Implementing Sustainable Literacy in Grand Rapids, MI

Recognizing the dimensions and complexity of wicked problems, Phoenix Farms has decided to address the issue of sustainable illiteracy in Western Michigan. With a goal to work with local stakeholders, we have partnered with Sonder Farms in order to develop advertisements and classes aimed to raise awareness about, and interest in, sustainability. This partnership with Sonder Farms, a self-sustaining farm located in the Grand Rapids and Allendale communities, has given us the opportunity to put our skills, knowledge, and values to use in our local community. Sonder Farms practices conventional farming as well as aquaponics. Their hope is to target the community by countering issues such as environmental injustice, sustainable illiteracy, economics, education, health, and much more. They plan to offer classes to the community, covering subjects such as diet/nutrition, the environment, finances, sustainable agriculture and many more. Seeking to develop ideas of mutual benefit, we worked closely with Sonder Farms in order to co-create and implement compelling and relevant action-plans. For instance, we have developed promotional materials illustrating the dimensions of sustainable illiteracy, highlighting Sonder Farms mission, and detailing the research we have conducted about downtown Grand Rapids residents. We have sought to make sustainability education accessible in the greater Grand Rapids area along four dimensions, including (1) posters (2) guerrilla advertisements, (3) the development of monthly newsletters, and (4) a plan for increasing the accessibility of Sonder Farm classes. The following describes our ultimate efforts, the process by which we came to this work, and the challenges we confronted. Through detailing our work, we hope to engage people who are enthusiastic about environmental justice, thereby increasing the chances these efforts will lead to systemic, long-term change

Firearm Suicide as a Human Rights Priority for Prevention

In addition to being a public health crisis, firearm suicide in the United States poses an ongoing threat to human rights of U.S. residents. This article argues that the U.S. is bound to act to honor its human rights obligations in this area. The article first reviews current statistics on firearm suicide in the U.S. It then outlines how the U.S. violates internationally established human rights by adhering to its current policies regarding firearms. Finally, the article suggests priorities for policy, public health intervention, and interdisciplinary education regarding access to firearms in the U.S

Scholarship, teaching practice and educational responsibility: Issues in designing and implementing a quality improvement and evidence-based practice module in the undergraduate curriculum

As part of a review of the undergraduate medical curriculum at King's College London, a module preparing students to undertake a quality improvement project (QIP) was developed. Using an illuminative evaluation method, the successes and challenges of the module were identified. The student experience lay along a continuum. At one end, QIPs enabled some significant improvements within trusts and primary care. Projects were presented in their clinical settings and at national and international conferences, and were published. At the other end of the continuum, students struggled to find an actionable project or have early and regular communication with their supervisors. Poor implementation of the module created challenges. These included misunderstanding of module requirements by students and supervisors, lack of clarity about what a feasible undergraduate project comprised and logistical problems when students moved from their QIP site to their next rotation. Travel back to the QIP site to complete projects involved missing scheduled teaching in their current rotation. Supervisors were unsure how to assess group projects. Key successes included students feeling better prepared to undertake QIPs, students developing a better understanding of the dynamics of clinical settings and teams, and how to manage these to progress projects

3D-Printed Hollow Microneedle-Lateral Flow Devices for Rapid Blood-Free Detection of C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin

Hollow microneedle devices as a technology for interstitial fluid extraction show promise for the minimally invasive point-of-care detection of analytes. Despite increasing efforts toward on-patch diagnostics, the use of hollow microneedles has been limited due to the complexity caused by integrating hollow microneedles with established point-of-care diagnostic techniques. Herein, a 3D printing method is utilized, to provide low-cost manufacturing of custom-designed hollow microneedle devices, allowing for easy integration with lateral flow assays for rapid and blood-free diagnostics. Microneedle surface modification through PEGylation results in prolonged and enhanced hydrophilicity, enabling passive uptake of small volume samples (≈22.5 µL) and an enhanced shelf life. The hollow microneedle devices are deemed non-cytotoxic to cell types found within the skin following short-term and prolonged exposure in accordance with ISO10993. Furthermore, the devices demonstrate high mechanical strength and successfully penetrate porcine skin grafts without damaging the surrounding skin morphology. This work also demonstrates for the first time the use of hollow microneedles for the simultaneous detection, at clinically relevant concentrations, of C-reactive protein (LoD = 10 µg mL−1) and procalcitonin (LoD = 1 ng mL−1), through porcine skin, ultimately demonstrating the beneficial use of manufactured 3D-printed hollow microneedles towards low-cost blood-free diagnostics of inflammation markers

3D-Printed Hollow Microneedle-Lateral Flow Devices for Rapid Blood-Free Detection of C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin

Hollow microneedle devices as a technology for interstitial fluid extraction show promise for the minimally invasive point-of-care detection of analytes. Despite increasing efforts toward on-patch diagnostics, the use of hollow microneedles has been limited due to the complexity caused by integrating hollow microneedles with established point-of-care diagnostic techniques. Herein, a 3D printing method is utilized, to provide low-cost manufacturing of custom-designed hollow microneedle devices, allowing for easy integration with lateral flow assays for rapid and blood-free diagnostics. Microneedle surface modification through PEGylation results in prolonged and enhanced hydrophilicity, enabling passive uptake of small volume samples (≈22.5 µL) and an enhanced shelf life. The hollow microneedle devices are deemed non-cytotoxic to cell types found within the skin following short-term and prolonged exposure in accordance with ISO10993. Furthermore, the devices demonstrate high mechanical strength and successfully penetrate porcine skin grafts without damaging the surrounding skin morphology. This work also demonstrates for the first time the use of hollow microneedles for the simultaneous detection, at clinically relevant concentrations, of C-reactive protein (LoD = 10 µg mL−1) and procalcitonin (LoD = 1 ng mL−1), through porcine skin, ultimately demonstrating the beneficial use of manufactured 3D-printed hollow microneedles towards low-cost blood-free diagnostics of inflammation markers

How can the loggerhead sea-turtle survive? Exploring the journeys of the Caretta caretta using ANT and critical realism

The endangered loggerhead sea-turtle (Caretta caretta) nests on the shores of the Mediterranean, but faces threats to its existence from a variety of sources. Answering the question of how this species can survive is complex as it involves examining the relationships between the turtle, its natural environment, local tourists, property developers, conservation organisations, governments and law-makers. We argue that actor-network theory (ANT) provides a powerful methodology for tracing these relations and identifying crucial actors which enable the survival of this animal. Using a rich ethnography and drawing on insights from 116 interviews, we trace three actor-networks that highlight factors important to the survival of the species. Yet, we also highlight the conceptual difficulties that result from using an ANT ontology for understanding socio-ecological interactions and argue that these may be ameliorated by embedding the ANT methodology within a critical realist (CR) ontology. We argue that this engagement between CR and ANT offers researchers a powerful method for understanding relations between socio-ecological actors whilst overcoming some of the theoretical difficulties of ANT

A cross-country database of COVID-19 testing

Our understanding of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is built upon data concerning confirmed cases and deaths. This data, however, can only be meaningfully interpreted alongside an accurate understanding of the extent of virus testing in different countries. This new database brings together official data on the extent of PCR testing over time for 94 countries. We provide a time series for the daily number of tests performed, or people tested, together with metadata describing data quality and comparability issues needed for the interpretation of the time series. The database is updated regularly through a combination of automated scraping and manual collection and verification, and is entirely replicable, with sources provided for each observation. In providing accessible cross-country data on testing output, it aims to facilitate the incorporation of this crucial information into epidemiological studies, as well as track a key component of countries' responses to COVID-19

Global Responses of Resistant and Susceptible Sorghum (\u3ci\u3eSorghum bicolor\u3c/i\u3e) to Sugarcane Aphid (\u3ci\u3eMelanaphis sacchari\u3c/i\u3e)

The sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) has emerged as a significant pest for sorghum. The use of sugarcane aphid-resistant sorghum germplasm with integrated pest management strategies appears to be an excellent solution to this problem. In this study, a resistant line (RTx2783) and a susceptible line (A/BCK60) were used to characterize the differences in plant responses to the sugarcane aphid through a series of experiments, which examined global sorghum gene expression, aphid feeding behavior and inheritance of aphid resistance. The global transcriptomic responses to sugarcane aphids in resistant and susceptible plants were identified using RNA-seq and compared to the expression profiles of uninfested plants at 5, 10, and 15 days post-infestation. The expression of genes from several functional categories were altered in aphid-infested susceptible plants, which included genes related to cell wall modification, photosynthesis and phytohormone biosynthesis. In the resistant line, only 31 genes were differentially expressed in the infested plants relative to uninfested plants over the same timecourse. However, network analysis of these transcriptomes identified a co-expression module where the expression of multiple sugar and starch associated genes were repressed in infested resistant plants at 5 and 10 days. Several nucleotide-binding-site, leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) and disease resistance genes similar to aphid resistance genes identified in other plants are identified in the current study which may be involved in sugarcane aphid resistance. The electrical penetration graph (EPG) results indicated that sugarcane aphid spent approximately twice as long in non-probing phase, and approximately a quarter of time in phloem ingestion phase on the resistant and F1 plants compared to susceptible plant. Additionally, network analysis identified a phloem protein 2 gene expressed in both susceptible and resistant plants early (day 5) of infestation, which may contribute to defense against aphid feeding within sieve elements. The resistant line RTx2783 displayed both antixenosis and antibiosis modes of resistance based on EPG and choice bioassays between susceptible, resistant and F1 plants. Aphid resistance from RTx2783 segregated as a single dominant locus in the F2 generation, which will enable breeders to rapidly develop sugarcane aphid-resistant hybrids using RTx2783 as the male parent