I Felt What was Happening in Our Country [USA] with Race was So Much Scarier than the [COVID-19] Virus.” Black Lives Matter Protesters’ Beliefs and Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study describes the COVID-19 prevention practices and beliefs of Black Lives Matter protesters in the U.S. Participants completed a survey on following COVID-19 guidelines and answered interview questions. Twenty participants were enrolled. Mean age was 29 and most were female (80%) and black (75%). Participants almost always wore their masks (75%) and washed their hands (85%) while protesting. Most reported rarely social distancing (55%) and not being concerned about COVID-19 (55%). Themes included: 1) Fighting for social justice, 2) Protesting is more important than COVID-19, 3) Unable to social distance, 4) Masks mostly worn, 5) Protests sparked global movement, and 6) Increasing awareness of injustices. Our results suggest that protestors understand the importance of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and follow guidelines, but there are suggestions that some protestors do not consistently adhere to these guidelines. Results may contribute to policies that control the spread of COVID-19

Impact of PWM Voltage Waveforms in High-Speed Drives: A Survey on High-Frequency Motor Models and Partial Discharge Phenomenon

The insulation system’s dielectric of the electric motor is very often subjected to severe electrical stress generated by the high dv/dt seen at the machine’s terminals. The electrical stress and high reflected wave transient overvoltage are even more evident in case of high-speed machines fed by high-frequency (HF) converters featuring very fast wide-bandgap devices. They are promoting the occurrence of partial discharges and consequently accelerate ageing. As this is serious issue and the main cause of the drive failure, it is important to analyse and characterise the surges at the motor terminals. Several HF models of motors have been proposed in the literature for this purpose. This article presents a survey on HF motor models, which is crucial in understanding and studying the most critical parameter identification and overvoltage mitigation techniques. Moreover, it offers a comparison of the models’ main features as well as a comparison with the experimental voltage waveform at motor terminals. A general overview of the partial discharge (PD) phenomenon is also provided, as it is favoured by HF operation and together with HF motor modelling provides key insights to the insulation ageing issue. In particular, an analysis of the effects of PWM waveform affecting insulation is given, as well as useful methods for developing strategies for the inspection and maintenance of winding insulation

Microsatellite markers for Caesalpinia echinata Lam. (Brazilwood), a tree that named a country.

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Culturally targeted video improves psychosocial outcomes in latina women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Latina women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) have lower awareness, knowledge, and use of genetic counseling and testing services (GCT) than non-Latina Whites. Few interventions have been developed to reduce these disparities among at-risk Latinas. This pilot study assessed the impact of a culturally targeted narrative video developed by our team. The study included 40 Latina immigrants living in the United States who were at risk of HBOC, including a ected and una ected women. We assessed pre-post di erences in psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 47.35 years old on average (SD = 9.48). Most (70%) were una ected with cancer, had an annual income of $40,000 or less (65%), an education of High School or less (62.5%), and were uninsured (77.5%). The video significantly enhanced knowledge (p < 0.001), positive attitudes (p < 0.05), anticipatory positive emotions (p < 0.05), and intentions to participate in counseling (p < 0.001). Importantly, the video also significantly reduced negative attitudes (p < 0.05), and attitudinal ambivalence (p < 0.001). The culturally targeted video shows preliminary evidence in improving psychosocial outcomes related to GCT uptake in Latinas at risk for HBOC. This intervention is a promising easily-disseminable strategy to address disparities in GCT utilizationThis research was funded by the National Cancer Institute (R03CA191543; Hurtado-de-Mendoza and Sheppard, MPIs). This project was also supported by Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS) by Federal Funds; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS); and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program (CTSA) (KL2TR001432; Hurtado-de-Mendoza. PI), and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities in Spain (PGC2018-093821-B-I00, FEDER, MICINN, Carrera, PI)

Preliminary Investigation of a Mobile Nutrition Literacy Website for Parents and Young Children

Parental nutrition literacy (PNL) correlates positively with child diet quality, but interventions for improving PNL are lacking. “Nutricity” is a novel bilingual (English/Spanish) mobile tool designed by the research team to engage parents and young children to interact with nutrition information to make nutrition decisions. The purpose of this study was to inform a future intervention through (1) assessing parental likability of Nutricity, and (2) collecting perceptions of pediatric clinic personnel on the feasibility of introducing Nutricity in pediatric clinics. PNL scores and feedback about Nutricity were collected using mixed methods from 15 English-speaking and 15 Spanish-speaking parents of 1–5 year-old children. Three parents from each language group provided additional feedback via semi-structured interviews. Interviews with 11 pediatric clinic personnel were also conducted to anticipate barriers and formulate strategies for implementing Nutricity as a clinic-based intervention. Nutricity was liked by both language groups and across all PNL levels, with a mean rating of 4.6 on a 5-point scale. Clinic personnel interviews affirmed need for and feasibility of offering Nutricity in clinics

Recalibrating single-study effect sizes using hierarchical Bayesian models

INTRODUCTION: There are growing concerns about commonly inflated effect sizes in small neuroimaging studies, yet no study has addressed recalibrating effect size estimates for small samples. To tackle this issue, we propose a hierarchical Bayesian model to adjust the magnitude of single-study effect sizes while incorporating a tailored estimation of sampling variance.METHODS: We estimated the effect sizes of case-control differences on brain structural features between individuals who were dependent on alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, or cannabis and non-dependent participants for 21 individual studies (Total cases: 903; Total controls: 996). Then, the study-specific effect sizes were modeled using a hierarchical Bayesian approach in which the parameters of the study-specific effect size distributions were sampled from a higher-order overarching distribution. The posterior distribution of the overarching and study-specific parameters was approximated using the Gibbs sampling method.RESULTS: The results showed shrinkage of the posterior distribution of the study-specific estimates toward the overarching estimates given the original effect sizes observed in individual studies. Differences between the original effect sizes (i.e., Cohen's d) and the point estimate of the posterior distribution ranged from 0 to 0.97. The magnitude of adjustment was negatively correlated with the sample size (r = -0.27, p &lt; 0.001) and positively correlated with empirically estimated sampling variance (r = 0.40, p &lt; 0.001), suggesting studies with smaller samples and larger sampling variance tended to have greater adjustments. DISCUSSION: Our findings demonstrate the utility of the hierarchical Bayesian model in recalibrating single-study effect sizes using information from similar studies. This suggests that Bayesian utilization of existing knowledge can be an effective alternative approach to improve the effect size estimation in individual studies, particularly for those with smaller samples.</p

Recalibrating single-study effect sizes using hierarchical Bayesian models

INTRODUCTION: There are growing concerns about commonly inflated effect sizes in small neuroimaging studies, yet no study has addressed recalibrating effect size estimates for small samples. To tackle this issue, we propose a hierarchical Bayesian model to adjust the magnitude of single-study effect sizes while incorporating a tailored estimation of sampling variance.METHODS: We estimated the effect sizes of case-control differences on brain structural features between individuals who were dependent on alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, or cannabis and non-dependent participants for 21 individual studies (Total cases: 903; Total controls: 996). Then, the study-specific effect sizes were modeled using a hierarchical Bayesian approach in which the parameters of the study-specific effect size distributions were sampled from a higher-order overarching distribution. The posterior distribution of the overarching and study-specific parameters was approximated using the Gibbs sampling method.RESULTS: The results showed shrinkage of the posterior distribution of the study-specific estimates toward the overarching estimates given the original effect sizes observed in individual studies. Differences between the original effect sizes (i.e., Cohen's d) and the point estimate of the posterior distribution ranged from 0 to 0.97. The magnitude of adjustment was negatively correlated with the sample size (r = -0.27, p &lt; 0.001) and positively correlated with empirically estimated sampling variance (r = 0.40, p &lt; 0.001), suggesting studies with smaller samples and larger sampling variance tended to have greater adjustments. DISCUSSION: Our findings demonstrate the utility of the hierarchical Bayesian model in recalibrating single-study effect sizes using information from similar studies. This suggests that Bayesian utilization of existing knowledge can be an effective alternative approach to improve the effect size estimation in individual studies, particularly for those with smaller samples.</p

Design, recruitment, and retention of African-American smokers in a pharmacokinetic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>African-Americans remain underrepresented in clinical research despite experiencing a higher burden of disease compared to all other ethnic groups in the United States. The purpose of this article is to describe the study design and discuss strategies used to recruit and retain African-American smokers in a pharmacokinetic study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The parent study was designed to evaluate the differences in the steady-state concentrations of bupropion and its three principal metabolites between African-American menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers. Study participation consisted of four visits at a General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) over six weeks. After meeting telephone eligibility requirements, phone-eligible participants underwent additional screening during the first two GCRC visits. The last two visits (pharmacokinetic study phase) required repeated blood draws using an intravenous catheter over the course of 12 hours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five hundred and fifteen African-American smokers completed telephone screening; 187 were phone-eligible and 92 were scheduled for the first GCRC visit. Of the 81 who attended the first visit, 48 individuals were enrolled in the pharmacokinetic study, and a total of 40 individuals completed the study (83% retention rate).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although recruitment of African-American smokers into a non-treatment, pharmacokinetic study poses challenges, retention is feasible. The results provide valuable information for investigators embarking on non-treatment laboratory-based studies among minority populations.</p

Engaging diverse underserved communities to bridge the mammography divide

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breast cancer screening continues to be underutilized by the population in general, but is particularly underutilized by traditionally underserved minority populations. Two of the most at risk female minority groups are American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) and Latinas. American Indian women have the poorest recorded 5-year cancer survival rates of any ethnic group while breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer mortality among Latina women. Breast cancer screening rates for both minority groups are near or at the lowest among all racial/ethnic groups. As with other health screening behaviors, women may intend to get a mammogram but their intentions may not result in initiation or follow through of the examination process. An accumulating body of research, however, demonstrates the efficacy of developing 'implementation intentions' that define when, where, and how a specific behavior will be performed. The formulation of intended steps in addition to addressing potential barriers to test completion can increase a person's self-efficacy, operationalize and strengthen their intention to act, and close gaps between behavioral intention and completion. To date, an evaluation of the formulation of implementation intentions for breast cancer screening has not been conducted with minority populations.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>In the proposed program, community health workers will meet with rural-dwelling Latina and American Indian women one-on-one to educate them about breast cancer and screening and guide them through a computerized and culturally tailored "implementation intentions" program, called <it>Healthy Living Kansas - Breast Health</it>, to promote breast cancer screening utilization. We will target Latina and AI/AN women from two distinct rural Kansas communities. Women attending community events will be invited by CHWs to participate and be randomized to either a mammography "implementation intentions" (<b>MI</b>^<b>2</b>) intervention or a comparison general breast cancer prevention informational intervention (<b>C</b>). CHWs will be armed with notebook computers loaded with our Healthy Living Kansas - Breast Health program and guide their peers through the program. Women in the <b>MI</b>^{<b>2 </b>}condition will receive assistance with operationalizing their screening intentions and identifying and addressing their stated screening barriers with the goal of guiding them toward accessing screening services near their community. Outcomes will be evaluated at 120-days post randomization via self-report and will include mammography utilization status, barriers, and movement along a behavioral stages of readiness to screen model.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This highly innovative project will be guided and initiated by AI/AN and Latina community members and will test the practical application of emerging behavioral theory among minority persons living in rural communities.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials (NCT): <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01267110">NCT01267110</a></p

Virtual Ontogeny of Cortical Growth Preceding Mental Illness

Background: Morphology of the human cerebral cortex differs across psychiatric disorders, with neurobiology and developmental origins mostly undetermined. Deviations in the tangential growth of the cerebral cortex during pre/perinatal periods may be reflected in individual variations in cortical surface area later in life. Methods: Interregional profiles of group differences in surface area between cases and controls were generated using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging from 27,359 individuals including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and high general psychopathology (through the Child Behavior Checklist). Similarity of interregional profiles of group differences in surface area and prenatal cell-specific gene expression was assessed. Results: Across the 11 cortical regions, group differences in cortical area for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and Child Behavior Checklist were dominant in multimodal association cortices. The same interregional profiles were also associated with interregional profiles of (prenatal) gene expression specific to proliferative cells, namely radial glia and intermediate progenitor cells (greater expression, larger difference), as well as differentiated cells, namely excitatory neurons and endothelial and mural cells (greater expression, smaller difference). Finally, these cell types were implicated in known pre/perinatal risk factors for psychosis. Genes coexpressed with radial glia were enriched with genes implicated in congenital abnormalities, birth weight, hypoxia, and starvation. Genes coexpressed with endothelial and mural genes were enriched with genes associated with maternal hypertension and preterm birth. Conclusions: Our findings support a neurodevelopmental model of vulnerability to mental illness whereby prenatal risk factors acting through cell-specific processes lead to deviations from typical brain development during pregnancy