Loosely coupled web representations: a REST service and JavaScript wrapper for sharing web-based visual representations

This paper presents the design and application of a web service architecture for providing shared access to web-based visual representations, such as dynamic models, simulations and visualizations. The Shared Representations (SR) system was created to facilitate the development of collaborative and co-operative learning activities over the web, and has been applied to provide shared group access to: a high-resolution image viewer, a virtual petrological microscope, and a forces and motion spring simulation. As well as explaining the architecture and three applications, we briefly present the findings from a user study looking at primary school children’s use of a shared spring simulation. The study findings indicate that shared access to a web-based simulation complements exploratory discussion and enables learners to demonstrate their understanding of a subject. Future work will explore how the system can be combined with dialogic support and embedded in activities to encourage learners with contrasting opinions to discuss and resolve their differing perspectives

Stressful Life Events in Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes in the U.S. T1D Exchange Clinic Registry

PurposeThe purpose was to test associations among stressful life events, frequency of missed insulin doses, and glycemic control in young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).DesignThe study was a cross‐sectional descriptive secondary analysis.MethodsData from 2,921 participants (ages 18–26 years) in the U.S. T1D Exchange Clinic Registry were analyzed. Report of a stressful life event was defined as one or more positive responses on a 17‐item stressful life events index and defined as a dichotomous variable (yes or no). Frequency of missed insulin doses was measured using a single self‐report item and collapsed into two levels (fewer than three times a week, three or more times a week). The glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) level recorded at the time of enrollment was used to assess glycemic control.FindingsNearly half (48.6%) of the participants reported having a stressful life event during the previous year. The most frequently reported stressful life events were problems at work or school (16.1%), serious arguments with family members or a close friend (15.2%), and financial problems in the family (13.8%). Compared to the participants not reporting stressful life events, those who reported stressful life events were more likely to be older, female, with a higher educational attainment level, and not working or unemployed. Those who reported a stressful life event were more likely than those who did not to say they typically missed insulin doses at least three times a week and less likely to say they typically missed insulin doses fewer than three times a week (p < .001 adjusted for age, sex, race or ethnicity, educational attainment level, duration of T1D diagnosis, and insulin delivery method). Mean A1c level was higher for the group who reported having a stressful life event in the past 12 months compared to the group who did not (8.7 ± 1.8% vs. 8.2 ± 1.6%; adjusted p < .001). The results of a mediation analysis suggest that the measure of frequency of missed insulin doses may be a mediator of the relationship between recent stressful life events and glycemic control (Sobel test: ab = .841, 95% confidence interval = 0.064–1.618).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that, for young adults with T1D, the experience of stressful life events may increase their risk for poorer glycemic control, possibly by disrupting adherence with insulin doses.Clinical RelevanceFurther exploration of these relationships may allow for the potential for identifying those at risk and assisting them with more positive approaches to managing stressful events.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146646/1/jnu12428.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146646/2/jnu12428_am.pd

A Spanish-language translation for the U.S. of the type 2 diabetes stigma assessment scale (DSAS-2 Spa-US)

Background: Diabetes stigma is recognized to negatively impact health-related outcomes for people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but there is a dearth of evidence among U.S. Latino adults with T2D. Our aim was to develop a Spanish-language translation of the Type 2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale (DSAS-2) and examine its psychometric properties among U.S. Latino adults with T2D.Methods: The translation was developed through a multi-step process, including a focus group with community health workers (n=5) and cognitive debriefing interviews with Latino adults with T2D (n=8). It was field-tested in an online survey of U.S. Latino adults with T2D, recruited via Facebook (October 2018 to June 2019). Exploratory factor analysis examined structural validity. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed by testing hypothesized correlations with measures of general chronic illness stigma, diabetes distress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, loneliness, and self-esteem.Results: Among 817 U.S. Latino adults with T2D who participated in the online survey, 517 completed the Spanish-language DSAS-2 (DSAS Spa-US) and were eligible for the study (mean age 54 ± 10 years, and 72% female). Exploratory factor analysis supported a single-factor solution (eigenvalue=8.20), accounting for 82% of shared variance among the 19 items, all loading ≥ 0.5. Internal consistency reliability was high (α=0.93). As expected, strong, positive correlations were observed between diabetes stigma and general chronic illness stigma (rs=0.65) and diabetes distress (rs=0.57); medium, positive correlations, between diabetes stigma and depressive (rs=0.45) and anxiety (rs=0.43) symptoms, and loneliness (rs=0.41); and a moderate negative correlation between diabetes stigma and self-esteem (rs=-0.50). There was no relationship between diabetes stigma and diabetes duration (rs=0.07, ns).Conclusion: The DSAS-2 Spa-US is a version of the DSAS-2, translated into Spanish, that has good psychometric properties for assessing diabetes stigma in U.S. Latino adults with T2D

Carbon Monitoring System Flux Net Biosphere Exchange 2020 (CMS-Flux NBE 2020)

Here we present a global and regionally resolved terrestrial net biosphere exchange (NBE) dataset with corresponding uncertainties between 2010-2018: Carbon Monitoring System Flux Net Biosphere Exchange 2020 (CMS-Flux NBE 2020). It is estimated using the NASA Carbon Monitoring System Flux (CMS-Flux) top-down flux inversion system that assimilates column CO2 observations from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and NASA\u27s Observing Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2). The regional monthly fluxes are readily accessible as tabular files, and the gridded fluxes are available in NetCDF format. The fluxes and their uncertainties are evaluated by extensively comparing the posterior CO2 mole fractions with CO2 observations from aircraft and the NOAA marine boundary layer reference sites. We describe the characteristics of the dataset as the global total, regional climatological mean, and regional annual fluxes and seasonal cycles. We find that the global total fluxes of the dataset agree with atmospheric CO2 growth observed by the surface-observation network within uncertainty. Averaged between 2010 and 2018, the tropical regions range from close to neutral in tropical South America to a net source in Africa; these contrast with the extra-tropics, which are a net sink of 2.5±0.3 Gt C/year. The regional satellite-constrained NBE estimates provide a unique perspective for understanding the terrestrial biosphere carbon dynamics and monitoring changes in regional contributions to the changes of atmospheric CO2 growth rate. The gridded and regional aggregated dataset can be accessed at http://doi.org/10.25966/4v02-c391 (Liu et al., 2020).

Interpreting seasonal changes in the carbon balance of southern Amazonia using measurements of XCO2 and chlorophyll fluorescence from GOSAT

Amazon forests exert a major influence on the global carbon cycle, but quantifying the impact is complicated by diverse landscapes and sparse data. Here we examine seasonal carbon balance in southern Amazonia using new measurements of column-averaged dry air mole fraction of CO2 (XCO2) and solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) from July 2009 to December 2010. SIF, which reflects gross primary production (GPP), is used to disentangle the photosynthetic component of land-atmosphere carbon exchange. We find that tropical transitional forests in southern Amazonia exhibit a pattern of low XCO2 during the wet season and high XCO2 in the dry season that is robust to retrieval methodology and with seasonal amplitude double that of cerrado ecosystems to the east (4 ppm versus 2 ppm), including enhanced dilution of 2.5 ppm in the wet season. Concomitant measurements of SIF, which are inversely correlated with XCO2 in southern Amazonia (r =0.53, p<0.001), indicate that the enhanced variability is driven by seasonal changes in GPP due to coupling of strong vertical mixing with seasonal changes in underlying carbon exchange. This finding is supported by forward simulations of the Goddard Chemistry Transport Model (GEOS-Chem) which show that local carbon uptake in the wet season and loss in the dry season due to emissions by ecosystem respiration and biomass burning produces best agreement with observed XCO2. We conclude that GOSAT provides critical measurements of carbon exchange in southern Amazonia, but more samples are needed to examine moist Amazon forests farther north. Citation: Parazoo, N. C., et al. (2013), Interpreting seasonal changes in the carbon balance of southern Amazonia using measurements of XCO2 and chlorophyll fluorescence from GOSAT

Histone H3.3 beyond cancer: Germline mutations in Histone 3 Family 3A and 3B cause a previously unidentified neurodegenerative disorder in 46 patients

Although somatic mutations in Histone 3.3 (H3.3) are well-studied drivers of oncogenesis, the role of germline mutations remains unreported. We analyze 46 patients bearing de novo germline mutations in histone 3 family 3A (H3F3A) or H3F3B with progressive neurologic dysfunction and congenital anomalies without malignancies. Molecular modeling of all 37 variants demonstrated clear disruptions in interactions with DNA, other histones, and histone chaperone proteins. Patient histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs) analysis revealed notably aberrant local PTM patterns distinct from the somatic lysine mutations that cause global PTM dysregulation. RNA sequencing on patient cells demonstrated up-regulated gene expression related to mitosis and cell division, and cellular assays confirmed an increased proliferative capacity. A zebrafish model showed craniofacial anomalies and a defect in Foxd3-derived glia. These data suggest that the mechanism of germline mutations are distinct from cancer-associated somatic histone mutations but may converge on control of cell proliferation

Risk perception of developing diabetes among Spanish-speaking foreign-born Latinos

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial demonstrated that lifestyle interventions could reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adults at high-risk. Only a small percentage of adults at high-risk are aware of their T2DM risk status and implementation of lifestyle interventions modeled on the DPP intervention has not been achieved. The aims of the research presented in these three manuscripts address areas of needed action and research to speed up primary prevention efforts recommended by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Diabetes Translation advisory group: the need to effectively communicate T2DM risk, use mobile interactive technologies, and focus on vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by T2DM. The first two manuscripts describe a 2-phase clinical research project in a sample of foreign-born Latino adults living in California and speaking predominately Spanish at home to describe risk perceptions of developing diabetes and associated risk factors. A new Spanish-language adaptation of a published risk perception questionnaire was developed and tested. The results supported validity and reliability of the instrument and validation of inferences in Latino, foreign-born, Spanish-speaking at-risk populations. Of the 135 participants with complete data, 31% had higher risk perceptions of developing diabetes. In univariate logistic regression analyses, 9 of 18 potential variables tested were significant predictors of risk perception of developing diabetes. In the multiple logistic regression model, 5 variables were significant predictors of risk perception: optimistic bias, worry, perceived personal disease risk, educational attainment of high school graduate, and history of gestational diabetes. The results contribute to knowledge of risk perception of developing T2DM in this at-risk population and suggest further need for culturally accessible T2DM primary prevention research. The final manuscript presents the results of a systematic review of DPP modeled T2DM preventive lifestyle interventions delivered via distance learning technologies. The evidence of efficacy is mixed and inconclusive due to heterogeneity of study designs, lack of targeted participant samples, variable intervention components, and inconsistent measures of weight loss outcome. Further, ethnic/racial minority groups were underrepresented in the samples. No trials tested Spanish-language interventions delivered via distance learning technologies and none tested mobile interventions