Applying the Functional Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Framework to HIV Cure Research

Introduction The search for an HIV cure involves important behavioural and social processes that complement the domains of biomedicine. However, the field has yet to tap into the full potential of behavioural and social sciences research (BSSR). In this article, we apply Gaist and Stirratt’s BSSR Functional Framework to the field of HIV cure research. Discussion The BSSR Functional Framework describes four key research domains: (1) basic BSSR (understanding basic behavioural and social factors), (2) elemental BSSR (advancing behavioural and social interventions), (3) supportive BSSR (strengthening biomedically focused clinical trials), and (4) integrative BSSR (building multi-disciplinary combination approaches for real-world implementation). In revisiting and applying the BSSR Functional Framework, we clarify the importance of BSSR in HIV cure research by drawing attention to such things as: how language and communication affect the meaning of “cure” to people living with HIV (PLHIV) and broader communities; how cure affects the identity and social position of PLHIV; counselling and support interventions to address the psychosocial needs and concerns of study participants related to analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs); risk reduction in the course of ATI study participation; motivation, acceptability, and decision-making processes of potential study participants related to different cure strategies; HIV care providers’ perceptions and attitudes about their patients’ participation in cure research; potential social harms or adverse social events associated with cure research participation; and the scalability of a proven cure strategy in the context of further advances in HIV prevention and treatment. We also discuss the BSSR Functional Framework in the context of ATIs, which involve processes at the confluence of the BSSR domains. Conclusions To move HIV cure regimens through the translational research pathway, attention will need to be paid to both biomedical and socio-behavioural elements. BSSR can contribute an improved understanding of the human and social dimensions related to HIV cure research and the eventual application of HIV cure regimens. The BSSR Functional Framework provides a way to identify advances, gaps and opportunities to craft an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach at all stages of cure research to ensure the real-world applicability of any strategy that shows promise

Lithium-ion battery aging experiments at subzero temperatures and model development for capacity fade estimation

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries widely used in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid EVs (HEVs) are insufficient for vehicle use after they have degraded to 70% to 80% of their original capacity. Battery lifespan is a large consideration when designing battery packs for EVs/HEVs. Aging mechanisms, such as metal dissolution, growth of the passivated surface film layer on the electrodes, and loss of both recyclable lithium ions, affect the longevity of the Li-ion battery at higherature operations. Even vehicle maneuvers at low temperatures (T<0°C)contribute to battery lifetime degradation, owing to the anode electrode vulnerability to other degradation mechanisms such as lithium plating. Nowadays, only a few battery thermal management schemes have properly considered lowerature degradation. This is due to the lack of studies on aging of Li-ion batteries at sub-zero temperature. This paper investigates how load cycle and calendar life properties affect the lifetime and aging processes of Li-ion cells at low temperatures. Accelerated aging tests were used to determine the effect of the ambient temperature on the performance of three 100-Ah LiFeMnP04 Li-ion cells. Two of them were aged through a normalized driving cycle at two temperature tests (-20°C and 25°C). The calendar test was carried out on one single battery at -20 °C and mid-range of state of charge (50%). Their capacities were continuously measured every two or three days. An aging model is developed and added to a preliminary single-cell electrothermal model to establish, in future works, a thermal strategy capable of predicting how the cell ages. This aging model was then validated by comparing its predictions with the aging data obtained from a cycling test at 0 °C. © 1967-2012 IEEE

Variations of crop canopy spectral reflectance measurements under changing sky conditions

The possibility of using reflectance data collected under both cloudy and sunny conditions is studied. Extrenle values of red and far-red reflectances measured directly over bare soil and crop canopies during intermittently cloudy conditions can differ by more than 100 percent and 60 percent, respectively. Eliminating the irradiance variations by using only data collected under sunny conditions reduced such variation to within 1 percent for bare soil and to within 8 percent and 20 percent for crop canopy red and far-red reflectances, respectively. In general, the reflectances measured under cloudy conditions with relatively constant irradiance values are constant and approximately 10 percent larger than the ones measured at similar sun angles during sunny conditions. This result is independent of the species and the spectral regions under study

Field spectrometer to measure percent ground coverage and leaf area index of agriculture crops

Measurement of percent ground cover (PGC) and leaf area index (LAI) are required for crop modelling, yield estimation and for ground truth data in remote sensing studies. An instrument which traverses on a track above a crop and continuously measures the ratio of incident and reflected radiation at various wavelengths was developed and tested. Spectral irradiance and reflectance measurements were made at four wavelengths (647.8, 675.5, 739.9, 790.4 nm) at eight stages of growth of wheat and barley for three crop densities. Data provided information on the relations between spectral properties at selected wavelength and leaf area expansion at different growth stages. The spectral data were highly correlated with leaf area index measurements

Perceptions of HIV Virologic Control Strategies among Younger and Older Age Groups of People Living with HIV in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Two HIV virologic control advances are in various stages of development, including long-acting antiretroviral therapy (ART) formulations and strategies aimed at sustained ART-free HIV control. Perceptions of risks and benefits toward HIV virologic control strategies may be different based on an individual's age due to differing experiences of the impacts of the domestic HIV epidemic, altruistic attitudes toward research participation, and general levels of engagement in health care. We examined preferences of HIV virologic control strategies by age groups. In 2018, we conducted a nationwide, online cross-sectional survey to examine differences in HIV virologic control strategies among a sample of people living with HIV who were = 50 years of age. From a total of 281 participants, 3 findings were noteworthy: (1) Participants = 50 years; (2) participants >= 50 years of age were more motivated by altruistic notions compared with those = 50 years. Our analysis provides a deeper understanding of differences in perceptions among various age groups regarding desirable future ART characteristics, and motivations and barriers to participating in HIV cure-related strategies. Our findings can help inform community engagement and education, and assist researchers in tailoring study design and recruitment efforts to major age groups

Field spectrometer to measure percent ground coverage and leaf area index of agriculture crops [remote sensing]

Measurement of percent ground cover (PGC) and leaf area index (LAI) are required for crop modelling, yield estimati-on and for ground truth data in remote sensing studies. An instrument which traverses on a track above a crop and continuously measures the ratio of incident and reflected radiation at various wavelengths was developed and tested. Spectral irradiance and reflectance measurements were made at four wavelengths (647.8 , 675.5 , 739.9 , 790.4 nm) at eight stages of growth of wheat and barley for three crop densities. Data provided information on the relations between spectral properties at selected wavelength and leaf area expansion at different growth stages. The spectral data were highly correlated with leaf area index measurements

Variabilité introduite dans des mesures de réflectances spectrales de couverts végétaux agricoles par les facteurs état du ciel et vent

Parmi les facteurs introduisant de la variabilité indésirable dans les mesures de réflectance spectrale prises au-dessus de couverts végétaux, ceux de type radiatif ont été moins étudiés. A l'aide d'expériences isolant certains de ces facteurs et de méthodes empiriques d'analyses, nos résultats montrent que la présence de radiation diffuse non-directionnelle dans la radiation solaire incidente n'introduit pas beaucoup de variabilité indésirable dans les mesures de réflectance spectrale. Ils montrent aussi que la présence de nuages vis-à-vis le disque solaire entraîne généralement une sous-estimation des réflectances mesurées sous ces conditions par rapport aux conditions de ciel serein. Il semble toutefois possible de corriger cette erreur et ainsi d'utiliser indifféremment l'une ou l'autre de ces deux conditions radiatives pour relier les mesures de réflectances spectrales prises au niveau du sol à des paramètres du couvert végétal. Le vent est un autre facteur qui introduit passablement de variabilité indésirable dans ces mesures. Si la structure du couvert, la région spectrale et la vitesse du vent font varier l'importance de ce facteur, il n'en demeure pas moins que ces fluctuations continuelles dans le temps peuvent conduire à mesurer des réflectances qui ne sont pas représentatives de la réflectance réelle du couvert végétal au moment de la mesure. Many factors including the radiative ones introduce indesirable variability in measurements of spectral reflectance. Based upon experimental studies related to one specific factor at a time and a1so on empirica1 method of analysis, our results show that non-directional diffuse radiation from incident solar radiation introduce little indesirable variability in spectral reflectance measurements. They also show that clouds hiding the solar disc 1ead usually to an underestimation of reflectances measured under these conditions compared to those measured under clear sky. However, it seems easy to account for this difference. It then implies that the measurement of the spectral reflectances at the ground level under either one of these radiative conditions will give values which will be possible to relate to plant canopy structure

Experiments of Interfacial Roughening in Hele-Shaw Flows with Weak Quenched Disorder

We have studied the kinetic roughening of an oil--air interface in a forced imbibition experiment in a horizontal Hele--Shaw cell with quenched disorder. Different disorder configurations, characterized by their persistence length in the direction of growth, have been explored by varying the average interface velocity v and the gap spacing b. Through the analysis of the rms width as a function of time, we have measured a growth exponent beta ~= 0.5 that is almost independent of the experimental parameters. The analysis of the roughness exponent alpha through the power spectrum have shown different behaviors at short (alpha_1) and long (alpha_2) length scales, separated by a crossover wavenumber q_c. The values of the measured roughness exponents depend on experimental parameters, but at large velocities we obtain alpha_1 ~= 1.3 independently of the disorder configuration. The dependence of the crossover wavenumber with the experimental parameters has also been investigated, measuring q_c ~ v^{0.47} for the shortest persistence length, in agreement with theoretical predictions.Comment: 20 pages, 22 figure

Heterogeneous Bond Percolation on Multitype Networks with an Application to Epidemic Dynamics

Considerable attention has been paid, in recent years, to the use of networks in modeling complex real-world systems. Among the many dynamical processes involving networks, propagation processes -- in which final state can be obtained by studying the underlying network percolation properties -- have raised formidable interest. In this paper, we present a bond percolation model of multitype networks with an arbitrary joint degree distribution that allows heterogeneity in the edge occupation probability. As previously demonstrated, the multitype approach allows many non-trivial mixing patterns such as assortativity and clustering between nodes. We derive a number of useful statistical properties of multitype networks as well as a general phase transition criterion. We also demonstrate that a number of previous models based on probability generating functions are special cases of the proposed formalism. We further show that the multitype approach, by naturally allowing heterogeneity in the bond occupation probability, overcomes some of the correlation issues encountered by previous models. We illustrate this point in the context of contact network epidemiology.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Minor modifications were made in figures 3, 4 and 5 and in the text. Explanations and references were adde