Kansas City Metropolitan Area Research Articles

REMOTELY-SENSED URBAN WET-LANDSCAPES: AN INDICATOR OF COUPLED EFFECTS OF HUMAN IMPACT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

This study proposes the concept of urban wet-landscapes (loosely-defined wetlands) as against dry-landscapes (mainly impervious surfaces). The study is to examine whether the dynamics of urban wet-landscapes is a sensitive indicator of the coupled effects of the two major driving forces of urban landscape change – human built-up impact and climate (precipitation) variation. Using a series of satellite images, the study was conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area of the United States. A rule-based classification algorithm was developed to identify fine-scale, hidden wetlands that could not be appropriately detected based on their spectral differentiability by a traditional image classification. The spatial analyses of wetland changes were implemented at the scales of metropolitan, watershed, and sub-watershed as well as based on the size of surface water bodies in order to reveal urban wetland change trends in relation to the driving forces. The study identified that wet-landscape dynamics varied in trend and magnitude from the metropolitan, watersheds, to sub-watersheds. The study also found that increased precipitation in the region in the past decades swelled larger wetlands in particular while smaller wetlands decreased mainly due to human development activities. These findings suggest that wet-landscapes, as against the dry-landscapes, can be a more effective indicator of the coupled effects of human impact and climate change.

An HIV Testing Intervention in African American Churches: Pilot Study Findings.

Background African Americans are disproportionately burdened by HIV. The African American church is an influential institution with potential to increase reach of HIV prevention interventions in Black communities. Purpose This study examined HIV testing rates in African American churches in the Taking It to the Pews pilot project. Using a community-engaged approach, church leaders delivered religiously-tailored HIV education and testing materials/activities (e.g., sermons, brochures/bulletins, testimonials) to church and community members. Methods Four African American churches (N=543 participants) located in the Kansas City metropolitan area were randomized to intervention and comparison groups. Receipt of an HIV test was assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results Findings indicated intervention participants were 2.2 times more likely to receive an HIV test than comparisons at 6 months. Church leaders delivered about 2 tools per month. Conclusions Church-based HIV testing interventions are feasible and have potential to increase HIV testing rates in African American communities.

Understanding urban wetland dynamics: cross-scale detection and analysis of remote sensing

This study aimed to detect and understand remotely sensed urban wetland dynamics as a sensitive indicator of the combined effects of human disturbances and climate impacts in the course of global change. To address this objective, the study developed technical approaches to detect and interpret wetland changes across spatial scales in complex urban landscapes. Using a series of Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) images covering 1992–2010, the study was conducted in the Kansas City metropolitan area of the USA, which has experienced significant urban sprawl in recent decades. As a fine-tuning of the traditional supervised image classification, a knowledge-based classification algorithm was developed to identify fine-scale, hidden wetlands that cannot be appropriately detected based on their spectral differentiability. The analyses of wetland change were implemented at the metropolitan, watershed, and sub-watershed scales as well as being based on the size of surface water bodies in order to reveal real pictures of urban wetland change trends in relation to major driving factors. The results of the study indicated that the knowledge-based classification approach improved the detection capability and accuracy of urban wetlands by fine-tuning the traditional classification results. The cross-scale analysis of detected land covers revealed that wetland dynamics varied in trend and magnitude from metropolitan, watersheds, to sub-watershed scales. The study found that increased precipitation swelled wetlands, which inflated the findings of remotely sensed wetland cover and related trend interpretation. During an 18 year study period, human development activities in the study area resulted in a large increase in impervious surfaces, which was mainly at the expense of farmland/grassland areas and some small wetlands in all urban watersheds. In contrast, increased precipitation in the region swelled large wetlands in particular. This mixed picture of urban wetland dynamics, associated with the analysis of underlying driving factors, provides a new baseline for relevant urban planning, management, and research in a global change perspective.

Impact of a community-based diabetes self-management program on key metabolic parameters.

Characterize the impact of a pharmacist-led diabetes self-management program on three key metabolic parameters: glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) among employee health program participants. A self-insured company in the Kansas City metropolitan area began offering a pharmacist-led diabetes self-management program to eligible company employees and their dependents in 2008. A retrospective pre-post analysis was conducted to determine if the program affected key metabolic parameters in participants by determining mean change after one year of participation. Among 183 program participants, 65 participants met inclusion criteria. All three key metabolic parameters were significantly reduced from baseline to one year of program participation: HbA1c decreased from 8.1 % to 7.3% (p=0.007); LDL-C decreased from 108.3 mg/dL to 96.4 mg/dL (p=0.009); and MAP decreased from 96.1 to 92.3 mm Hg (p=0.005). The pharmacist-led diabetes self-management program demonstrated significant reductions in HbA1c, LDL-C, and MAP from baseline to one year of program participation. Improvements were statistically significant and clinically relevant for each parameter. Previous studies indicate these reductions may cause reduced overall healthcare costs.

Prevalence and Predictors of Social Support Utilization among Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment

Background. The purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence of cancer patients utilizing social support services while undergoing treatment and to identify patient and clinical factors associated with utilization of such services. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study. Surveys were distributed to three cancer clinics at 11 locations in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area in 2010. Study inclusion criteria included being at least 18 years old and undergoing treatment for cancer at the time of survey completion. Results. A total of 465 oncology patients completed surveys. Two-thirds (67.5%, n = 314) were undergoing treatment for cancer and were included in the final analysis. More than half (63.7%, n = 198) were female, and the average age was 58.9 ± 13.3 years. More than one-third (37.4%, n = 117) reported using cancer-related social support services. Additionally, 22% (n = 69) reported not using support services but were interested in learning more about those services. Patients had increased odds of having used support services if they were female (OR = 2.67; 95% CI = 1.47, 4.82), were younger adults, or had stage I-III (OR = 2.67; 95% CI 1.32, 5.26) or stage IV cancer (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.14, 4.75) compared to those who did not know their cancer stage. Conclusions. More than one-third of patients reported using social support services. A substantial portion of participants reported not using support services but were interested in learning more about those services. Increasing social support service utilization might be especially important to explore for men, those who do not know their cancer stage, and older adults.

Barriers to autism screening in family medicine practice: a qualitative study.

We explored potential barriers to adoption of recommended screening for autism by family physicians at 18- and 24-month well-child visits. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends early detection and intervention of autism through the use of a standardized autism-specific screening tool on all children at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits. However, not all family physicians screen for autism. Three focus groups and six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 family physicians in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Verbatim transcripts were inductively coded; data were analyzed using standard text analysis. Participants had differing views on the increased incidence of autism. Most participants attributed the increase to changes in diagnostic criteria. There was no consensus on the benefit of implementing universal screening for autism during the 18- or 24-month visit. Many preferred to identify potential problems through general developmental assessments and observations. No participants used specific screening tools for autism, and only one participant was aware of such a tool (M-CHAT). Lack of adequate training on child development and screening methods as well as limited availability of community-based resources to manage children with autism was seen as major barriers to routine screening. Suggested solutions included working toward a stronger evidence base, improving physician training and continuing education, and making systemic changes in healthcare. In conclusion, universal screening for autism at the 18- and 24-month visits is not widely accepted, nor is it implemented by family physicians.

Korean entrepreneurs in Kansas City metropolitan area

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to examines the pattern of linkage between Korean immigrant business community in the Kansas City area and global forces by focusing on how an immigrant community has transformed and reacted to the global trends of business transaction.Design/methodology/approach– The data on Korean entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area was obtained from the semi-structured and informal interviews with Korean community leaders, Korean businessmen and customers who use Korean grocery markets in the Kansas City area. This study also utilizes documents on Korean and Asian ethnic community and neighborhood relations in news media. It analyzes entrepreneurial strategy and business transactions of Korean immigrant community and its relations to global trends using the Directory of Korean Entrepreneurs of Greater Kansas City Area in different points of time: 1990, 2006 and 2011.Findings– The types of businesses observed in the Directory of Korean Business in Greater Kansas City area have changed significantly over time (see Table I). The number of businesses has increased from 181 in 1990 to 281 in 2006 and 197 in 2011, and the business types became diversified from 29 in 1990 to 38 in 2006 and 36 in 2011. The grocery stores and restaurants in community were adapting to global tends to survive by upscaling and diversifying items and targeting customers. Beauty aid supply business remains solid by maintaining globalized business transactions of purchasing and distribution.Research limitations/implications– Based on interviews, this study needs to be extended to other Midwestern cities and Chicago, as a global city, to objectively examine the mode of intersection between globalness and ethnic locality within immigrant communities.Originality/value– This study explores specifically how a transnational community of Korean entrepreneurs in the Kansas City is reacting and adjusting to global trends by probing the strategies of each business segments of grocery store, restaurants and beauty aid supply business.

A multi-level analysis showing associations between school neighborhood and child body mass index.

The objective of this study is to examine associations between aspects of the environment in school neighborhoods and childhood body mass index percentile (BMIp). Trained medical students visited 46 elementary schools in the Kansas City metropolitan area to conduct medical screenings that included the height and weight measurements of 12 118 boys and girls 4-12 years of age in the academic year 2008-2009. For the same time period, aspects of the built environment in a 2-mile radius around each school was obtained from the Walkscore database. Other environmental characteristics (for example, population change) of these areas were also obtained from various sources. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate the associations between neighborhood- and individual-level factors and BMIp. Population size along with the number of fast-food restaurants and grocery stores were positively associated with BMIp, whereas population change along with the number of parks and fitness centers were inversely associated with BMIp. After considering individual-level factors and the random effects of schools, environmental elements of school neighborhoods predict childhood BMIp. This study offers evidence of the health influence of school neighborhoods in a way that can inform neighborhood redevelopment efforts.

Particulate matter speciation profiles for light-duty gasoline vehicles in the United States

Representative profiles for particulate matter particles less than or equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5) are developed from the Kansas City Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions Study for use in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vehicle emission model, the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES), and for inclusion in the EPA SPECIATE database for speciation profiles. The profiles are compatible with the inputs of current photochemical air quality models, including the Community Multiscale Air Quality Aerosol Module Version 6 (AE6). The composition of light-duty gasoline PM2.5 emissions differs significantly between cold start and hot stabilized running emissions, and between older and newer vehicles, reflecting both impacts of aging/deterioration and changes in vehicle technology. Fleet-average PM2.5 profiles are estimated for cold start and hot stabilized running emission processes. Fleet-average profiles are calculated to include emissions from deteriorated high-emitting vehicles that are expected to continue to contribute disproportionately to the fleet-wide PM2.5 emissions into the future. The profiles are calculated using a weighted average of the PM2.5 composition according to the contribution of PM2.5 emissions from each class of vehicles in the on-road gasoline fleet in the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The paper introduces methods to exclude insignificant measurements, correct for organic carbon positive artifact, and control for contamination from the testing infrastructure in developing speciation profiles. The uncertainty of the PM2.5 species fraction in each profile is quantified using sampling survey analysis methods. The primary use of the profiles is to develop PM2.5 emissions inventories for the United States, but the profiles may also be used in source apportionment, atmospheric modeling, and exposure assessment, and as a basis for light-duty gasoline emission profiles for countries with limited data.Implications: PM2.5 speciation profiles were developed from a large sample of light-duty gasoline vehicles tested in the Kansas City area. Separate PM2.5 profiles represent cold start and hot stabilized running emission processes to distinguish important differences in chemical composition. Statistical analysis was used to construct profiles that represent PM2.5 emissions from the U.S. vehicle fleet based on vehicles tested from the 2005 calendar year Kansas City metropolitan area. The profiles have been incorporated into the EPA MOVES emissions model, as well as the EPA SPECIATE database, to improve emission inventories and provide the PM2.5 chemical characterization needed by CMAQv5.0 for atmospheric chemistry modeling.

Teacher Induction in Kansas City: State Policy, District Trends, and Their Implications

This paper analyzes the findings from a study of teacher induction policy in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It looks at 13 districts in the states of Kansas and Missouri to explore the landscape and experience of teacher induction. Special attention is paid to each state’s policy regarding induction as well as the enactment of induction in urban, suburban and rural school districts.The data are based on document reviews, phone interviews, focus groups and on-line surveys conducted between November 2006 and June 2007. We conducted interviews with district professional development coordinators who were both knowledgeable about and influential in the crafting of the induction practices in their districts. We also conducted district focus groups with beginning teachers and asked mentors, site administrators and new teachers to participate in an on-line survey which assessed their experience regarding induction in their district. The interviews, focus groups and on-line surveys addressed: the details of current induction efforts, the experience of individuals who participate in such programs, and the effects of state policy on induction efforts in the district.

Ocular Problems in Low-Income and Minority Children

To report the prevalence rates of screen failures for uncorrected refractive error, abnormal or excessive levels of hyperopia, problems in binocular vision, and deficiency of near point acuity as related to age and ethnicity in children. Vision screening tests were administered to 9,743 African-American, Hispanic, and white children aged 6 to 11 years in the Kansas City (United States) metropolitan area. Screening was performed by health professions students using HOTV charts for refractive errors, hyperopia, and near point acuity and a Random Dot E test for binocular vision. Children were screened in their elementary schools, located in primarily poor, urban neighborhoods. The main outcome measure was pass/fail outcomes from screenings, with confirmation of screen fails by licensed health care professionals. For African-American children, 14.1% failed one or more vision screening tests. The corresponding screen failure rates for Hispanic and white children were 14.2% and 11.0%, respectively. There were significant differences in screening failure rates as a function of age and ethnicity, depending on the specific test. The highest rates of screen failures occurred in the 9 to 11 year old age range. Vision screening failures were frequently associated with age and ethnicity. Screening performed by health professions students can successfully identify potential visual problems at rates similar to those reported in studies using more complex, sophisticated testing performed by specially trained individuals.

Estimating Dynamic Origin-Destination Data and Travel Demand Using Cell Phone Network Data

This study develops cell phone location tracking algorithms from a large cell phone network database to estimate the dynamic origin-destination (O-D) traffic flow and travel demand data as well as commuting traffic. A case study was conducted in the Kansas Metro Corridor to analyze the feasibility of using cell phone data to track cross-region (cities) traffic activities, and to derive the O-D traffic, travel demand by time-of-day and commuting traffic data along the traffic corridor based on a 6 week observation period. The results found that the available cell phone network data detected about 17.6% of the daily traffic data compared to the AADT data along the Kansas Metro Corridor. Approximately 58% of the total traffic was determined to be O-D traffic through the study corridor. This indicates that most of the traffic is from three major regions (the Kansas City metropolitan area, the City of Topeka, KS and the City of Lawrence, KS) and the estimated dynamic travel demand can be used for public transportation system planning and schedule arrangements. Due to the low location resolution using the network-based cell phone network, the use of cell phone network in collecting traffic data would be more feasible for long distance or inter-city trips. A longer observation period is also needed to increase the cell phone sample size and could be useful to obtain stable cell phone traffic, reducing the bias of the data.

Ready, Willing, and Able? Kansas City Parents Talk About How to Improve Schools and What They Can Do to Help

Are parents an untapped resource in improving and reimagining K–12 education in Kansas City? What do they think would enhance student learning and what are they willing to do to help their children get the education they deserve? These are among the questions explored in an in-depth survey of 1,566 parents with children now in public school in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This study finds the majority of parents in the Kansas City area ready, willing and able to be more engaged in their children’s education at some level. For communities to reap the most benefit from additional parental involvement, it is important to understand that different parents can be involved and seek to be involved in different ways.

Broadening pharmacy’s IMPACT

Broadening pharmacy’s IMPACT

Group Involvements in City Politics and Pluralist Theory

The assessments of 75 councilors and mayors in eight cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area provide global measures of group organization, activity, and influence in community politics and measures of their specific involvements in 73 issues that arose in these communities. While variations in group involvement and influence—both in exercising social control and contributing to social production—are reported, the most general findings are that groups are less involved in city politics and their limited involvements are less conflictive than suggested by orthodox understandings of pluralist theory. I argue that these results point to the need to reformulate pluralist theory, not abandon it.

Plug-In Electric Cars for Work Travel

Vehicles with electrified powertrains such as hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and all-electric vehicles (AEVs, which use grid-supplied battery energy exclusively) are potentially marketable because of their low operating costs. However, each vehicle type incurs a significant initial cost penalty compared with a conventional vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. Three PHEV cars and an AEV car are selected to assess cost-effectiveness from the consumers' perspective. Daily travel to and from work is isolated from other vehicle travel data from the U.S. National Household Travel Survey, and five daily distance categories are investigated. Three driving cycle runs are used: one developed by following cars in Los Angeles, California, in 1992, the Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Test Cycle, and a real driving record selected from the Kansas City metropolitan area in Kansas and Missouri. Probable charging patterns for each PHEV and the AEV are investigated for three of five daily distance categories. Overnight charging and workplace charging also are examined. The possibility for multiple charges at work is considered, as is the possibility of a charge after work, before the day's end. The degree of importance of spending a given pool of money to upgrade a residential (versus workplace) charging station is discussed. Two indicators of effectiveness of battery pack utilization are developed [a charge-depleting effectiveness factor and grid kilowatt-hours used per day per dollar of incremental vehicle expense (cost-effectiveness)], and target markets for cars used for work for each powertrain type are suggested.

Entrepreneurial Community in Kansas City: From Fragmented to Collaborative?

A small set of metropolitan areas in the United States can be considered second-tier life sciences or technology regions. Kansas City is such an emerging second-tier region. The Kansas City metropolitan area was able to grow a small but specialized knowledge economy because of the presence of large firms and subsequent efforts to strengthen entrepreneurship. This paper presents data from twenty interviews conducted in the summer of 2012 with regional experts, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs who have successfully raised risk capital.The analysis of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community shows, first, that large firms’ role as incubators of entrepreneurial startup companies seems to have diminished, and that there are weak connections between existing large firms and entrepreneurial ventures. Second, entrepreneurial exits in the form of mergers and acquisitions have increased and a small number of cashed-out entrepreneurs are reinvesting their funds and becoming engaged. Yet this process seems to be still in its beginning stages. Third, the region’s entrepreneurial community does not exhibit strong networking and collaboration. Rather, entrepreneurial ventures and industry connections exist much like “islands of excellence” without strong interconnections. Fourth, although the availability of funding has increased, local entrepreneurs perceive the accessibility and availability of funds - and the capacity local venture investors bring to the table - as limiting factors. At the same time, while the number of investment groups has increased, the investor community is still fragmented and not well connected. Fifth, the energy and collective effort to improve the Kansas City entrepreneurial community has increased and strengthened significantly since 2006 when a similar study was conducted.Various groups and organizations have ensured a thickening of the entrepreneurial support infrastructure in the form of creation of incubators, establishment of financial incentives to invest in entrepreneurial ventures (i.e. angel tax credits), and the addition of effective mentoring and networking events. Yet the analysis of the data shows that Kansas City faces the drawbacks of a region characterized by organizational thinness in the form of weak endowment of firms and organizations that can fuel the entrepreneurial pipeline and a lack of interaction and networks among key members of the entrepreneurial community, which keeps the entrepreneurial economy fragmented. To overcome organizational thinness and fragmentation, this paper suggests focusing policy efforts on connecting key actors in the entrepreneurial economy such as existing large firms, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and funding and mentoring organizations.

Turning the Blue River Green

Over the course of more than 30 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ effort to restore a stretch of the Blue River in the Kansas City metropolitan area has metamorphosed from a flood control effort to an undertaking that incorporates environmental stewardship, recreation, and cost containment.

Entrepreneurial community in Kansas City: From fragmented to collaborative?

A small set of metropolitan areas in the United States can be considered second-tier life sciences or technology regions. Kansas City is such an emerging second-tier region. The Kansas City metropolitan area was able to grow a small but specialized knowledge economy because of the presence of large firms and subsequent efforts to strengthen entrepreneurship. This paper presents data from twenty interviews conducted in the summer of 2012 with regional experts, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs who have successfully raised risk capital.The analysis of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community shows, first, that large firms’ role as incubators of entrepreneurial startup companies seems to have diminished, and that there are weak connections between existing large firms and entrepreneurial ventures. Second, entrepreneurial exits in the form of mergers and acquisitions have increased and a small number of cashed-out entrepreneurs are reinvesting their funds and becoming engaged. Yet this process seems to be still in its beginning stages. Third, the region’s entrepreneurial community does not exhibit strong networking and collaboration. Rather, entrepreneurial ventures and industry connections exist much like “islands of excellence” without strong interconnections. Fourth, although the availability of funding has increased, local entrepreneurs perceive the accessibility and availability of funds - and the capacity local venture investors bring to the table - as limiting factors. At the same time, while the number of investment groups has increased, the investor community is still fragmented and not well connected. Fifth, the energy and collective effort to improve the Kansas City entrepreneurial community has increased and strengthened significantly since 2006 when a similar study was conducted.Various groups and organizations have ensured a thickening of the entrepreneurial support infrastructure in the form of creation of incubators, establishment of financial incentives to invest in entrepreneurial ventures (i.e. angel tax credits), and the addition of effective mentoring and networking events. Yet the analysis of the data shows that Kansas City faces the drawbacks of a region characterized by organizational thinness in the form of weak endowment of firms and organizations that can fuel the entrepreneurial pipeline and a lack of interaction and networks among key members of the entrepreneurial community, which keeps the entrepreneurial economy fragmented. To overcome organizational thinness and fragmentation, this paper suggests focusing policy efforts on connecting key actors in the entrepreneurial economy such as existing large firms, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and funding and mentoring organizations.

BMI, race, supplementation, season, and gestation affect vitamin D status in pregnancy in Kansas City (latitude 39° N)

Numerous reports indicate a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy. We asked whether vitamin D status changes during pregnancy and sought to identify predictors of status. Plasma 25‐hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) was measured before 20 wk gestation (n=299) and at delivery (n=257) in a mixed‐race population. Plasma was stored at −80° C until analysis. 25(OH)D was measured by EIA (Alpco Diagnostics, Salem, NH). Supplemental vitamin D was determined by capsule intake and brand. We used IOM guidelines for 25(OH)D: <12ng/ml (risk of deficiency), 12–19.9ng/ml (risk of insufficiency) and 20–50ng/ml (sufficiency). Status was evaluated for effects of race, pre‐pregnancy BMI, supplemental vitamin D and season of collection. At enrollment, 26, 30 and 41% were deficient, insufficient and sufficient. At delivery, 55, 30 and 15% fell into these respective categories. Plasma 25(OH)D decreased 40% from enrollment to delivery. Black women constituted 31% of the cohort but accounted for 69% of those deficient. Lower 25(OH)D was predicted by higher BMI at enrollment (p<0.001) and delivery (p<0.018). 25(OH)D at delivery was related to season of collection (p<0.001) and supplement intake (p<0.033). 25(OH)D declines in pregnancy and is sensitive to usual predictors in pregnant women residing in the Kansas City metropolitan area.