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Conflicts of Interest among Affiliated Financial Advisors in 401(k) Plans: Implications for Plan Participants
No full textThese are the slides from a presentation given at the 65th Annual Southern Finance Association Meeting held in Orlando, FL on 11/20/2025.Institutional features of 401(k) plans can give rise to conflicts of interest between plan participants and financial advisors that advise them. We study one such conflict that arises when advisors are affiliated with the plan’s recordkeeper. Using a large dataset of 401(k) plans, we find that affiliated advisors reduce investment performance by steering participant flows to proprietary funds. We observe no similar effects for unaffiliated advisors. Additionally, affiliated advisors provide no significant benefits in terms of participation rates, administrative fees, or diversification. Given the increasing prevalence of advisors within 401(k) plans, our findings have relevant implications for households, plan sponsors, and policymakers
The Heart of the Nation, The Health of Kansas: Evaluating and Advancing Chronic Disease Prevention Through the CDRR Program
No full textChronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and related conditions, represent a significant and growing public health challenge in both Kansas and the United States. The U.S. premature death rate is nearly twice that of other wealthy nations of similar size, with about one-third of this difference attributable to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illness, and kidney disease (Telesford et al., 2025).
These conditions also drive health care costs. Nearly 90% of U.S. health care expenditures are linked to chronic disease (Holman, 2020; Joint Economic Committee, 2022). Importantly, many of these diseases are preventable: an estimated 80% of premature deaths from chronic conditions could be prevented through regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and avoiding tobacco use (Katz et al., 2018).
In Kansas, the Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) Community Grant Program works to address these issues, in part, by providing funding, training, and technical assistance to local communities. Housed within the Bureau of Health Promotion at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), CDRR funds local partnerships across the state to implement system, policy, and environmental approaches tailored to community needs.
This report presents findings from a 2025 assessment of the CDRR program, coordinated by the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research (KU-CPPR) on behalf of KDHE
TVB Model for Estimating the Long-Term Effects of Deck Replacement on Concrete Bridge Behavior
No full textThis material may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This material may be found at https://doi.org/10.1061/JBENF2.BEENG-7384 .The effects of deck replacement on the long-term behavior of concrete girder bridges are investigated in this study. This study is needed because, as bridges age and decks degrade, bridge owners are increasingly faced with either replacing the structure or replacing only the deck. The latter is a viable option because the lifespan of girders typically exceeds that of concrete decks. Early in the study, a survey of engineers at state departments of transportation showed that, although most states have a need to replace bridge decks, few have plans for assessing the long-term effects of deck replacement on girder behavior. To address this need, the time-varying behavior (TVB) model is developed to estimate concrete bridge behavior over time using a time-step analysis approach to calculate incremental changes in girder behavior through several lifespan stages delineated by changes in loading or boundary conditions. The B4 model, which is based on a large data set of shrinkage and creep tests, is used to estimate concrete creep and shrinkage strains. This paper describes the modeling approach and assumptions, validation of TVB model components, and illustrates the utility of the model with an example bridge. The modeling results suggest that deck replacement can have long-term effects on bridge behavior, particularly on midspan deflection and longitudinal concrete stresses. Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to identify conditions when these effects tend to be substantial enough to warrant consideration by engineers
The Role of Third Places on County-level Drug Overdose Deaths before and during COVID-19
No full textThese are the slides from a presentation given at the Southern Demographic Association held in Lexington, KY on 10/17/2025.Third places—informal community spaces outside of home and work—were largely inaccessible during the COVID-19 pandemic due to public health restrictions. This study investigates whether third place availability at the county level served as a factor in drug overdose deaths before and during the pandemic. Using data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive (2015–2021), publicly available CDC overdose death reports (2016–2021), and the American Community Survey (2015–2022), we applied linear regression to assess the relationship between third place availability and drug overdose death rates. Results show that greater third place availability was significantly associated with lower overdose death rates during the pandemic (2019–2021) net of other area-level factors, but had moderating effects in rural counties and those with higher rates of unemployment and uninsurance. These findings suggest that third places—beyond their roles as casual gathering spots—may serve as critical components of social infrastructure, offering informal support and resources that helped buffer the effects of social isolation and economic hardship during the pandemic especially for rural counties
Endocrine responses to low‐load blood flow restricted and high‐load resistance exercise in well‐trained males
No full textA grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.The present study compared acute testosterone (T), cortisol (C), epinephrine (EPI), norepinephrine (NE), and 22 kDa growth hormone (GH-22 kDa) responses following low-load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction (LL-BFR) and traditional high-load resistance exercise (HL-RE). Twelve resistance-trained men performed bouts of LL-BFR (30%1RM) and HL-RE (70%1RM), each consisting of four sets of bilateral seated leg extensions taken to momentary task failure with 60 s rest periods. A randomized crossover design was used with time of day matched within-subjects. Upon arrival between 1200 and 1800, 24 h dietary recalls were performed with post-exercise blood samples obtained within 60 s (IP) and 5 min post-exercise (+5 min) via intravenous cannulation. Greater total repetitions (d = 2.37, p 0.05). Both LL-BFR and HL-RE elevate the potent β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonist EPI (IP: 1.29 ± 0.44 and 1.35 ± 0.60 nmol·L−1, respectively), and the androgenic steroid T (+5 min: 27.4 ± 12.9 and 29.0 ± 14.3 nmol·L−1, respectively). Thus, acute skeletal muscle β2AR phosphorylation may be comparable between conditions. When lower resistance exercise intensities (e.g., 30% 1RM) are desired, athletes may perform LL-BFR in place of HL-RE and experience no statistical difference in acute endocrine responses
Spectroscopic properties and reactivity of a MnIII-Hydroperoxo complex that is stable at room temperature
No full textThis poster was presented at Gordon Bioinotganic Conference-GRS on 01/19/2025.The manganese lipoxygenase enzyme (MnLOX) which converts polyunsaturated fatty acids to alkyl hydroperoxides is found in fungi and plants to allow further metabolization of these substrates. It is proposed that the substrate oxidation is initiated by the transfer of a hydrogen atom from the C-H bond of the substrate to an active-site MnIII-hydroxo center. Inspired by these enzymes, there are many examples of synthesized model manganese complexes to study the active site of enzymes. These synthesized models were able to activate H2O2 to conduct a series of reactions such as sulfoxidation, olefin epoxidation and C-H bond activation with high selectivity. It is generally proposed that in both enzyme and synthesized Mn catalysts a MnV-oxo is the key intermediate which is formed from the O-O bond cleavage of a MnIII-hydroperoxo. This MnIII-hydroperoxo intermediate possesses critical role in Mn catalytic cycle but there are a few reports on them. In this study, we formed a MnIII-hydroperoxo supported by an amide-containing, pentadentate ligand (dpaq6Me). The MnIII-hydroxo complex [MnIII(OH)(6Medpaq)]+ reacted with H2O2 and HClO4 to form a green intermediate, with a UV-vis band at 615 nm. On the basis of 1H NMR, ESI-MS, EPR, FT-IR, and EPR data, we formulate this new intermediate as the MnIII-hyrdroperoxo complex [MnIII(OOH)(6Medpaq)]+. This complex reacts with 10 equivalences of PPh3 at 15 °C, and with 30 equivalences of TEMPOH at -35 °C. Based on kinetic studies, [MnIII(OOH)(6Medpaq)]+ reacts 600-fold faster with PPh3 than its MnIII-alkylperoxo analogue [MnIII(OOtBu)(6Medpaq)]+, and two-fold faster with TEMPOH than a similar MnIII-hydroperoxo complex [MnIII(OOH)(dpaq2Me)]+. Time dependent computations (TD-DFT) were applied to compare electronic features of [MnIII(OOH)(6Medpaq)]+ with analogous MnIII-hydroperoxo and MnIII-alkylperoxo complexes
Color as a Holistic Medicine: Lan Ying and his Boneless Landscape
No full textThese are the slides from a presentation given at the CAA 113th Annual Conference on 02/13/2025.
.This paper investigates the iconography and the material features of Lan Ying’s boneless landscape and its relationship with the practice of “nourishing life,” or yangsheng養生. It argues that Lan Ying's boneless landscape paintings were medicinal landscapes that facilitated the cultivation of the physical body (yang xing 養形) and the nurturing of the spirit (yang shen 養神). The archaic color style, the subject matter, and the materiality of Lan’s painting had an intimate relationship with Daoist alchemy, the legendary special diets, and Chinese medicine, transforming Lan’s immortal landscape into a healing device intended to bring longevity to his patrons
Invasive Daisy Removal Plan for Akin Prairie
No full textThis capstone was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for EVRN 615, taught by Dr. Kelly Kindscher and Dr. Ali Brox.Akin Prairie is a 16-acre remnant prairie, located southeast of Lawrence, KS, and was the first conservation easement in Kansas. In the past few years, the Kansas Land Trust noticed that an invasive species, Oxeye daisies, has begun to outcompete native plants in certain areas due to its prolific reproduction. To combat the invasive daisy, we organized a management plan and standard operating procedure to use while removing daisies in the field, along with flyers and advertisements to attract volunteers. By consistently enacting these plans and coordinating with volunteers, the daisy population will decrease over the years
Signage Redesign at the Prairie Park Nature Center
No full textThis capstone was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for EVRN 615, taught by Dr. Kelly Kindscher and Dr. Ali Brox.This project was a collaboration of the Prairie Park Nature Center staff, the City of Lawrence, and the Environmental Studies Capstone students to create new signage that will be installed throughout the walking trails in this park. The current signage is outdated, worn, and therefore not being used effectively by those visiting the park. The new signage is focused on native animals and plants, ecological processes, and the history of the area. These signs were designed using the City of Lawrence color scheme, and each sign includes a QR code linked to an audio recording with a more detailed description of the assigned topic. By improving the signage layout, updating the information, and including an auditory element, accessibility for visitors of a wide age range and abilities is increased. This will lead to more visitors being able to enjoy the park while also improving the relationship they have with the natural world around them
Estrategias para Reducir la Deserción Escolar en Secundarias Rurales de Paraguay
No full textThis report is being made available in both English and Spanish.Secondary school dropout remains a significant challenge in Paraguay, particularly in rural areas where poverty, geographic barriers, limited inclusive education services, and a curriculum disconnected from local realities shape students’ decisions to leave school. This policy brief, produced by the Geography of Education Policy Analysis Lab (GEPAL) at the University of Kansas, outlines evidence-based strategies to improve retention in rural secondary education. Recommended actions include strengthening school feeding programs through the integration of edible forests, implementing peer tutoring and structured bilingual mentorship programs, and promoting locally managed school transportation systems supported by municipal funds. These low-cost interventions build on existing programs and have the potential to increase attendance, enhance educational relevance, and expand learning opportunities for rural adolescents, thus contributing to a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable secondary education system.La deserción escolar en la educación media continúa siendo un desafío significativo en Paraguay, especialmente en comunidades rurales donde la pobreza, las barreras geográficas, las limitaciones en servicios educativos inclusivos y el desajuste entre el currículo y contextos locales afectan la permanencia estudiantil. Este informe, elaborado por el Laboratorio de Análisis de Políticas Educativas desde la Geografía (GEPAL) de la Universidad de Kansas, presenta estrategias basadas en evidencia para reducir la deserción escolar rural. Estas recomendaciones incluyen fortalecer el programa alimentario mediante la integración de bosques comestibles, implementar tutorías entre pares y programas de mentoría bilingües, y promover sistemas de transporte escolar gestionados localmente mediante el uso de fondos municipales. Estas intervenciones, de bajo costo y articuladas con programas existentes, buscan mejorar la asistencia, aumentar la relevancia educativa y expandir las oportunidades de aprendizaje para adolescentes rurales, contribuyendo así a una educación media más equitativa, inclusiva y sostenible en todo el país