Testing Baldridge's Political Model: A Case Study of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park

ABSTRACT Title of dissertation: TESTING BALDRIDGE'S POLITICAL MODEL: A CASE STUDY OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK Sally Anne McCarthy, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Professor Betty Malen Department of Education Policy and Leadership The purpose of this research was to investigate the dynamics surrounding campus policy making related to diversity issues and new academic programs. This study was anchored in conceptual ideas that liken university policy making to political processes. The study sought to answer the over arching research question: How does Baldridge's (1971) political model of university policy making apply to one campus policy process addressing diversity issues? The research employed a qualitative case method as a means to answer the research question. Specifically, the study examined the creation and enactment of the Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Data collection drew from an informant interview process and was supported by document review. Data were systematically analyzed against the conceptual framework, presented in a case narrative, discussed in light of related literature, and assessed in terms of their relevance to theory. The study generated analytic conclusions about the political nature of one campus's policy and programmatic decisions to support Asian American Studies. This research also generated new data regarding decision making around diversity issues and the role of students of color on campus, which are salient issues on college campuses today

Will the real disease gene please stand up?

A common dilemma arising in linkage studies of complex genetic diseases is the selection of positive signals, their follow-up with association studies and discrimination between true and false positive results. Several strategies for overcoming these issues have been devised. Using the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 simulated dataset, we aimed to apply different analytical approaches and evaluate their performance in discerning real associations. We considered a) haplotype analyses, b) different methods adjusting for multiple testing, c) replication in a second dataset, and d) exhaustive genotyping of all markers in a sufficiently powered, large sample group. We found that haplotype-based analyses did not substantially improve over single-point analysis, although this may reflect the low levels of linkage disequilibrium simulated in the datasets provided. Multiple testing correction methods were in general found to be over-conservative. Replication of nominally positive results in a second dataset appears to be less stringent, resulting in the follow-up of false positives. Performing a comprehensive assay of all markers in a large, well-powered dataset appears to be the most effective strategy for complex disease gene identification

Accreditation and quality in higher education curriculum design: does the tail wag the dog?

[EN] Increasingly, the higher education sector is driven by sets of standards that describe quality – internal institutional standards that consider curriculum, teaching and delivery to students and external standards from both the sector and the professions that describe expectations, content, skills and attitudes that curricula must address to support graduate outcomes. Quality is the focus of these requirements, and yet quality in higher education remains a messy problem, with no clear framework (Kundu, 2016) and numerous variables that confound the problem. We ask what comes first: the external standards that accredit a university to provide education for a profession, or internal standards that focus on quality teaching and learning opportunities. The paper presents a short case study that highlights the challenge for course leaders pressured to meet industry requirements, and the impact this has on their awareness and capacity to design a transformational curriculum for students. We conclude that it is the difference between an aspirational courses, whereby quality is focussed on the learning design for student experience, and a compliant course, where quality is focussed on meeting static requirements.Wood, D.; Auhl, G.; Mccarthy, S. (2019). Accreditation and quality in higher education curriculum design: does the tail wag the dog?. En HEAD'19. 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 783-791. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9365OCS78379

A Literature Review on Care at the End-of-Life in the Emergency Department

The hospitalisation and management of patients at the end-of-life by emergency medical services is presenting a challenge to our society as the majority of people approaching death explicitly state that they want to die at home and the transition from acute care to palliation is difficult. In addition, the escalating costs of providing care at the end-of-life in acute hospitals are unsustainable. Hospitals in general and emergency departments in particular cannot always provide the best care for patients approaching end-of-life. The main objectives of this paper are to review the existing literature in order to assess the evidence for managing patients dying in the emergency department, and to identify areas of improvement such as supporting different models of care and evaluating those models with health services research. The paper identified six main areas where there is lack of research and/or suboptimal policy implementation. These include uncertainty of treatment in the emergency department; quality of life issues, costs, ethical and social issues, interaction between ED and other health services, and strategies for out of hospital care. The paper concludes with some areas for policy development and future research

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells become anti-angiogenic when chondrogenically or osteogenically differentiated:implications for bone and cartilage tissue engineering

Osteochondral tissue repair requires formation of vascularized bone and avascular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells stimulate angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo but it is not known if these proangiogenic properties change as a result of chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation. We investigated the angiogenic/antiangiogenic properties of equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eBMSCs) before and after differentiation in vitro. Conditioned media from chondrogenic and osteogenic cell pellets and undifferentiated cells was applied to endothelial tube formation assays using Matrigel™. Additionally, the cell secretome was analysed using LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry and screened for angiogenesis and neurogenesis-related factors using protein arrays. Endothelial tube-like formation was supported by conditioned media from undifferentiated eBMSCs. Conversely, chondrogenic and osteogenic conditioned media was antiangiogenic as shown by significantly decreased length of endothelial tube-like structures and degree of branching compared to controls. Undifferentiated cells produced higher levels of angiogenesis-related proteins compared to chondrogenic and osteogenic pellets. In summary, eBMSCs produce an array of angiogenesis-related proteins and support angiogenesis in vitro via a paracrine mechanism. However, when these cells are differentiated chondrogenically or osteogenically, they produce a soluble factor(s) that inhibits angiogenesis. With respect to osteochondral tissue engineering, this may be beneficial for avascular articular cartilage formation but unfavourable for bone formation where a vascularized tissue is desired

Poly(ethylene glycol)-Based Peptidomimetic “PEGtide” of Oligo-Arginine allows for efficient siRNA Transfection and gene inhibition

While a wide range of experimental and commercial transfection reagents are currently available, persistent problems remain regarding their suitability for continued development. These include the transfection efficiency for difficult-to-transfect cell types and the risks of decreased cell viability that may arise from any transfection that does occur. Therefore, research is now turning toward alternative molecules that improve the toxicity profile of the gene delivery vector (GDV), while maintaining the transfection efficiency. Among them, cell-penetrating peptides, such as octa-arginine, have shown significant potential as GDVs. Their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties can be enhanced through peptidomimetic conversion, whereby a peptide is modified into a synthetic analogue that mimics its structure and/or function, but whose backbone is not solely based on α-amino acids. Using this technology, novel peptidomimetics were developed by co- and postpolymerization functionalization of substituted ethylene oxides, producing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based peptidomimetics termed “PEGtides”. Specifically, a PEGtide of the poly(α-amino acid) oligo-arginine [poly(glycidylguanidine)] was assessed for its ability to complex and deliver a small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) using a range of cell assays and high-content analysis. PEGtide–siRNA demonstrated significantly increased internalization and gene inhibition over 24 h in Calu-3 pulmonary epithelial cells compared to commercial controls and octa-arginine-treated samples, with no evidence of toxicity. Furthermore, PEGtide–siRNA nanocomplexes can provide significant levels of gene inhibition in “difficult-to-transfect” mouse embryonic hypothalamic (mHypo N41) cells. Overall, the usefulness of this novel PEGtide for gene delivery was clearly demonstrated, establishing it as a promising candidate for continued translational research

Perceptions and experiences of emergency department staff during the implementation of the four-hour rule/national emergency access target policy in Australia: A qualitative social dynamic perspective

Background: The Four-Hour Rule or National Emergency Access Target policy (4HR/NEAT) was implemented by Australian State and Federal Governments between 2009 and 2014 to address increased demand, overcrowding and access block (boarding) in Emergency Departments (EDs). This qualitative study aimed to assess the impact of 4HR/NEAT on ED staff attitudes and perceptions. This article is part of a series of manuscripts reporting the results of this project. Methods: The methodology has been published in this journal. As discussed in the methods paper, we interviewed 119 participants from 16 EDs across New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Western Australia (WA) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), in 2015-2016. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, imported to NVivo 11 and analysed using content and thematic analysis. Results: Three key themes emerged: Stress and morale, Intergroup dynamics, and Interaction with patients. These provided insight into the psycho-social dimensions and organisational structure of EDs at the individual, peer-to-peer, inter-departmental, and staff-patient levels. Conclusion: Findings provide information on the social interactions associated with the introduction of the 4HR/NEAT policy and the intended and unintended consequences of its implementation across Australia. These themes allowed us to develop several hypotheses about the driving forces behind the social impact of this policy on ED staff and will allow for development of interventions that are rooted in the rich context of the staff\u27s experiences. © 2019 The Author(s)