Ethics, effectiveness and population health information interventions: a Canadian analysis

Population health information interventions (PHIIs) use information in efforts to promote health. PHIIs may push information to a target audience (communication), pull information from the public (surveillance), or combine both in a bidirectional intervention. Although PHIIs have often been framed as non-invasive and ethically innocuous, in reality they may be intrusive into people’s lives, affecting not only their health but their senses of security, respect, and self-determination. Ethical acceptability of PHIIs may have impacts on intervention effectiveness, potentially giving rise to unintended consequences. This article examines push, pull, and bidirectional PHIIs using empirical data from an ethnographic study of young mothers in Greater Vancouver, Canada. Data were collected from October 2013 to December 2014 via naturalistic observation and individual interviews with 37 young mothers ages 16-22. Transcribed interviews and field notes were analyzed using inductive qualitative thematic analysis. Both push and pull interventions were experienced as non-neutral by the target population, and implementation factors on a structural and individual scale affected intervention ethics and effectiveness. Based on our findings, we suggest that careful ethical consideration be applied to use of PHIIs as health promotion tools. Advancing the ‘ethics of PHIIs’ will benefit from empirical data that is informed by information and computer science theory and methods. Information technologies, digital health promotion services, and integrated surveillance programs reflect important areas for investigation in terms of their effects and ethics. Health promotion researchers, practitioners, and ethicists should explore these across contexts and populations

Diet, Physical Activity, Weight Status, and Culture in a Sample of Children from the Developing World

Objective. Barbados, a small developing state at the end of the nutrition transition, faces an obesity epidemic. Although there is hope of stemming the epidemic in childhood, no descriptions of children's dietary and physical activity (PA) patterns are available for planning purposes. We describe the food and activity preferences and adult encouragement of active and sedentary behaviors for children 9–11 years in relation to weight status and the cultural context. Design. We used data from a pilot study preceding a large-scale ongoing study on the local drivers of the obesity epidemic among preadolescent children. PA, sedentary activity, and dietary intakes were assessed from recalls. Weight and height were measured. Setting. Barbados. Subjects. Sixty-two (62), 9–11-year-old school children. Results. Sugar-sweetened beverages provided 21% of energy consumed. Energy intake significantly explained BMI. Parents selected significantly more of children’s sedentary activities and encouraged mostly homework and chores (59%). Children’s self-selected school-based activity was significantly related to BMI. Conclusions. Childhood obesity prevention recommendations and research should focus on culture-specific practices that promote acquired taste for excess sugar and parent-child interactions regarding PA. Child influenced by school-based activity intervention may an important area for preventive intervention research

Janus kinase mutations in mice lacking PU.1 and Spi-B drive B cell leukemia through reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage

Precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is caused by genetic lesions in developing B cells that function as drivers for the accumulation of additional mutations in an evolutionary selection process. We investigated secondary drivers of leukemogenesis in a mouse model of B-ALL driven by PU.1/Spi-B deletion (Mb1-CreΔPB). Whole-exome-sequencing analysis revealed recurrent mutations in Jak3 (encoding Janus kinase 3), Jak1, and Ikzf3 (encoding Aiolos). Mutations with a high variant-allele frequency (VAF) were dominated by C¡T transition mutations that were compatible with activation-induced cytidine deaminase, whereas the majority of mutations, with a low VAF, were dominated by C¡A transversions associated with 8-oxoguanine DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor ruxolitinib delayed leukemia onset, reduced ROS and ROS-induced gene expression signatures, and altered ROS-induced mutational signatures. These results reveal that JAK mutations can alter the course of leukemia clonal evolution through ROS-induced DNA damage

Nonviral Approaches for Neuronal Delivery of Nucleic Acids

The delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to neurons has the potential to treat neurological disease and spinal cord injury. While select viral vectors have shown promise as gene carriers to neurons, their potential as therapeutic agents is limited by their toxicity and immunogenicity, their broad tropism, and the cost of large-scale formulation. Nonviral vectors are an attractive alternative in that they offer improved safety profiles compared to viruses, are less expensive to produce, and can be targeted to specific neuronal subpopulations. However, most nonviral vectors suffer from significantly lower transfection efficiencies than neurotropic viruses, severely limiting their utility in neuron-targeted delivery applications. To realize the potential of nonviral delivery technology in neurons, vectors must be designed to overcome a series of extra- and intracellular barriers. In this article, we describe the challenges preventing successful nonviral delivery of nucleic acids to neurons and review strategies aimed at overcoming these challenges

Natural gas production problems : solutions, methodologies, and modeling.

Natural gas is a clean fuel that will be the most important domestic energy resource for the first half the 21st centtuy. Ensuring a stable supply is essential for our national energy security. The research we have undertaken will maximize the extractable volume of gas while minimizing the environmental impact of surface disturbances associated with drilling and production. This report describes a methodology for comprehensive evaluation and modeling of the total gas system within a basin focusing on problematic horizontal fluid flow variability. This has been accomplished through extensive use of geophysical, core (rock sample) and outcrop data to interpret and predict directional flow and production trends. Side benefits include reduced environmental impact of drilling due to reduced number of required wells for resource extraction. These results have been accomplished through a cooperative and integrated systems approach involving industry, government, academia and a multi-organizational team within Sandia National Laboratories. Industry has provided essential in-kind support to this project in the forms of extensive core data, production data, maps, seismic data, production analyses, engineering studies, plus equipment and staff for obtaining geophysical data. This approach provides innovative ideas and technologies to bring new resources to market and to reduce the overall environmental impact of drilling. More importantly, the products of this research are not be location specific but can be extended to other areas of gas production throughout the Rocky Mountain area. Thus this project is designed to solve problems associated with natural gas production at developing sites, or at old sites under redevelopment

Laser vaporization generation of the diatomic radicals PdB, \u3csup\u3e105\u3c/sup\u3ePdB, PdAl, and\u3csup\u3e105\u3c/sup\u3ePdAl: Electron spin resonance investigation in neon matrices at 4 K

The new diatomic radicals PdB and PdAl have been generated by depositing the products produced from the pulsed laservaporization of the elemental mixtures into neon matrices at 4 K. ESR(electron spin resonance) studies of these matrix isolated radicals, including an analysis of the 105Pd(I=5/2), 27Al(I=5/2), and 11B(I=3/2) nuclear hyperfineinteractions, show that both have X-€‰ 2Σ electronic ground states. These new results are compared with previous ESR measurements for PdH, PdCH3, YPd, ScPd, and PdH2 + to reveal electronic structure information and bonding trends as the complexity of the ligand increases 1s, 2p, 3p, 3d, and 4d. Ab initio UHF (unrestricted Hartree-Fock) theoretical calculations were also conducted on four of these small palladium radicals as part of this experimental investigation. A simple interpretation of the 105Pd hyperfineinteractions and molecular g tensors based on the degree of charge transfer to palladium is presented. The observed magnetic parameters (MHz) for 105Pd11B in a neon matrix at 4 K are g -ˆ¥=2.009(2), g -Š¥=2.042(2), A -ˆ¥=-ˆ’1483(15), and A -Š¥=-ˆ’1483(2) for 105Pd, and A -ˆ¥=197(4) and A -Š¥=140(1) for 11B. The parameters for 105Pd27Al are g -ˆ¥=2.010(1), g -Š¥=2.0343(5), A -ˆ¥=-ˆ’1283(10) and A -Š¥=-ˆ’1268(2) for 105Pd, and A -ˆ¥=182(2) and A -Š¥=84.6(5) for 27Al

Electron spin resonance rare gas matrix studies of \u3csup\u3e12\u3c/sup\u3eCO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e-\u3c/sup\u3e,\u3csup\u3e13\u3c/sup\u3eCO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e\u3csup\u3e-\u3c/sup\u3e, and C\u3csup\u3e17\u3c/sup\u3eO\u3csup\u3e-\u3c/sup\u3e\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e: Comparison with \u3cem\u3eab initio\u3c/em\u3e calculations

The 12C16O2-, 13C16O2-, 12C17O2-, and 12C16,17O2- radical anions have been generated by four independent methods and isolated in neon and argon matrices for detailed ESR(electron spin resonance) investigations. Included with these experimental measurements for the various magnetic parameters of CO-2 are high level ab initio calculations (MR SD-CI and others) of the 13C and 17O hyperfine A tensors. Some of the calculations included the effects of a 42-atom on cage on the electronic structure of CO-2. Previous ESR studies of CO-2 have been conducted in more perturbing environments, such as ionic crystals, where the close proximity of the counter cation can alter the anion\u27s properties. A comparison of the earlier measurements in more interactive materials with these theoretical and rare gas matrix results reveals a significantly different distribution of the spin density. The neon magnetic parameters (MHz) for CO-2 are gx =2.0018, gy=1.9964, gz =2.0010; for 13C, Ax =320.4, Ay =296.1, Az =394.5; for 17O, Ax =-81.6, Ay =-74.9 and Az =-151.8. The argon results are similar to these neon values; isotropic spectra in argon were also observed at elevated temperatures that yielded giso and Aiso parameters consistent with the low temperature (4 K) anisotropic spectra

Advancing population and public health ethics regarding HIV testing : a scoping review

Recently, scholars have called for more robust population and public health ethical frameworks to inform how the health of populations and individuals ought to be improved through various approaches to HIV testing practices. Our objective is to examine the breadth, range and foci of a variety of ethical issues pertaining to HIV testing approaches within the peer-reviewed literature, and how these issues address population and/or individual interests. We identify potential tensions between individual and collective approaches as well as other concerns, including equity, justice and distribution of health and risk – hallmarks of the emergent field of population and public health ethics. Based on our review, we suggest that additional theoretical work and empirical research are required in order to inform more ethically robust debates related to population HIV testing practices. Specifically problematic were consequentialist arguments that deem testing approaches as either morally permissible or impermissible without sufficient robust empirical and/or theoretical underpinnings and about how a particular approach would unfold among individuals and populations. The current review underscores the need to continue to articulate an evidence- and theory- informed population and public health ethics pertaining to HIV testing.Population and Public Health (SPPH), School ofOther UBCMedicine, Faculty ofReviewedFacult

Electron spin resonance investigation of Sc\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e in neon matrices and assignment of its ground electronic state as \u3cem\u3eX\u3c/em\u3e\u3csup\u3e4\u3c/sup\u3eΣ\u3csup\u3e-\u3c/sup\u3e. Comparison with theoretical calculations

The discandium radical cation, Sc+ 2, has been isolated in neon matrices at 4 K and studied by electron spin resonance(ESR)spectroscopy and theoretical methods. It was produced by the x-€irradiation of neon matrix samples containing neutral Sc2 which was formed by trapping the products generated from the pulsed laservaporization of scandiummetal. The experimental and theoretical findings indicate that Sc+ 2 has a 4Σ-ˆ’ g electronic ground state compared to an X-€‰ 5Σ-ˆ’ u state for the neutral discandium radical. The large decrease in the 45Sc hyperfineinteraction (Atensor) going from Sc2 to Sc+ 2 provides direct experimental information concerning the types of valence molecular orbitals that are involved in these diatomic radicals. The neon matrix magnetic parameters for 45Sc+ 2 are g -ˆ¥-‰Š2.00, g -Š¥=1.960(1), -€-A -ˆ¥-€-=28(6), and -€-A -Š¥-€-=26.1(3) MHz; the D value (zero field splitting) was 15-€‰381(3) MHz. Ab initio configuration interaction (CI) calculations of the nuclear hyperfineinteractions yielded results in reasonable agreement with the experimental observations