Education and Learning Opportunities (NVP 2014, Report 3)

With support and collaboration from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the America Healing initiative,  researchers at the University of Michigan are leading the National Voices Project (NVP) from 2011-2016. The central goals of the NVP are to examine the sourcesof racial/ethnic inequity and other disparitiesfor children in the United States today and identify interventions that address disparities effectively.The NVP offers an unprecedented perspective on community-level opportunities for children throughout the country, in the domains of health and nutrition, education and learning, and economic security – through the eyes of adults whose occupations and volunteer work affect such opportunities. In other words, the NVP reflects the perceptions of individuals throughout the United States who are in a position to improve children's opportunities inthe future. We generally use the word "children" throughout the report to describe children from age 0-18 years, unless otherwise noted.Previous reports for NVP 2014 focused chiefly on respondent characteristics and findings regarding health,  healthcare, and nutrition. This report for NVP 2014 will center on findings related to children's education and learning

Health, Nutrition and Healthcare Availability (Survey 2, Report 2)

With support and collaboration from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the America Healing initiative, researchers at the University of Michigan are leading the National Voices Project (NVP) from 2011-2015. The central goals of the NVP are to examine the sources of racial/ethnic inequity and other disparities for children in the United States today, identify interventions that address disparities effectively, and inform the public dialogue about racial healing and racial equality. The NVP offers a fresh perspective on community-level opportunities for children throughout the country, in the domains of health and nutrition, education, and economic security -- through the eyes of adults whose work and volunteer efforts affect such opportunities. In other words, the NVP reflects the perceptions of individuals throughout the United States who are in a position to improve children's opportunities in the future. The questionnaire for NVP Survey 2 was developed by the National Voices Project team at the University of Michigan, with input from WKKF collaborators. We examined how individuals who work or volunteer with children view opportunities for education, health and healthcare, and economic well-being related to children and adolescents. Many of the questions were identical to questions fielded for NVP Survey 1 in 2011, to facilitate comparisons of responses across these different samples and over time. New questions in NVP Survey 2 centered on respondents' perceptions of segregation and inequities in the communities they know best, and on respondents' awareness about efforts to bridge racial/ethnic inequities in those communities

Opportunities and Barriers Related to Income (Survey 2, Report 4)

Led by researchers at the University of Michigan, the National Voices Project is an effort to bring the perspectives of thousands of people in communities across the United States to the national dialogue about opportunities and barriers for children related to race/ethnicity. The National Voices Project conducts major national surveys twice each yearamong adults who work and volunteer on behalf of children. These surveys focus on racial/ethnic disparities at the community level that affect children?s health, education, and economic security.NVP Survey 1 was conducted in November-December 2011. NVP Survey 2 was fielded in August-September 2012.The final eligible sample for NVP Survey 2 included 2,311 adults from 48 states and D.C. NVP Survey 2 differed from NVP Survey 1 in two key respects: 1) NVP Survey 2 included an oversample in communities included in the "Place Matters" initiative led by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a fellow grantee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The oversample included sufficient numbers of responses to permit the NVP team to analyze differences across 6 specific "Place Matters" counties, and 2) Questions were asked in greater depth about efforts at community levels about bridging efforts to address racial/ethnic inequities.

Education and Learning Opportunities (Survey 2, Report 3)

With support and collaboration from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the America Healing initiative, researchers at the University of Michigan are leading the National Voices Project (NVP) from 2011-2016. The central goals of the NVP are to examine the sources of racial/ethnic inequity and other disparities for children in the United States today, identify interventions that address disparities effectively, and inform the public dialogue about racial healing and racial equality.The NVP offers a fresh perspective on community-level opportunities for children throughout the country, in the domains of health and nutrition, education, and economic security – through the eyes of adults whose work and volunteer efforts affect such opportunities. In other words, the NVP reflects the perceptions of individuals throughout the United States who are in a position to improve children?s opportunities in the future.NVP Survey 1 was conducted in November-December 2011. NVP Survey 2 was fielded in August-September 2012. NVP Survey 2 differed from NVP Survey 1 in two key respects: 1) NVP Survey 2 included an oversample in communities included in the "Place Matters" initiative led by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a fellow grantee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The oversample included sufficient numbers of responses to permit the NVP team to analyze differences across 6 specific "Place Matters" counties, and 2) Questions were asked in greater depth about efforts at community levels about bridging efforts to address racial/ethnic inequities.

Education and Learning Opportunities (NVP 2013, Report 3)

With support and collaboration from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the America Healing initiative,  researchers at the University of Michigan are leading the National Voices Project (NVP) from 2011-2016. The central goals of the NVP are to examine the sources of racial/ethnic inequity and other disparities for children in the United States today and identify interventions that address disparities effectively.The NVP offers an unprecedented perspective on community-level opportunities for children throughout the country, in the domains of health and nutrition, education and learning, and economic security – through the eyes of adults whose occupations and volunteer work affect such opportunities. In other words, the NVP reflects the perceptions of individuals throughout the United States who are in a position to improve children's opportunities in the future. We generally use the word ?children? throughout the report to describe children from age 0-18 years, unless otherwise noted.Report #3 for NVP 2013 focuses on findings related to children's education and learning

Opportunities and Barriers Related to Income (NVP 2013, Report 4)

With support and collaboration from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation through the America Healing initiative, researchers at the University of Michigan are leading the National Voices Project (NVP) from 2011-2016. The central goals of the NVP are to examine the sources of racial/ethnic inequity and other disparities for children in the United States today and identify interventions that address disparities effectively.The NVP offers an unprecedented perspective on community-level opportunities for children throughout the country, in the domains of health and nutrition, education and learning, and economic security – through the eyes of adults whoseoccupations and volunteer work affect such opportunities. In other words, the NVP reflects the perceptions of individuals throughout the United States who are in a position to improve children's opportunities in the future. We generally use the word "children" throughout the report to describe young children from age 0-8 years, and "teens" for children ages 13-18 years old.Report #4 for NVP 2013 focuses chiefly on findings on children's and teens' health, education and learning, andeconomic opportunities related to income

The effects of a protein enriched diet with lean red meat combined with a multi-modal exercise program on muscle and cognitive health and function in older adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Age-related muscle wasting has been strongly implicated with falls and fractures in the elderly, but it has also been associated with cognitive decline and dementia. Progressive resistance training (PRT) and adequate dietary protein are recognised as important contributors to the maintenance of muscle health and function in older adults. However, both factors also have the potential to improve brain function and prevent cognitive decline via several pathways, including the regulation of various growth and neurotrophic factors [insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)]; brain-derived growth factor (BDNF)] and/or the modulation of systemic inflammation. The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether a modest increase in dietary protein achieved through the consumption of lean red meat three days per week, when combined with PRT, can enhance muscle mass, size and strength and cognitive function in community-dwelling older people. METHODS/DESIGN: The study design is a 48-week randomised controlled trial consisting of a 24-week intervention with a 24-week follow-up. Men and women (n=152) aged 65 years and over residing in the community will be randomly allocated to: 1) PRT and provided with 220 g (raw weight) of lean red meat to be cooked and divided into two 80 g servings on each of the three days that they complete their exercise session, or 2) control PRT in which participants will be provided with and advised to consume ≥1 serving (~1/2 cup) of rice and/or pasta or 1 medium potato on each of the three training days. The primary outcome measures will be muscle mass, size and strength and cognitive function. Secondary outcomes will include changes in: muscle function, neural health (corticospinal excitability and inhibition and voluntary activation), serum IGF-1 and BDNF, adipokines and inflammatory markers, fat mass and inter-/intra-muscular fat, blood pressure, lipids and health-related quality of life. All outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and 24 weeks, with the exception of cognitive function and the various neurobiological and inflammatory markers which will also be assessed at week 12. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study will provide important new information on whether a modest increase in dietary protein achieved through the ingestion of lean red meat can enhance the effects of PRT on muscle mass, size and strength as well as cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. If successful, the findings will form the basis for more precise exercise and nutrition guidelines for the management and prevention of age-related changes in muscle and neural health and cognitive function in the elderly. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12613001153707 . Date registered 16(th) October, 2013

Ulcerative colitis-risk loci on chromosomes 1p36 and 12q15 found by genome-wide association study.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon that presents as diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding. We performed a genome-wide association study using DNA samples from 1,052 individuals with ulcerative colitis and preexisting data from 2,571 controls, all of European ancestry. In an analysis that controlled for gender and population structure, ulcerative colitis loci attaining genome-wide significance and subsequent replication in two independent populations were identified on chromosomes 1p36 (rs6426833, combined P = 5.1 x 10(-13), combined odds ratio OR = 0.73) and 12q15 (rs1558744, combined P = 2.5 x 10(-12), combined OR = 1.35). In addition, combined genome-wide significant evidence for association was found in a region spanning BTNL2 to HLA-DQB1 on chromosome 6p21 (rs2395185, combined P = 1.0 x 10(-16), combined OR = 0.66) and at the IL23R locus on chromosome 1p31 (rs11209026, combined P = 1.3 x 10(-8), combined OR = 0.56; rs10889677, combined P = 1.3 x 10(-8), combined OR = 1.29)

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative: A New Model for Supporting Collaborative Research at Small Institutions on a National Scale

The Primarily Undergraduate Nanomaterials Cooperative (PUNC) is an organization for research-active faculty studying nanomaterials at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), where undergraduate teaching and research go hand-in-hand. In this perspective, we outline the differences in maintaining an active research group at a PUI compared to an R1 institution. We also discuss the work of PUNC, which focuses on community building, instrument sharing, and facilitating new collaborations. Currently consisting of 37 members from across the United States, PUNC has created an online community consisting of its Web site (nanocooperative.org), a weekly online summer group meeting program for faculty and students, and a Discord server for informal conversations. Additionally, in-person symposia at ACS conferences and PUNC-specific conferences are planned for the future. It is our hope that in the years to come PUNC will be seen as a model organization for community building and research support at primarily undergraduate institutions

Testing for an Unusual Distribution of Rare Variants

Technological advances make it possible to use high-throughput sequencing as a primary discovery tool of medical genetics, specifically for assaying rare variation. Still this approach faces the analytic challenge that the influence of very rare variants can only be evaluated effectively as a group. A further complication is that any given rare variant could have no effect, could increase risk, or could be protective. We propose here the C-alpha test statistic as a novel approach for testing for the presence of this mixture of effects across a set of rare variants. Unlike existing burden tests, C-alpha, by testing the variance rather than the mean, maintains consistent power when the target set contains both risk and protective variants. Through simulations and analysis of case/control data, we demonstrate good power relative to existing methods that assess the burden of rare variants in individuals