Learning From Coalitions' Efforts to Promote Equity and Justice.

Coalitions and collaboratives are working to address many of the most pressing contemporary health and social issues. The articles in this special issue provide numerous insights into these complex collaborative processes across different contexts and focal issues. All emphasize and scrutinize the strategies that groups are using in their work. These strategies seek to navigate not only conventional notions of effectiveness but also the challenges of pursuing greater equity and justice. In this concluding article, we distill some of the key insights from these articles as a collective. This special issue on collaborating for equity and justice can serve as a launching point for new efforts by coalitions and researchers pursuing policy, systems, and structural changes, particularly those intent on addressing root causes of health and social disparities

Cavitation-mediated transcutaneous delivery of protein and nucleotide-based antigen for rapid high-level immune responses

Alternatives are needed to remove the pain, injury, cross-infection, and hazardous waste associated with needle and syringe (N+S)-based vaccination. Reported here is the use of novel ultrasound-responsive protein cavitation nuclei (pCaN), formed using the model antigen bovine serum albumin (BSA), to achieve effective transcutaneous delivery. Upon exposure to ultrasound (US), these pCaN instigate cavitation events which propel themselves and co-located DNA vectors into the skin. US parameters as well as pCaN and DNA concentration are refined to achieve optimal expression of encoded luciferase transgene. Twenty-four hours post-treatment, luciferase expression in the skin, by IVIS imaging, was 1.67 × 106 ±941943, photons per sec for N+S intradermal injection and 1.49 × 106 ±261832 for cavitation-mediated delivery (p>0.05). Hence, there is no significant difference in luciferase level achieved, but improved homogeneity and reproducibility of expression are evident in mice treated using US-mediated cavitation. Despite this equivalence in luciferase levels, a >5× higher level (p<0.02) of anti-luciferase antibodies is achieved when cavitation is used versus N+S injection. Antibody levels against BSA, resulting from the use of BSA pCaN, are equivalent for the two groups. PCaN can be formed from a range of antigenic proteins and DNA can encode a range of antigenic proteins, so this approach has wide-ranging implications for needle-free vaccination

The Infrared Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) for TMT: Instrument Overview

We present an overview of the design of IRIS, an infrared (0.84 - 2.4 micron) integral field spectrograph and imaging camera for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). With extremely low wavefront error (<30 nm) and on-board wavefront sensors, IRIS will take advantage of the high angular resolution of the narrow field infrared adaptive optics system (NFIRAOS) to dissect the sky at the diffraction limit of the 30-meter aperture. With a primary spectral resolution of 4000 and spatial sampling starting at 4 milliarcseconds, the instrument will create an unparalleled ability to explore high redshift galaxies, the Galactic center, star forming regions and virtually any astrophysical object. This paper summarizes the entire design and basic capabilities. Among the design innovations is the combination of lenslet and slicer integral field units, new 4Kx4k detectors, extremely precise atmospheric dispersion correction, infrared wavefront sensors, and a very large vacuum cryogenic system.Comment: Proceedings of the SPIE, 9147-76 (2014

Low serum cortisol predicts early death following acute myocardial infarction

&lt;b&gt;Objective&lt;/b&gt;: Low serum cortisol concentrations have been associated with adverse prognosis in critical illness of diverse aetiology. We aimed to determine whether low serum cortisol concentrations are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. &lt;b&gt;Design&lt;/b&gt;: Nested case-control study. &lt;b&gt;Setting&lt;/b&gt;: Prospective cohort study of consecutive patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction to 9 Scottish hospitals. &lt;b&gt;Patients&lt;/b&gt;: 100 patients who survived 30 days (controls) and 100 patients who died within 30 days (cases). &lt;b&gt;Measurements and Main Results&lt;/b&gt;: Admission cortisol concentrations were lower in patients who died than those who survived (median 1,189 versus 1,355 nmol/L, p&#60;0.001). A cortisol concentration in the bottom quartile (&#60;1,136 nmol/L) was a strong predictor of death within 30 days, and remained so after adjustment for age and cardiac troponin concentration (adjusted OR 8.78, 95% CI 3.09-24.96, p&#60;0.001). &lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt;: Patients who mount a lesser cortisol stress response to acute myocardial infarction have a poorer early prognosis

Phylogenomics reveals the history of host use in mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have profoundly affected human history and continue to threaten human health through the transmission of a diverse array of pathogens. The phylogeny of mosquitoes has remained poorly characterized due to difficulty in taxonomic sampling and limited availability of genomic data beyond the most important vector species. Here, we used phylogenomic analysis of 709 single copy ortholog groups from 256 mosquito species to produce a strongly supported phylogeny that resolves the position of the major disease vector species and the major mosquito lineages. Our analyses support an origin of mosquitoes in the early Triassic (217 MYA [highest posterior density region: 188–250 MYA]), considerably older than previous estimates. Moreover, we utilize an extensive database of host associations for mosquitoes to show that mosquitoes have shifted to feeding upon the blood of mammals numerous times, and that mosquito diversification and host-use patterns within major lineages appear to coincide in earth history both with major continental drift events and with the diversification of vertebrate classes. © 2023, Springer Nature Limited

2001 AAPP Monograph Series

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is pleased to produce this premier edition of its annual monograph series. It is fitting that the program assume a leadership role in promoting scholarly products that will prove to be useful in future research efforts by faculty and students in higher education. Scholars who have contributed manuscripts for this monograph are to be commended for adding this additional responsibility to their academic workload. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and, comprehensively, written. AAPP was created in 1997 under the leadership of Drs. Aretha B. Pigford and Leonard 0. Pellicer, Department of Educational Leadership and Policies. It was designed to address the underrepresentation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits students with bachelor\u27s, master\u27s, and doctoral degrees for disciplines in which African Americans, currently, are underrepresented. An important component of the program is the mentoring experience that is provided. Each student is assigned to a mentor professor who guides the student through a selected academic program and provides various learning experiences. When possible, the mentor serves as chair of the student\u27s doctoral committee. The mentor, also, provides opportunities for the student to team teach, conduct research, and co-author publications. Students have opportunities to attend committee, faculty, and professional meetings, as well as engage in a range of activities that characterize professional life in academia. Scholars enrolled in the program, also, are involved in programmatic and institutional workshops, independent research, and program development. The establishment or genesis of this monograph series is seen as responding to an opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, also, one that allows for the dissemination of AAPP products to a broader community. We hope that you, likewise, will read this premier monograph of the African American Professors Program with enthusiasm or enlightenment. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Professor Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1005/thumbnail.jp

2002 AAPP Monograph Series: African American Professors Program

The African American Professors Program (AAPP) at the University of South Carolina is pleased to produce the second edition of its annual monograph series. It is fitting that the program contrives to assume a leadership role in promoting scholarly products that prove to be useful in research endeavors by faculty and students in higher education. Scholars who have contributed manuscripts for this monograph are to be commended for adding this additional responsibility to their academic workload. Writing across disciplines adds to the intellectual diversity of these papers. From neophytes, relatively speaking, to an array of very experienced individuals, the chapters have been researched and comprehensively written. Founded in 1997 through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies in the College of Education, AAPP was designed to address the underrepresentation of African American professors on college and university campuses. Its mission is to expand the pool of these professors in critical academic and research areas. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the South Carolina General Assembly, the program recruits students with bachelor\u27s, master\u27s, and doctoral degrees for disciplines in which African Americans, currently, are underrepresented. An important component of the program is the mentoring experience that is provided. Each student is assigned to a mentor professor who guides the student through a selected academic program and provides various learning experiences. When possible, the mentor serves as chair of the student\u27s doctoral committee. The mentor, also, provides opportunities for the student to team teach, conduct research, and co-author publications. Students have opportunities to attend committee, faculty, and professional meetings, as well as to engage in a range of activities that characterize professional life in academia. Scholars enrolled in the program also are involved in programmatic and institutional workshops, independent research, and program development. The continuation of this monograph series is seen as responding to an opportunity to be sensitive to an academic expectation of graduates as they pursue career placement and, also, one that allows for the dissemination of AAPP products to a broader community. We hope that you will read this monograph of the African American Professors Program with enthusiasm or enlightenment. John McFadden, Ph.D. The Benjamin Elijah Mays Professor Director, African American Professors Program University of South Carolinahttps://scholarcommons.sc.edu/mcfadden_monographs/1000/thumbnail.jp