Barnes & Noble: Business Analysis

This thesis identifies how to conduct a Business Analysis. The publicly traded company for this project is Barnes & Noble

Making sense of eating, weight and risk in the early teenage years: views and concerns of parents in poorer socio-economic circumstances

Peer reviewe

DDI Specification: Current Status and Outlook

Presentation at the North American Data Documentation Conference (NADDI) 2013An update on current activities and plans from DDI Technical Implementation Committee (TIC) members.Institute for Policy & Social Research, University of Kansas; University of Kansas Libraries; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Data Documentation Initiative Allianc

PPARγ and LXR Signaling Inhibit Dendritic Cell-Mediated HIV-1 Capture and trans-Infection

Dendritic cells (DCs) contribute to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission and dissemination by capturing and transporting infectious virus from the mucosa to draining lymph nodes, and transferring these virus particles to CD4+ T cells with high efficiency. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced maturation of DCs enhances their ability to mediate trans-infection of T cells and their ability to migrate from the site of infection. Because TLR-induced maturation can be inhibited by nuclear receptor (NR) signaling, we hypothesized that ligand-activated NRs could repress DC-mediated HIV-1 transmission and dissemination. Here, we show that ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and liver X receptor (LXR) prevented proinflammatory cytokine production by DCs and inhibited DC migration in response to the chemokine CCL21 by preventing the TLR-induced upregulation of CCR7. Importantly, PPARγ and LXR signaling inhibited both immature and mature DC-mediated trans-infection by preventing the capture of HIV-1 by DCs independent of the viral envelope glycoprotein. PPARγ and LXR signaling induced cholesterol efflux from DCs and led to a decrease in DC-associated cholesterol, which has previously been shown to be required for DC capture of HIV-1. Finally, both cholesterol repletion and the targeted knockdown of the cholesterol transport protein ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) restored the ability of NR ligand treated cells to capture HIV-1 and transfer it to T cells. Our results suggest that PPARγ and LXR signaling up-regulate ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux from DCs and that this accounts for the decreased ability of DCs to capture HIV-1. The ability of NR ligands to repress DC mediated trans-infection, inflammation, and DC migration underscores their potential therapeutic value in inhibiting HIV-1 mucosal transmission. Author SummaryHeterosexual transmission is the primary mode of HIV transmission worldwide. In the absence of an effective vaccine, there is an increasing demand for the development of effective microbicides that block HIV sexual transmission. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in HIV transmission by efficiently binding virus particles, migrating to lymph nodes, and transmitting them to CD4+ T cells, a process called trans-infection. In addition, DCs secrete proinflammatory cytokines that create a favorable environment for virus replication. DC maturation by pathogen-encoded TLR ligands or proinflammatory cytokines dramatically increases their capacity to capture HIV, migrate to lymphoid tissue, and trans-infect T cells. Here, we report that signaling through the nuclear receptors PPARγ and LXR prevents DC maturation and proinflammatory cytokine production, as well as migration. In addition, PPARγ and LXR signaling prevents efficient DC capture and transfer of infectious HIV by increasing ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux. Our studies suggest that PPARγ and LXR may be targets for drugs that can inhibit specific aspects of HIV mucosal transmission, namely inflammation, migration, and virus capture and transfer. These findings provide a rationale for considering PPARγ and LXR agonists as potential combination therapies with conventional anti-viral microbicides that target other aspects of mucosal HIV transmission.National Institutes of Health (AI073149, AI064099, T32-AI07309, T32-AI0764206, F32-AI084558

The Sons of Indiana: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the Fight for Civil Rights

The common narrative about African Americans’ quest for social justice and civil rights during the twentieth century consists, largely, of men and women working through organizations to bring about change. The typical list of organizations includes, inter alia, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. What are almost never included in this list are African American collegiate-based fraternities. However, at the turn of the twentieth century, a small group of organizations emerged founded on personal excellence, the development and sustainment of fictive-kinship ties, and racial uplift. These organizations immediately created highly functioning alumni chapters in cities across the United States. Members of these organizations, who were college graduates, could continue their work in actualizing their respective organizations’ ideals. One such organization, founded at Indiana University in 1911, was Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. This Article explores the history of this fraternity’s, and its members’, involvement in African Americans’ quest for social justice and racial equality in the United States

Oral Health Intervention: A Multifaceted Approach to Improve Oral Health Care during Pregnancy

Introduction: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the most common chronic disease of childhood Mothers’ oral health status is a strong predictor of the oral health status of their children 2009: Vermont spends $2.7 million treating children ages 0-5 with Early Childhood Caries 2012: Vermont lifts the$495 Medicaid cap on reimbursement for a woman’s dental care during pregnancy and up to 60 days after delivery American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Guidelines on prenatal dental care are published 2013: 74% of surveyed Vermont providers treating pregnant women are unaware of the Medicaid change 82% of these providers are not using guidelines to assess oral health during pregnancy Objective: To improve prenatal dental referral rates from obstetric providers by facilitating Vermont-specific implementation of ACOG guidelineshttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1212/thumbnail.jp

Monograph no. 13: Scoping the potential uses of systems thinking in developing policy on illicit drugs.

This monograph (No. 13) summarises pilot work to scope the potential uses of systems thinking for developing illicit drug policy. Systems approaches have the potential to offer much to drug policy analysis through their use of participatory methods, capacity to deal with multiple simultaneous policy options, and appreciation of the complexity, interconnectedness and dynamic feedback loops associated with policy decisions. The monograph outlines six systems approaches used by the New Zealand team in exploring illicit drug policy. The results of in-depth interviews with five experienced policy makers and a demonstration project around a policy issue are described. The potential utility of systems approaches in illicit drug policy are demonstrated