Atomic Analogy of Poverty

An analogy between the model of an atom and poverty of an individual in a poverty field is presented to construe that poverty levels are quantized in similar notions as in the models of an atom. This analogy provides a rational explanation of the observed phenomena in society in part as well as it can be used to predict future observations. Concepts proposed in this paper may lead to a framework to quantify poverty, absolute or relative, and suggest enhanced collaboration between moral science and natural science to study poverty dynamic

Respiratory symptoms and cross-shift lung function in relation to cotton dust and endotoxin exposure in textile workers in Nepal: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Inhalation of a cotton-based particulates has previously been associated with respiratory symptoms and impaired lung function. This study investigates the respiratory health of Nepalese textile workers in relation to dust and endotoxin exposure. Methods: A total of 938 individuals from four sectors (garment, carpet, weaving and recycling) of the textile industry in Kathmandu, Nepal completed a health questionnaire and performed spirometry. A subset (n=384) performed cross-shift spirometry. Personal exposure to inhalable dust and airborne endotoxin was measured during a full shift for 114 workers. Results: The overall prevalence of persistent cough, persistent phlegm, wheeze ever, breathlessness ever and chest tightness ever was 8.5%, 12.5%, 3.2%, 6.5% and 12.3%, respectively. Symptoms were most common among recyclers and least common among garment workers. Exposure to inhalable dust significantly predicted persistent cough and chest tightness. Exposure to endotoxin did not have any independent predictive effect. Significant cross-shift reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were found (p<0.001 for both) being largest for FEV1 in the recyclers (−143 mL), and least in the garment workers (−38 mL; p=0.012). Exposure to inhalable dust predicted a cross-shift reduction in FEV1. Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate the respiratory health of Nepalese cotton workers. The measured association between inhalable dust exposure and reporting of respiratory symptoms and across-shift decrement in FEV1 and FVC indicates that improved dust control measures should be instituted, particularly in the recycling and carpet sectors. The possible role of other biologically active agents of cotton dust beyond endotoxin should be further explored

Metabolism And The Rise Of Fungus Cultivation By Ants

Most ant colonies are comprised of workers that cooperate to harvest resources and feed developing larvae. Around 50 million years ago (MYA), ants of the attine lineage adopted an alternative strategy, harvesting resources used as compost to produce fungal gardens. While fungus cultivation is considered a major breakthrough in ant evolution, the associated ecological consequences remain poorly understood. Here, we compare the energetics of attine colony-farms and ancestral hunter-gatherer colonies using metabolic scaling principles within a phylogenetic context. We find two major energetic transitions. First, the earliest lower-attine farmers transitioned to lower mass-specific metabolic rates while shifting significant fractions of biomass from ant tissue to fungus gardens. Second, a transition 20 MYA to specialized cultivars in the higher-attine clade was associated with increased colony metabolism (without changes in garden fungal content) and with metabolic scaling nearly identical to hypometry observed in hunter-gatherer ants, although only the hunter-gatherer slope was distinguishable from isometry. Based on these evolutionary transitions, we propose that shifting living-tissue storage from ants to fungal mutualists provided energetic storage advantages contributing to attine diversification and outline critical assumptions that, when tested, will help link metabolism, farming efficiency, and colony fitness.Integrative Biolog

Utilizing simulation and optimization techniques to evaluate different CAR T cell therapy manufacturing paradigms

In an effort to understand major cost drivers and assess processing risk, Juno Therapeutics has developed a plant simulation of its global manufacturing network. With this simulation, Juno can assess the impact various control levers and sources of variability will have on key performance metrics. Juno has the ability to modify various aspects of its manufacturing operations, such as process design, staffing totals, shift schedules, facility configuration, and activity prioritization. Various sources of variability, such as time of patient specific raw material arrival at the plant, treatment rescheduling, and unit operation duration, will need to be mitigated in order to ensure robust manufacturing. In turn, with a representative simulation in place, optimization techniques can be leveraged in an effort to maximize the number of treated patients and revenue, while minimizing cost of goods and product cycle time. This work helps inform feasibility of future manufacturing paradigms and process design. An overview of Juno’s simulation and optimization methodology is presented here. Evaluations and trade-offs of point-of-care vs. centralized manufacturing and workstation vs. flexible facility configurations are presented

Mass growth and mergers: direct observations of the luminosity function of LRG satellite galaxies out to z=0.7 from SDSS and BOSS images

We present a statistical study of the luminosity functions of galaxies surrounding luminous red galaxies (LRGs) at average redshifts =0.34 and =0.65. The luminosity functions are derived by extracting source photometry around more than 40,000 LRGs and subtracting foreground and background contamination using randomly selected control fields. We show that at both studied redshifts the average luminosity functions of the LRGs and their satellite galaxies are poorly fitted by a Schechter function due to a luminosity gap between the centrals and their most luminous satellites. We utilize a two-component fit of a Schechter function plus a log-normal distribution to demonstrate that LRGs are typically brighter than their most luminous satellite by roughly 1.3 magnitudes. This luminosity gap implies that interactions within LRG environments are typically restricted to minor mergers with mass ratios of 1:4 or lower. The luminosity functions further imply that roughly 35% of the mass in the environment is locked in the LRG itself, supporting the idea that mass growth through major mergers within the environment is unlikely. Lastly, we show that the luminosity gap may be at least partially explained by the selection of LRGs as the gap can be reproduced by sparsely sampling a Schechter function. In that case LRGs may represent only a small fraction of central galaxies in similar mass halos.Comment: ApJ accepted versio

Dissemination and implementation science training needs: Insights from practitioners and researchers

INTRODUCTION: Dissemination and implementation research training has great potential to improve the impact and reach of health-related research; however, research training needs from the end user perspective are unknown. This paper identifies and prioritizes dissemination and implementation research training needs. METHODS: A diverse sample of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers was invited to participate in Concept Mapping in 2014–2015. Phase 1 (Brainstorming) gathered participants' responses to the prompt: To improve the impact of research evidence in practice and policy settings, a skill in which researchers need more training is… The resulting statement list was edited and included subsequent phases. Phase 2 (Sorting) asked participants to sort each statement into conceptual piles. In Phase 3 (Rating), participants rated the difficulty and importance of incorporating each statement into a training curriculum. A multidisciplinary team synthesized and interpreted the results in 2015–2016. RESULTS: During Brainstorming, 60 researchers and 60 practitioners/policymakers contributed 274 unique statements. Twenty-nine researchers and 16 practitioners completed sorting and rating. Nine concept clusters were identified: Communicating Research Findings, Improve Practice Partnerships, Make Research More Relevant, Strengthen Communication Skills, Develop Research Methods and Measures, Consider and Enhance Fit, Build Capacity for Research, and Understand Multilevel Context. Though researchers and practitioners had high agreement about importance (r =0.93) and difficulty (r =0.80), ratings differed for several clusters (e.g., Build Capacity for Research). CONCLUSIONS: Including researcher and practitioner perspectives in competency development for dissemination and implementation research identifies skills and capacities needed to conduct and communicate contextualized, meaningful, and relevant research