My Work to Our Work Creating a Culture of Collaboration Through Knowledge Sharing

Capstone paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Public Policy degree.The purpose of our study was to examine the Hennepin County Public Health Department (HCPH) and its many programs and their community engagement programs. In 2019, the Hennepin County Public Health Department finds itself facing new challenges, including regularly changing federal and state requirements, constantly updated grant requirements and uncertain funding streams are having an impact on how health service programs are delivered to residents. At the same time more technology, and a growing, increasingly diverse population requires HCPH to increase access, to streamline and provide more targeted services all while being mindful of government funds “for these reasons, it is imperative that there is shared knowledge about existing services and community health engagement initiatives. (HCPH Capstone Workshop Proposal Form, 2019). As a step to address this problem, the staff at HCPH developed a project proposal to build more collaboration among its community engagement programs. Our client, Veronica Schulz, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement for HCPH, had the idea of a framework as a central knowledge sharing tool for all staff to share the community engagement work being done at HCPH. The client also wanted further study to find other ways to help reduce gaps, see fewer overlaps in programming, improve collaboration, and increase knowledge sharing among HCPH staff. Given that each of our team members has an interest in community engagement, we chose to work with HCPH on their project, and this report is the result of our work

The Beginning of the End of the Anthropic Principle

We argue that if string theory as an approach to the fundamental laws of physics is correct, then there is almost no room for anthropic arguments in cosmology. The quark and lepton masses and interaction strengths are determined.Comment: 12 page

The nature of red dwarf galaxies

Using dark matter halos traced by galaxy groups selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4, we find that about 1/4 of the faint galaxies (\rmag >-17.05, hereafter dwarfs) that are the central galaxies in their own halo are not blue and star forming, as expected in standard models of galaxy formation, but are red. In contrast, this fraction is about 1/2 for dwarf satellite galaxies. Many red dwarf galaxies are physically associated with more massive halos. In total, about $\sim 45$% of red dwarf galaxies reside in massive halos as satellites, while another $\sim 25$% have a spatial distribution that is much more concentrated towards their nearest massive haloes than other dwarf galaxies. We use mock catalogs to show that the reddest population of non-satellite dwarf galaxies are distributed within about 3 times the virial radii of their nearest massive halos. We suggest that this population of dwarf galaxies are hosted by low-mass halos that have passed through their massive neighbors, and that the same environmental effects that cause satellite galaxies to become red are also responsible for the red colors of this population of galaxies. We do not find any significant radial dependence of the population of dwarf galaxies with the highest concentrations, suggesting that the mechanisms operating on these galaxies affect color more than structure. However, over 30% of dwarf galaxies are red and isolated and their origin remains unknown.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Genomic analyses of an Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae urinary tract co‐infection using long‐read nanopore sequencing.

Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) isolates presenting with the same antimicrobial susceptibility profile were recovered from the same catheter sample of urine (CSU). Both strains were recovered from a patient with a long-standing indwelling urinary catheter. Each isolate had their DNA extracted following culture. Nanopore long-read sequencing was used to build the plasmids and chromosomes from each strain to closure to discern potential horizontal propagation of resistance-encoding plasmids and the relationship between resistance genes and insertion sequences. Plasmids derived from resistance strains in the urinary microbiota remain poorly characterized. The same 11 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes were found in plasmids from each strain. The 185,239-bp FIB(K) pKBM1, from the K. pneumoniae strain additionally encoded the 5 AMR genes: sul2, strA, strB, blaTEM-1B, and blaCTX-M-15. A multimeric array of AMR genes and IS26 insertions sequences were found in the plasmids from both isolates. Both plasmids from each isolate were similar. Horizontal transfer of plasmids, followed by subsequent plasmid rearrangement is likely to have occurred during the course of infection. Furthermore, the resistance region in the plasmids shared similarity against the internationally prevalent plasmid, pKPN3-307_typeA, commonly identified in K. pneumoniae ST307. Biofilm formation in catheterized patients may allow close cell-contact between strains. Horizontal propagation of resistance genes may occur, leading to polymicrobial infections

Unfolding the contents of sub-nm plasmonic gaps using normalising plasmon resonance spectroscopy.

Plasmonic coupling of gold nanoparticles to a gold surface creates intense plasmonic hot spots with large electromagnetic field-enhancements within the cavity formed by the two metallic surfaces. The localised field in such structures is extremely sensitive to morphological fluctuations and subtle changes in the dielectric properties of the cavity contents. Here, we present an optical method that pins down the properties of the gap contents with high sensitivity, termed normalising plasmon resonance (NPR) spectroscopy. We use this on a variety of ultrathin molecular spacers such as filled and empty cucurbiturils, and graphene. Clear differences in the spectral positions and intensities of plasmonic modes observed in the scattering spectrum resolve thickness differences of 0.1 nm, and refractive index changes from molecular filling

Musculoskeletal physiotherapists’ use of psychological interventions::A systematic review of therapists’ perceptions and practice

Background Research has demonstrated that incorporating psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice has numerous potential benefits. Despite this physiotherapists have reported feeling inadequately trained to confidently use such interventions in their day-to-day practice. Objective To systematically review musculoskeletal physiotherapists’ perceptions regarding the use of psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice.Data sources Eligible studies were identified through a rigorous search of AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO from January 2002 until August 2013.Study eligibility criteria Full text qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodology studies published in English language investigating musculoskeletal physiotherapists’ perceptions regarding their use of psychological interventions within physiotherapy practice.Study synthesis and appraisal Included studies were appraised for risk of bias using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. Meta-analysis was not possible due to study heterogeneity.Results Six studies, all with a low risk of bias, met the inclusion criteria. These studies highlighted that physiotherapists appreciate the importance of using psychological interventions within their practice, but report inadequate understanding and consequent under utilisation of these interventions.Limitations These results should be noted with some degree of caution due to various limitations associated with the included studies and with this review, including the use of a qualitative appraisal tool for mixed methodology/quantitative studies.Conclusion These findings suggest that musculoskeletal physiotherapists are aware of the potential benefits of incorporating psychological interventions within their practice but feel insufficiently trained to optimise their use of such interventions; hence highlighting a need for further research in this area and a review of physiotherapist training

Integrated Molecular Meta-Analysis of 1,000 Pediatric High-Grade and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.

We collated data from 157 unpublished cases of pediatric high-grade glioma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and 20 publicly available datasets in an integrated analysis of >1,000 cases. We identified co-segregating mutations in histone-mutant subgroups including loss of FBXW7 in H3.3G34R/V, TOP3A rearrangements in H3.3K27M, and BCOR mutations in H3.1K27M. Histone wild-type subgroups are refined by the presence of key oncogenic events or methylation profiles more closely resembling lower-grade tumors. Genomic aberrations increase with age, highlighting the infant population as biologically and clinically distinct. Uncommon pathway dysregulation is seen in small subsets of tumors, further defining the molecular diversity of the disease, opening up avenues for biological study and providing a basis for functionally defined future treatment stratification

The FunGenES Database: A Genomics Resource for Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have high self-renewal capacity and the potential to differentiate into a large variety of cell types. To investigate gene networks operating in pluripotent ES cells and their derivatives, the “Functional Genomics in Embryonic Stem Cells” consortium (FunGenES) has analyzed the transcriptome of mouse ES cells in eleven diverse settings representing sixty-seven experimental conditions. To better illustrate gene expression profiles in mouse ES cells, we have organized the results in an interactive database with a number of features and tools. Specifically, we have generated clusters of transcripts that behave the same way under the entire spectrum of the sixty-seven experimental conditions; we have assembled genes in groups according to their time of expression during successive days of ES cell differentiation; we have included expression profiles of specific gene classes such as transcription regulatory factors and Expressed Sequence Tags; transcripts have been arranged in “Expression Waves” and juxtaposed to genes with opposite or complementary expression patterns; we have designed search engines to display the expression profile of any transcript during ES cell differentiation; gene expression data have been organized in animated graphs of KEGG signaling and metabolic pathways; and finally, we have incorporated advanced functional annotations for individual genes or gene clusters of interest and links to microarray and genomic resources. The FunGenES database provides a comprehensive resource for studies into the biology of ES cells

Hearing loss prevalence and years lived with disability, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Hearing loss affects access to spoken language, which can affect cognition and development, and can negatively affect social wellbeing. We present updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study on the prevalence of hearing loss in 2019, as well as the condition's associated disability. Methods We did systematic reviews of population-representative surveys on hearing loss prevalence from 1990 to 2019. We fitted nested meta-regression models for severity-specific prevalence, accounting for hearing aid coverage, cause, and the presence of tinnitus. We also forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss until 2050. Findings An estimated 1·57 billion (95% uncertainty interval 1·51–1·64) people globally had hearing loss in 2019, accounting for one in five people (20·3% [19·5–21·1]). Of these, 403·3 million (357·3–449·5) people had hearing loss that was moderate or higher in severity after adjusting for hearing aid use, and 430·4 million (381·7–479·6) without adjustment. The largest number of people with moderate-to-complete hearing loss resided in the Western Pacific region (127·1 million people [112·3–142·6]). Of all people with a hearing impairment, 62·1% (60·2–63·9) were older than 50 years. The Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index explained 65·8% of the variation in national age-standardised rates of years lived with disability, because countries with a low HAQ Index had higher rates of years lived with disability. By 2050, a projected 2·45 billion (2·35–2·56) people will have hearing loss, a 56·1% (47·3–65·2) increase from 2019, despite stable age-standardised prevalence. Interpretation As populations age, the number of people with hearing loss will increase. Interventions such as childhood screening, hearing aids, effective management of otitis media and meningitis, and cochlear implants have the potential to ameliorate this burden. Because the burden of moderate-to-complete hearing loss is concentrated in countries with low health-care quality and access, stronger health-care provision mechanisms are needed to reduce the burden of unaddressed hearing loss in these settings