Alexa, Please: Babysit My Child

According to the Statistics Canada report from 2019, when it comes to the amount of time spent online, Canada beats out every other country in the world. This has likely been amplified due to the stay-at-home order caused by the COVID-19 crisis, hence why the new Bill C-11 will strengthen the current policies defending Canadians from corporate digital overstep. Alexa, Please: Babysit My Child will explore, analyze, and evaluate Amazon's neuro-capitalistic technologies, specifically pertaining to the technologies made for child-use. Neuro-capitalism is dangerous as it speaks to controlling the mind through the current hyper-technological society. Jurisdictional complexity surrounding A.I. and cybersecurity can be mitigated by government-funded education. Therefore, my research explores the question: From a neuro-capitalistic & digital-colonial standpoint, to what extent are Amazon's child-targeted technologies' (such as Kindle 4 Kids) consistent with the privacy policies of the new, proposed Bill C-11? This policy analysis will consist of three sections—first, an analysis of Amazon's Kindle 4 Kids Terms and Conditions (Site 1). Second, an evaluation of Bill C-11’s ability to protect children from the pernicious aspects of neuro-capitalism (Site 2). Lastly, a compare and contrast section of the two entities, ending with a discussion of the findings. Particularly during the COVID-19 crisis, we must be sure that the Government of Canada is doing everything in their power to aid the youth of the country that spends the most time online and the most time with their babysitter: Alexa.&nbsp

Amending Amendments: Digital Colonialism, Bill C-11, and Assessing the Call for Improvement

Media scholars Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias (2019) define digital colonialism as the “term for the extension of a global process of extraction that started under colonialism and continues through industrial capitalism, culminating in today\u27s new form: instead of natural resources in labor, what is now being appropriated is human life through its conversion into data” (p. 22). This research will critically analyze the Canadian government’s ill-received Bill C-11: the Amended Consumer Privacy Protection Act by using digital colonialism as a conceptual framework to reveal the Bill’s essential limitations. It will consist of two sections: 1) an in-depth exploration of the definition of digital colonialism and Indigenous Subjectivity, which will inform the objective, and 2) an examination of amendment recommendations (7, 8, 11 and 15), put forth by the previous Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien to improve Bill C-11. By using digital colonial theory and applying it to a critical legislative case study, this research addresses the following questions: What is digital colonialism and how, from a digital colonial standpoint, can we critically unpack the recommended amendments proposed by Therrien

A holistic approach to fragile X syndrome integrated guidance for person-centred care

Background: The Fragile X community has expressed a desire for centralised, national guidelines in the form of integrated guidance for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Methods: This article draws on existing literature reviews, primary research and clinical trials on FXS, a Fragile X Society conference workshop and first-hand experience of clinicians who have worked with those living with FXS over many years. Results: The article scopes proposed integrated guidance over the life course, including appendices of symptoms, comorbidities and referral options for FXS and Fragile X Premutation Associated Conditions. Conclusion: Integrated guidance would provide an authoritative source for doctors, health professionals, therapists, care workers, social workers, educators, employers, families and those living with FXS, so that a holistic, person-centred approach can be taken across the United Kingdom to garner the best outcomes for those with FXS

A holistic approach to fragile X syndrome integrated guidance for person‐centred care

Background: The Fragile X community has expressed a desire for centralised, national guidelines in the form of integrated guidance for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Methods: This article draws on existing literature reviews, primary research and clinical trials on FXS, a Fragile X Society conference workshop and first‐hand experience of clinicians who have worked with those living with FXS over many years. Results: The article scopes proposed integrated guidance over the life course, including appendices of symptoms, comorbidities and referral options for FXS and Fragile X Premutation Associated Conditions. Conclusion: Integrated guidance would provide an authoritative source for doctors, health professionals, therapists, care workers, social workers, educators, employers, families and those living with FXS, so that a holistic, person‐centred approach can be taken across the United Kingdom to garner the best outcomes for those with FXS

GPR41 and GPR43 regulate CD8+ T cell priming during herpes simplex virus type 1 infection

Naïve CD8+ T cells need to undergo a complex and coordinated differentiation program to gain the capacity to control virus infections. This not only involves the acquisition of effector functions, but also regulates the development of a subset of effector CD8+ T cells into long-lived and protective memory cells. Microbiota-derived metabolites have recently gained interest for their influence on T cells, but much remains unclear about their role in CD8+ T cell differentiation. In this study, we investigated the role of the G protein-coupled receptors (GPR)41 and GPR43 that can bind microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in CD8+ T cell priming following epicutaneous herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. We found that HSV-specific CD8+ T cells in GPR41/43-deficient mice were impaired in the antigen-elicited production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), granzyme B and perforin, and failed to differentiate effectively into memory precursors. The defect in controlling HSV-1 at the site of infection could be restored when GPR41 and GPR43 were expressed exclusively by HSV-specific CD8+ T cells. Our findings therefore highlight roles for GPR41 and GPR43 in CD8+ T cell differentiation, emphasising the importance of metabolite sensing in fine-tuning anti-viral CD8+ T cell priming

Plasma and synovial fluid extracellular vesicles display altered microRNA profiles in horses with naturally occurring post-traumatic osteoarthritis: an exploratory study.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to characterize extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plasma and synovial fluid obtained from horses with and without naturally occurring post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).AnimalsEVs were isolated from plasma and synovial fluid from horses with (n = 6) and without (n = 6) PTOA.MethodsPlasma and synovial fluid EVs were characterized with respect to quantity, size, and surface markers. Small RNA sequencing was performed, and differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) underwent bioinformatic analysis to identify putative targets and to explore potential associations with specific biological processes.ResultsPlasma and synovial fluid samples from horses with PTOA had a significantly higher proportion of exosomes and a lower proportion of microvesicles compared to horses without PTOA. Small RNA sequencing revealed several differentially expressed miRNAs, including miR-144, miR-219-3p, and miR-199a-3l in plasma and miR-199a-3p, miR-214, and miR-9094 in synovial fluid EVs. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed miRNAs highlighted their potential role in fibrosis, differentiation of chondrocytes, apoptosis, and inflammation pathways in PTOA.Clinical relevanceWe have identified dynamic molecular changes in the small noncoding signatures of plasma and synovial fluid EVs in horses with naturally occurring PTOA. These findings could serve to identify promising biomarkers in the pathogenesis of PTOA, to facilitate the development of targeted therapies, and to aid in establishing appropriate translational models of PTOA

Model Lessons to Use With The Student Atlas of Oregon

Model lessons for teachers to use with The Student Atlas of Oregon.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/geographyed_instructional/1001/thumbnail.jp

Regulation of learning and memory by meningeal immunity: a key role for IL-4

Proinflammatory cytokines have been shown to impair cognition; consequently, immune activity in the central nervous system was considered detrimental to cognitive function. Unexpectedly, however, T cells were recently shown to support learning and memory, though the underlying mechanism was unclear. We show that one of the steps in the cascade of T cell–based support of learning and memory takes place in the meningeal spaces. Performance of cognitive tasks led to accumulation of IL-4–producing T cells in the meninges. Depletion of T cells from meningeal spaces skewed meningeal myeloid cells toward a proinflammatory phenotype. T cell–derived IL-4 was critical, as IL-4−/− mice exhibited a skewed proinflammatory meningeal myeloid cell phenotype and cognitive deficits. Transplantation of IL-4−/− bone marrow into irradiated wild-type recipients also resulted in cognitive impairment and proinflammatory skew. Moreover, adoptive transfer of T cells from wild-type into IL-4−/− mice reversed cognitive impairment and attenuated the proinflammatory character of meningeal myeloid cells. Our results point to a critical role for T cell–derived IL-4 in the regulation of cognitive function through meningeal myeloid cell phenotype and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. These findings might lead to the development of new immune-based therapies for cognitive impairment associated with immune decline

The Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service: development and implementation of a multidisciplinary program to prevent chronic postsurgical pain

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), an often unanticipated result of necessary and even life-saving procedures, develops in 5–10% of patients one-year after major surgery. Substantial advances have been made in identifying patients at elevated risk of developing CPSP based on perioperative pain, opioid use, and negative affect, including depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and posttraumatic stress disorder-like symptoms. The Transitional Pain Service (TPS) at Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is the first to comprehensively address the problem of CPSP at three stages: 1) preoperatively, 2) postoperatively in hospital, and 3) postoperatively in an outpatient setting for up to 6 months after surgery. Patients at high risk for CPSP are identified early and offered coordinated and comprehensive care by the multidisciplinary team consisting of pain physicians, advanced practice nurses, psychologists, and physiotherapists. Access to expert intervention through the Transitional Pain Service bypasses typically long wait times for surgical patients to be referred and seen in chronic pain clinics. This affords the opportunity to impact patients’ pain trajectories, preventing the transition from acute to chronic pain, and reducing suffering, disability, and health care costs. In this report, we describe the workings of the Transitional Pain Service at Toronto General Hospital, including the clinical algorithm used to identify patients, and clinical services offered to patients as they transition through the stages of surgical recovery. We describe the role of the psychological treatment, which draws on innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that allow for brief and effective behavioral interventions to be applied transdiagnostically and preventatively. Finally, we describe our vision for future growth.Joel Katz is supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology at York University. Hance Clarke is supported by a Merit Award from the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto and received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Medically Complex Patients Demonstration Project Program for a project entitled “The Transitional Pain Service Demonstration Project”