these conditions could be applied more widely in participatory scenario planning. The authors explore the rationale for participatory scenario planning within the science–policy interface with critical reference to the corporate context in which scenario planning has evolved. The aim is to optimise the potential for its use in the context of socio-technical and environmental governance. Researcher co-reflections on the case study are mapped within a matrix of indices representing conditions for ideal speech situations. Further analytical categories highlight the extent to which ideal speech was approximated. Although many of the constraints on achieving ideal speech situations reflect intransigent, practical logistics of organising participatory exercises, our novel approach enables the systematic identification of some important issues and provides a conceptual framework for understanding how they interrelate that may prove useful to practitioners and theorists alike

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Perceived quality estimation by the design of discrete-choice experiment and best–worst scaling data: An automotive industry case

“Which product attributes do engineers have to focus on to receive the highest level of a customer’s appreciation?” In other words, can we design for high perceived quality? In this paper, discrete-choice experiment design is presented with the combination of best–worst scaling method to evaluate the perceived quality of the complete vehicle in application to the premium automotive industry. The application of Perceived Quality Framework (PQF) and Perceived Quality Attributes Importance Ranking (PQAIR) method to measure the importance of perceived quality attributes for the automotive engineers and customers depicted commonalities and differences in perception. This information and approach can significantly improve engineering practices regarding the perceived quality of cars

The Effects of Bundled Payment Programs for Hip and Knee Arthroplasty on Patient-Reported Outcomes

© 2019 Elsevier Inc. Background: Patient-reported outcomes are essential to demonstrate the value of hip and knee arthroplasty, a common target for payment reforms. We compare patient-reported global and condition-specific outcomes after hip and knee arthroplasty based on hospital participation in Medicare\u27s bundled payment programs. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study using the Comparative Effectiveness of Pulmonary Embolism Prevention after Hip and Knee Replacement trial. Differences in patient-reported outcomes through 6 months were compared between bundle and nonbundle hospitals using mixed-effects regression, controlling for baseline patient characteristics. Outcomes were the brief Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score or the brief Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Health Score, and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, measures of joint function, overall health, and pain, respectively. Results: Relative to nonbundled hospitals, arthroplasty patients at bundled hospitals had slightly lower improvement in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (−1.8 point relative difference at 6 months; 95% confidence interval −3.2 to −0.4; P =.011) and Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (−2.3 point relative difference at 6 months; 95% confidence interval −4.0 to −0.5; P =.010). However, these effects were small, and the proportions of patients who achieved a minimum clinically important difference were similar. Preoperative to postoperative change in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Health Score and Numeric Pain Rating Scale demonstrated a similar pattern of slightly worse outcomes at bundled hospitals with similar rates of achieving a minimum clinically important difference. Conclusions: Patients receiving care at hospitals participating in Medicare\u27s bundled payment programs do not have meaningfully worse improvements in patient-reported measures of function, health, or pain after hip or knee arthroplasty