Borneo, fANTastique!

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Impact of COVID-19 on a Free Clinic Patient Population

The Robert R. Frank Student Run Free Clinic at WSUSOM, surveyed patients to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its patient population. The study examined any challenges faced in food, financial status, transportation, and healthcare. A Qualtrics survey was administered with ethnicity, age, and gender as controls, while testing patient responses to social factors using the Likert scale. The survey was targeted to a portion of the clinic’s patient pool (n=33) over a span of three months and responses were analyzed using SPSS 26 regression analysis, ANOVA, and paired sample T-tests. Significant responses were across demographics, categories of impact, and pre/post COVID-19. Results show that access to fresh foods was severely impacted by COVID-19 (t = -3.19, p\u3c 0.05). Linear regression models show a correlation between difficulty accessing healthcare and medications, before and after COVID-19, indicating that the pandemic may have exacerbated pre-existing barriers to treatment (correlation = 0.810). Financial status has been the most affected with many patients indicating changes in employment or income status. 55% of the participants noted a greater use of savings or retirement money to make ends meet. A moderate correlation (0.471) was found between the use of public transportation prior to the pandemic and transportation barriers during the pandemic. We have decided to compile resources to address the needs based on the study results. Future research includes a longitudinal, follow-up survey to gauge any changes. Limitations include the study sample size and participation bias among the patient population

Public Preschool Programs in Maine: Four Case Studies of Quality Programs

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is a follow-up to the report Public Preschool Programs in Maine: Current Status and Characteristics, submitted as part of the 2014/2015 EPS Commission work, as well as the 2014/2015 Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) work plan. This report presents case studies of four quality Pre-K programs identified through previous superintendent and Pre- K teacher surveys, and analysis of data from the State Longitudinal Data System. Pre-K programs were selected based on the extent to which they were already addressing the Chapter 124 standards, as well as their historical pattern of future student performance on state testing (controlling for student demographic factors such as free/reduced lunch status, ELL, special education placement, etc). Programs were also selected to reflect geographic, demographic, and programmatic variation Case studies were conducted by MEPRI in spring 2015 with the purpose of illustrating the characteristics and features of several quality Pre-K programs, and to present some of the challenges and solutions they have addressed. Case studies were based on site visits conducted at each school. Site visits included a classroom observation and interviews with the school principal and teacher in order to inquire about the history, implementation, challenges and perceived advantages of including Pre-K within the elementary schools. Not surprisingly, programs are aware of the Chapter 124 regulations and are taking steps to be ready for the changes. Nevertheless, participating schools reported making trade-offs with regard to space, schedule, staffing and curriculum in order to balance resources and regulations with local community needs. In general, indoor spaces are more compliant than outdoor spaces. Special classes are available in these schools, but some teachers value the flexibility to choose which ones to access given the children in the group, the developmental demands of the classes, and the available schedule. Transportation is a concern for those programs not currently offering that service. Programs that are close to or over the 16 student class-size limit acknowledge the conflicting struggle between recognizing that smaller classrooms allow more individualized teaching and learning, and concern that limiting class size may result in families no longer being able to access Pre-K. Administratively, principals for these schools are highly supportive of Pre-K. They see social and academic benefits for children from having the programs in the schools. They appreciate the unique characteristics of 4-year olds and the specialized skills needed by teachers The Pre-K teachers for all of these programs report high levels of involvement and concern regarding their students and families. This can involve exceptional extra time and energy in working with families, as well as partnering with fellow faculty regarding ongoing curriculum changes and transition into kindergarten. In this regard, professional development is taking many forms. In part this can reflect Pre-K and larger school schedules. Some Pre-K programs are scheduled in ways that support professional development opportunities for the teachers, while others are scheduled in ways that increase access for children but limit participation of teachers in school-wide planning. Similarly, some professional development supports the curriculum work of whole schools (including Pre-K) while in other schools, the Pre-K professional development is structured separately. Regardless, teachers report appreciating professional development opportunities, particularly in response to ongoing changes in K-12 that also impact Pre-K. Specifically, as schools move toward proficiency-based learning and assessment, new implications arise for how Pre-K programs collaborate with kindergarten and transition children into kindergarten. Collaboration and coordinated professional development may help in this regard. Schools are reportedly more aware of Chapter 124 than of the new Maine Early Learning and Development Standards. Teachers and administrators will also need professional development about the new standards and guidance on assessing progress toward the standards within the context of proficiency-based assessment. All programs report high achievement of children in Pre-K but given the range of assessment measures and curricula used, it impossible to exam in depth across sites. While highly valued, local funding will reportedly impact the numbers of children served in Pre- K. Currently, children are not turned away from the programs visited for this report. However, in order to accomplish this other district programs were used at times and in some cases class size exceeded the recommended limit of 16 children. Administrators are concerned about limiting access to families now that Pre-K is viewed as a core part of these schools. Furthermore, most v communities are experiencing some degree of budget cuts, which affects the long-term stability of Pre-K programs, even in those communities with very long-standing commitments to early childhood. Finally, principals and teachers in both urban and rural districts expressed concern about delays between referral for screening and receipt of special education services from CDS. It was reportedly particularly frustrating for those schools that had service personnel in the school and availability in the schedule, but were still unable to have those children served

Dynamic Modeling of Fluid Flow within Three-Dimensional Perfusion Bioreactor

Three-dimensional perfusion bioreactors have been shown to enhance cell viability and function through improved nutrient exchange. However, the ideal bioreactor scaffold geometry is still unknown. The focus of this study is to use computational fluid flow studies to inform bioreactor design. Specifically, we will model the effect of bioreactor design on fluid shear stress and then correlate these values with stem cell viability in the bioreactor. Previous studies have shown that the maximum shear stress level for the viability of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is 0.3 dynes/cm2. Two distinct Computer Aided Design models were created consisting of parallel planes of pillars (0.5 mm diameter, 2 mm height) in a linear array with 1 mm center to center spacing. One design consists of seven horizontal layers inserted into a 3D printed housing while the other consists of five layers encapsulated by a cylinder matching the inner diameter of silicon tubing (0.5 in). For in vitro testing, both scaffold designs were created by 3D printing and were coated with collagen to facilitate hMSC adhesion. To quantify results, hMSCs were harvested from the scaffolds for analyses by picogreen DNA quantification for total DNA and cell viability, and immunohistochemical markers for stem cell population maintenance. In the effort to establish a predictive model, we will compare the flow simulation results to the degree of cell proliferation in the bioreactor experiment. The significance of cell proliferation will indicate further improvements on the bioreactor design

T cell lineage choice and differentiation in the absence of the RNase III enzyme dicer

The ribonuclease III enzyme Dicer is essential for the processing of micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) from double-stranded RNA precursors. miRNAs and siRNAs regulate chromatin structure, gene transcription, mRNA stability, and translation in a wide range of organisms. To provide a model system to explore the role of Dicer-generated RNAs in the differentiation of mammalian cells in vivo, we have generated a conditional Dicer allele. Deletion of Dicer at an early stage of T cell development compromised the survival of alphabeta lineage cells, whereas the numbers of gammadelta-expressing thymocytes were not affected. In developing thymocytes, Dicer was not required for the maintenance of transcriptional silencing at pericentromeric satellite sequences (constitutive heterochromatin), the maintenance of DNA methylation and X chromosome inactivation in female cells (facultative heterochromatin), and the stable shutdown of a developmentally regulated gene (developmentally regulated gene silencing). Most remarkably, given that one third of mammalian mRNAs are putative miRNA targets, Dicer seems to be dispensable for CD4/8 lineage commitment, a process in which epigenetic regulation of lineage choice has been well documented. Thus, although Dicer seems to be critical for the development of the early embryo, it may have limited impact on the implementation of some lineage-specific gene expression programs

A single fungal strain was the unexpected cause of a mass aspergillosis outbreak in the world's largest and only flightless parrot.

Kākāpō are a critically endangered species of parrots restricted to a few islands off the coast of New Zealand. Kākāpō are very closely monitored, especially during nesting seasons. In 2019, during a highly successful nesting season, an outbreak of aspergillosis affected 21 individuals and led to the deaths of 9, leaving a population of only 211 kākāpō. In monitoring this outbreak, cultures of aspergillus were grown, and genome sequenced. These sequences demonstrate that, very unusually for an aspergillus outbreak, a single strain of aspergillus caused the outbreak. This strain was found on two islands, but only one had an outbreak of aspergillosis; indicating that the strain was necessary, but not sufficient, to cause disease. Our analysis provides an understanding of the 2019 outbreak and provides potential ways to manage such events in the future

Alcohol Production as an Adaptive Livelihood Strategy for Women Farmers in Tanzania and Its Potential for Unintended Consequences on Women's Reproductive Health.

Although women occupy a central position in agriculture in many developing countries, they face numerous constraints to achieving their full potential including unequal access to assets and limited decision-making authority. We explore the intersection of agricultural livelihoods, food and economic security, and women's sexual and reproductive health in Iringa Region, Tanzania. Our goal was to understand whether the benefits of supporting women in the agricultural sector might also extend to more distal outcomes, including sexual and reproductive health. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to guide data collection, we conducted 13 focus group discussions (FGD) with female (n = 11) and male farmers (n = 2) and 20 in-depth interviews with agricultural extension officers (n = 10) and village agro-dealers (n = 10). Despite providing the majority of agricultural labor, women have limited control over land and earned income and have little bargaining power. In response to these constraints, women adopt adaptive livelihood strategies, such as alcohol production, that allow them to retain control over income and support their households. However, women's central role in alcohol production, in concert with the ubiquitous nature of alcohol consumption, places them at risk by enhancing their vulnerability to unsafe or transactional sex. This represents a dangerous confluence of risk for female farmers, in which alcohol plays an important role in income generation and also facilitates high-risk sexual behavior. Alcohol production and consumption has the potential to both directly and indirectly place women at risk for undesirable sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Group formation, better access to finance, and engaging with agricultural extension officers were identified as potential interventions for supporting women farmers and challenging harmful gender norms. In addition, joint, multi-sectoral approaches from health and agriculture and alternative income-generating strategies for women might better address the complexities of achieving safe and sustainable livelihoods for women in this context

Metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide nanobeams: probing sub-domain properties of strongly correlated materials

Many strongly correlated electronic materials, including high-temperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance and metal-insulator-transition (MIT) materials, are inhomogeneous on a microscopic scale as a result of domain structure or compositional variations. An important potential advantage of nanoscale samples is that they exhibit the homogeneous properties, which can differ greatly from those of the bulk. We demonstrate this principle using vanadium dioxide, which has domain structure associated with its dramatic MIT at 68 degrees C. Our studies of single-domain vanadium dioxide nanobeams reveal new aspects of this famous MIT, including supercooling of the metallic phase by 50 degrees C; an activation energy in the insulating phase consistent with the optical gap; and a connection between the transition and the equilibrium carrier density in the insulating phase. Our devices also provide a nanomechanical method of determining the transition temperature, enable measurements on individual metal-insulator interphase walls, and allow general investigations of a phase transition in quasi-one-dimensional geometry.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, original submitted in June 200

Rapid progression is associated with lymphoid follicle dysfunction in SIV-infected infant rhesus macaques.

HIV-infected infants are at an increased risk of progressing rapidly to AIDS in the first weeks of life. Here, we evaluated immunological and virological parameters in 25 SIV-infected infant rhesus macaques to understand the factors influencing a rapid disease outcome. Infant macaques were infected with SIVmac251 and monitored for 10 to 17 weeks post-infection. SIV-infected infants were divided into either typical (TypP) or rapid (RP) progressor groups based on levels of plasma anti-SIV antibody and viral load, with RP infants having low SIV-specific antibodies and high viral loads. Following SIV infection, 11 out of 25 infant macaques exhibited an RP phenotype. Interestingly, TypP had lower levels of total CD4 T cells, similar reductions in CD4/CD8 ratios and elevated activation of CD8 T cells, as measured by the levels of HLA-DR, compared to RP. Differences between the two groups were identified in other immune cell populations, including a failure to expand activated memory (CD21-CD27+) B cells in peripheral blood in RP infant macaques, as well as reduced levels of germinal center (GC) B cells and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in spleens (4- and 10-weeks post-SIV). Reduced B cell proliferation in splenic germinal GCs was associated with increased SIV+ cell density and follicular type 1 interferon (IFN)-induced immune activation. Further analyses determined that at 2-weeks post SIV infection TypP infants exhibited elevated levels of the GC-inducing chemokine CXCL13 in plasma, as well as significantly lower levels of viral envelope diversity compared to RP infants. Our findings provide evidence that early viral and immunologic events following SIV infection contributes to impairment of B cells, Tfh cells and germinal center formation, ultimately impeding the development of SIV-specific antibody responses in rapidly progressing infant macaques

Prevalence and Correlates of Common Mental Disorders among Mothers of Young Children in Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania.

Although poor maternal mental health is a major public health problem, with detrimental effects on the individual, her children and society, information on its correlates in low-income countries is sparse. This study investigates the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) among at-risk mothers, and explores its associations with sociodemographic factors. This population-based survey of mothers of children aged 0-36 months used the 14-item Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ). Mothers whose response was "yes" to 8 or more items on the scale were defined as "at risk of CMD." Of the 1,922 mothers (15-48 years), 28.8% were at risk of CMD. Risk of CMD was associated with verbal abuse, physical abuse, a partner who did not help with the care of the child, being in a polygamous relationship, a partner with low levels of education, and a partner who smoked cigarettes. Cohabiting appeared to be protective. Taken together, our results indicate the significance of the quality of relations with one's partner in shaping maternal mental health. The high proportion of mothers who are at risk of CMD emphasizes the importance of developing evidence-based mental health programmes as part of the care package aimed at improving maternal well-being in Tanzania and other similar settings