Human Rights in the Heartland: An Assessment of Social, Economic, Civil, and Political Rights in the Midwest

This report measures human rights progress in the heart of the United States. In this compilation, eight Midwestern states are evaluated on a freedom index, providing a comparative snapshot of local commitments to civil, political, social, and economic rights

Study of Supportive Housing in Illinois: First Interim Report

In particular, the study focuses on the change in service use and the cost of services used by Illinois supportive housing residents 2 years before entering supportive housing and 2 years after. This study will inform policymakers, funders, and others about the importance and cost effectiveness of supportive housing in Illinois

Declines in swimming performance with age: a longitudinal study of Masters swimming champions.

IntroductionBecause of its many participants and thorough records, competitive Masters swimming offers a rich data source for determining the rate of physical decline associated with aging in physically fit individuals. The decline in performance among national champion swimmers, both men and women and in short and long swims, is linear, at about 0.6% per year up to age 70-75, after which it accelerates in quadratic fashion. These conclusions are based primarily on cross-sectional studies, and little is known about individual performance declines with aging. Herein we present performance profiles of 19 male and 26 female national and international champion Masters swimmers, ages 25 to 96 years, participating in competitions for an average of 23 years.Methods and resultsSwimmers' longitudinal data were compared with the fastest times of world record holders across ages 35-100 years by two regression methods. Neither method proved to accurately model this data set: compared with the rates of decline estimated from the world record data, which represent the best recorded times at given ages, there was bias toward shallower rates of performance decline in the longitudinal data, likely owing to a practice effect in some swimmers as they began their Masters programs. In swimmers' later years, once maximum performance had been achieved, individual profiles followed the decline represented in the world records, and a few swimmers became the world record holders. In some instances, the individual profiles indicated performance better than the world record data; these swimmers achieved their times after the world record data were collected in 2005-2006.ConclusionDeclining physiological functional capacity occurs with advancing age, and this is reflected in the performance decrements of aging Masters swimmers. Individual swimmers show different performance trajectories with aging, declines being mitigated by practice, which improves both physiological capacity and swimming technique, particularly in the early years of participation. The longitudinal data of this study indicate that individuals can participate in high-intensity swimming over several decades, competitively improving over those decades until, in some instances, they become world record holders for their age groups

Office of Research Survey Instrument

Researchers frequently face the daunting task of locating appropriate funding to support their research. A survey by University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School Office of Research (OoR) found that the majority of respondents expressed frustration with the time and effort it takes to search for new funding opportunities. This is the survey instrument that was used.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115473/1/Office of Research Survey Instrument.pdfDescription of Office of Research Survey Instrument.pdf : U-M Medical School Office of Research Surve

Associations of Physiological Factors, Age, and Sensory Over-Responsivity with Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among physiological factors, age, sensory over-responsivity (SOR) and food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHODS: One hundred forty-one parents of children with ASD were recruited through a national autism organization, Autism Speaks, to fill out a survey regarding their child’s mealtime behavior. Survey contained items to measure the severity of food selectivity behavior, the presence of physiological factors (i.e., reflux, constipation, food allergies and the need for a specialized diet) and sensory over-responsivity (SOR). Results were analyzed using Chi Square, ANOVA and logistic regression. RESULTS: No relationship between physiological factors and level of food selectivity was found. Older children in the 3-9 year old range did not have more foods in their diet repertoire than younger children. Finally, children with fewer than 10 and those with 11-20 foods in their diet (i.e., severe food selectivity and moderate food selectivity respectively) were found to have significantly higher scores on a measure of SOR when compared to children with 21+ foods (typical selectivity). CONCLUSIONS: When addressing food selectivity in children with ASD, consideration of the possibility that the child may not outgrow restricted diets is warranted. Also, treatment for food selectivity may be more effective if SOR is included in protocol

Reverse Genetic Analysis of the Transcription Regulatory Sequence of the Coronavirus Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus

Coronavirus discontinuous transcription uses a highly conserved sequence (CS) in the joining of leader and body RNAs. Using a full-length infectious construct of transmissable gastroenteritis virus, the present study demonstrates that subgenomic transcription is heavily influenced by upstream flanking sequences and supports a mechanism of transcription attenuation that is regulated in part by a larger domain composed of primarily upstream flanking sequences which select appropriately positioned CS elements for synthesis of subgenomic RNAs

The Past, Present, and Future of Distress Screening: Launching a Robust Distress Screening Program at a Large Outpatient Medical Oncology Practice Serving Rural/Underserved Communities

After redesign, administration of the DT at initial chemotherapy teaching sessions and robust searchable databases integrated with EHR systems, allowing providers/researchers to create reports filtered by date ranges, encounter type, clinical site/facility, scores of ≥4, domain (physical, emotional, practical), and outcome (referral to specialist)https://knowledgeconnection.mainehealth.org/lambrew-retreat-2023/1005/thumbnail.jp