The home of a baby boomer : a market research of the real estate needs of the baby boomer in the upstate of South Carolina; the case of Rosewood Communities Inc.

This study is a market research for the case company, Rosewood Communities Inc. Rosewood Communities operates as a residential homebuilder in the Upstate of South Carolina. The company targets the baby boomers, aged 47 to 65, in their product referred to as the Cottages. The three research questions answered in this study are: who is the target market, what do they want/need/value, and how can Rosewood Communities give them that? Thus, the objective of this study is to research the baby boomer; segmenting them as an age group demographic. This descriptive research requires an empirical study of the target market. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used. These research methods include interviewing the owner of the case company and sending out a questionnaire to the Cottage homeowners of the Rosewood Communities. Theoretical consumer behavior theory and target marketing theory are outlined as the foundation for the study. The environment of the Upstate of South Carolina, surrounding the case company is presented and discussed. Baby boomers are defined, researched theoretically and their retirement real estate needs are outlined. The reliability and validitiy of this research are within the scope of the environment of the target market demographic, the baby boomers, living in the Cottages of Rosewood Communities located in the Upstate of South Carolina. Any conclusions made from the results of the questionnaires, interviews, and observations in this thesis pertain only to these specific circumstances. The empirical analyis identifies the Cottage baby boomers as rooted in their traditional values of faith and family. Their work ethic, education and income levels combined with their faith and family values establish the baby boomers as a stable target demographic group. In regards to the home, the baby boomers value maintenance-free living and being close to their children. Downsizing to the Cottages causes the baby boomers’ extreme need for storage space. Recommendations are made for Rosewood Communities in how to position the company and their Cottage product to target the baby boomers. These recommendations include improvements to the Cottage product, more storage in the floorplans and Rosewood Communities’ strategic marketing decisions. The practical application of this study is found in Rosewood Communities’ cooperation during this study and initiative in applying the conclusions to their day to day operations as a homebuilder.Tämä opinnäytetyö on markkinointitutkimus Rosewood Communities Inc. yhtiölle. Rosewood Communities toimii asuintalojen rakennuttajana South Carolina osavaltion pohjoisosissa. Yrityksen kohderyhmänä on ”the baby boomers” eli suurten ikäluokkien edustajat ja heille suunnattuina malleina ”the Cottages” asunnot. Kolme kysymystä, joihin tutkimus vastaa, on: ketkä ovat markkinoinnin kohteena, mitä he haluavat/tarvitsevat/arvostavat, sekä kuinka Rosewood Communities pystyy tarjoamaan heille tämän. Kyseisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena onkin siis tutkia suurten ikäluokkien edustajia erottamalla heidät ikäryhmän perusteella väestörakenteessa. Tämä kuvaava tutkimus vaatii kohdemarkkinoinnin empiiristä tutkimusta; sekä kvantitatiivisia että kvalitatiivisia tutkimusmenetelmiä. Näihin tutkimusmenetelmiin sisältyvät kyseessä olevan yrityksen omistajan haastattelu sekä Rosewood Communities yhtiön asiakkaille lähetettyjen kyselylomakkeiden perusteella saadut vastaukset. Tutkimuksen perustana on teoreettinen kuluttajien käyttäytymisteoria sekä kohdemarkkinointiteoria. Kyseessä olevan yhtiön ympäristö, South Carolina osavaltion pohjoisosa, on esitetty ja keskusteltu tutkimuksessa. Suuret ikäluokat on määritelty, tutkittu teoreettisesti sekä heidän tarpeensa kiinteistöjen suhteen heidän jäätyään eläkkeelle on otettu huomioon ja määritelty opinnäytetyössä. Tämän tutkimuksen luotettavuus ja voimassaolo ovat yhteydessä markkinoinnin kohderyhmänä olevaan väestörakenteen, suuriin ikäluokkiin, ja heidän asumiseen ”the Cottages” asunnoissa South Carolina osavaltion pohjoisosissa. Kaikki johtopäätökset, jotka on tehty joko tutkimuksessa käytettyjen kyselylomakkeiden, haastattelujen tai havaintojen perusteella koskevat ainoastaan tämän kyseisen opinnäytetyön olosuhteita. Empiirinen analyysi osoittaa, että suurten ikäluokkien edustajille tärkeintä ovat perinteiset arvot: uskonto ja perhe. Kyseisen ryhmän edustajien työmoraali, koulutus sekä tulotaso yhdistettynä heidän uskoonsa ja perhearvoihinsa, muodostavat heistä vakaan kohderyhmän. Suuret ikäluokat arvostavat huoltovapaata asumista sekä asumisen sijoittumista lähelle heidän lapsiaan. Koska ”the Cottage” asunnon valitseminen tarkoittaa useimmissa tapauksissa muuttamista pienempään asuntoon, on varastointitilalle erityisen suuri tarve. Rosewood Communities yhtiön sekä ”the Cottage” mallien sijoittamiselle on annettu suosituksia opinnäytetyössä. Nämä suositukset sisältävät parannusehdotuksia ”the Cottage” asuintaloihin: lisää varastointitilaa asuntopohjiin sekä markkinointistrategisia päätöksiä Rosewood Communities yhtiölle. Kyseisen opinnäytetyön käytännöllinen soveltuvuus Rosewood Communities yhtiölle tuli esille yhteistyössä tutkimuksen aikana sekä yhtiön aloitteena ottaa tutkimuksen perusteella tehdyt johtopäätökset sekä parannusehdotukset osaksi yhtiön jokapäiväistä toimintaa talonrakentajina

The CTLA-4 x OX40 bispecific antibody ATOR-1015 induces anti-tumor effects through tumor-directed immune activation

Abstract Background The CTLA-4 blocking antibody ipilimumab has demonstrated substantial and durable effects in patients with melanoma. While CTLA-4 therapy, both as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 targeting therapies, has great potential in many indications, the toxicities of the current treatment regimens may limit their use. Thus, there is a medical need for new CTLA-4 targeting therapies with improved benefit-risk profile. Methods ATOR-1015 is a human CTLA-4 x OX40 targeting IgG1 bispecific antibody generated by linking an optimized version of the Ig-like V-type domain of human CD86, a natural CTLA-4 ligand, to an agonistic OX40 antibody. In vitro evaluation of T-cell activation and T regulatory cell (Treg) depletion was performed using purified cells from healthy human donors or cell lines. In vivo anti-tumor responses were studied using human OX40 transgenic (knock-in) mice with established syngeneic tumors. Tumors and spleens from treated mice were analyzed for CD8+ T cell and Treg frequencies, T-cell activation markers and tumor localization using flow cytometry. Results ATOR-1015 induces T-cell activation and Treg depletion in vitro. Treatment with ATOR-1015 reduces tumor growth and improves survival in several syngeneic tumor models, including bladder, colon and pancreas cancer models. It is further demonstrated that ATOR-1015 induces tumor-specific and long-term immunological memory and enhances the response to PD-1 inhibition. Moreover, ATOR-1015 localizes to the tumor area where it reduces the frequency of Tregs and increases the number and activation of CD8+ T cells. Conclusions By targeting CTLA-4 and OX40 simultaneously, ATOR-1015 is directed to the tumor area where it induces enhanced immune activation, and thus has the potential to be a next generation CTLA-4 targeting therapy with improved clinical efficacy and reduced toxicity. ATOR-1015 is also expected to act synergistically with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. The pre-clinical data support clinical development of ATOR-1015, and a first-in-human trial has started (NCT03782467)

Longitudinal Metabolome-Wide Signals Prior to the Appearance of a First Islet Autoantibody in Children Participating in the TEDDY Study

Children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) after environmental exposures may develop pancreatic islet autoantibodies (IA) at a very young age. Metabolic profile changes over time may imply responses to exposures and signal development of the first IA. Our present research in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study aimed to identify metabolome-wide signals preceding the first IA against GAD (GADA-first) or against insulin (IAA-first). We profiled metabolomes by mass spectrometry from children's plasma at 3-month intervals after birth until appearance of the first IA. A trajectory analysis discovered each first IA preceded by reduced amino acid proline and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), respectively. With independent time point analysis following birth, we discovered dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) contributing to the risk of each first IA, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAs) associated with the first autoantibody against insulin (IAA-first). Methionine and alanine, compounds produced in BCAA metabolism and fatty acids, also preceded IA at different time points. Unsaturated triglycerides and phosphatidylethanolamines decreased in abundance before appearance of either autoantibody. Our findings suggest that IAA-first and GADA-first are heralded by different patterns of DHAA, GABA, multiple amino acids, and fatty acids, which may be important to primary prevention of T1D

A Comparison of Rule-based Analysis with Regression Methods in Understanding the Risk Factors for Study Withdrawal in a Pediatric Study

Regression models are extensively used in many epidemiological studies to understand the linkage between specific outcomes of interest and their risk factors. However, regression models in general examine the average effects of the risk factors and ignore subgroups with different risk profiles. As a result, interventions are often geared towards the average member of the population, without consideration of the special health needs of different subgroups within the population. This paper demonstrates the value of using rule-based analysis methods that can identify subgroups with heterogeneous risk profiles in a population without imposing assumptions on the subgroups or method. The rules define the risk pattern of subsets of individuals by not only considering the interactions between the risk factors but also their ranges. We compared the rule-based analysis results with the results from a logistic regression model in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. Both methods detected a similar suite of risk factors, but the rule-based analysis was superior at detecting multiple interactions between the risk factors that characterize the subgroups. A further investigation of the particular characteristics of each subgroup may detect the special health needs of the subgroup and lead to tailored interventions

Analgesic antipyretic use among young children in the TEDDY study : No association with islet autoimmunity

Background: The use of analgesic antipyretics (ANAP) in children have long been a matter of controversy. Data on their practical use on an individual level has, however, been scarce. There are indications of possible effects on glucose homeostasis and immune function related to the use of ANAP. The aim of this study was to analyze patterns of analgesic antipyretic use across the clinical centers of The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) prospective cohort study and test if ANAP use was a risk factor for islet autoimmunity. Methods: Data were collected for 8542 children in the first 2.5 years of life. Incidence was analyzed using logistic regression with country and first child status as independent variables. Holm's procedure was used to adjust for multiplicity of intercountry comparisons. Time to autoantibody seroconversion was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model with cumulative analgesic use as primary time dependent covariate of interest. For each categorization, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach was used. Results: Higher prevalence of ANAP use was found in the U.S. (95.7%) and Sweden (94.8%) compared to Finland (78.1%) and Germany (80.2%). First-born children were more commonly given acetaminophen (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.07, 1.49; p = 0.007) but less commonly Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.78, 0.95; p = 0.002). Acetaminophen and NSAID use in the absence of fever and infection was more prevalent in the U.S. (40.4%; 26.3% of doses) compared to Sweden, Finland and Germany (p < 0.001). Acetaminophen or NSAID use before age 2.5 years did not predict development of islet autoimmunity by age 6 years (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.99-1.09; p = 0.27). In a sub-analysis, acetaminophen use in children with fever weakly predicted development of islet autoimmunity by age 3 years (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.09; p = 0.024). Conclusions: ANAP use in young children is not a risk factor for seroconversion by age 6 years. Use of ANAP is widespread in young children, and significantly higher in the U.S. compared to other study sites, where use is common also in absence of fever and infection

Early probiotic supplementation and the risk of celiac disease in children at genetic risk

Abstract Probiotics are linked to positive regulatory effects on the immune system. The aim of the study was to examine the association between the exposure of probiotics via dietary supplements or via infant formula by the age of 1 year and the development of celiac disease autoimmunity (CDA) and celiac disease among a cohort of 6520 genetically susceptible children. Use of probiotics during the first year of life was reported by 1460 children. Time-to-event analysis was used to examine the associations. Overall exposure of probiotics during the first year of life was not associated with either CDA (n = 1212) (HR 1.15; 95%CI 0.99, 1.35; p = 0.07) or celiac disease (n = 455) (HR 1.11; 95%CI 0.86, 1.43; p = 0.43) when adjusting for known risk factors. Intake of probiotic dietary supplements, however, was associated with a slightly increased risk of CDA (HR 1.18; 95%CI 1.00, 1.40; p = 0.043) compared to children who did not get probiotics. It was concluded that the overall exposure of probiotics during the first year of life was not associated with CDA or celiac disease in children at genetic risk