Putting People at the Center: The Role of Lived Experience in Dismantling Collateral Consequences Caused by Incarceration

These are the slides for the webinar "Putting People at the Center: The Role of Lived Experience in Dismantling Collateral Consequences Caused by Incarceration" held August 1, 2017. The goal of this webinar was to acknowledge that policy and systems change is most authentic and impactful when it surfaces and is driven from lived experience. It also explored the ways in which organizations partner with and learn from people most impacted in their decision making and processes driving policy change in criminal justice reforms related to employment, housing, and other collateral consequences of incarceration.The group of panelists included Marlon Chamberlain with FORCE Organizer at the Community Renewal Society, Glenn E. Martin from JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), Michelle Natividad Rodriguezfrom the National Employment Law Project (NELP), and Quintin Williams with Heartland Alliance

Dynamic telomerase gene suppression via network effects of GSK3 inhibition

<b>Background</b>: Telomerase controls telomere homeostasis and cell immortality and is a promising anti-cancer target, but few small molecule telomerase inhibitors have been developed. Reactivated transcription of the catalytic subunit hTERT in cancer cells controls telomerase expression. Better understanding of upstream pathways is critical for effective anti-telomerase therapeutics and may reveal new targets to inhibit hTERT expression. <b>Methodology/Principal Findings</b>: In a focused promoter screen, several GSK3 inhibitors suppressed hTERT reporter activity. GSK3 inhibition using 6-bromoindirubin-3′-oxime suppressed hTERT expression, telomerase activity and telomere length in several cancer cell lines and growth and hTERT expression in ovarian cancer xenografts. Microarray analysis, network modelling and oligonucleotide binding assays suggested that multiple transcription factors were affected. Extensive remodelling involving Sp1, STAT3, c-Myc, NFκB, and p53 occurred at the endogenous hTERT promoter. RNAi screening of the hTERT promoter revealed multiple kinase genes which affect the hTERT promoter, potentially acting through these factors. Prolonged inhibitor treatments caused dynamic expression both of hTERT and of c-Jun, p53, STAT3, AR and c-Myc. <b>Conclusions/Significance</b>: Our results indicate that GSK3 activates hTERT expression in cancer cells and contributes to telomere length homeostasis. GSK3 inhibition is a clinical strategy for several chronic diseases. These results imply that it may also be useful in cancer therapy. However, the complex network effects we show here have implications for either setting

LEARNING WITH THE LINGUA FRANCA VS LEARNING WITH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Learning is believed to be easier and faster if it takes place in the native language of the learner.  However, the difficulty may be only for a short initial period. Through teacher guidance and the use of appropriate instructional  materials and activities, the children’s minds can come to understand meanings and absorb concepts thus the initial difficulty of learning in a foreign language can be overcome. This is the thesis of this paper

The genetic audiogenic seizure hamster from Salamanca: The GASH:Sal

Producción CientíficaGASH:Sal hamster strain and the control Syrian hamsters. The GASH:Sal constitutes an experimental model of reflex epilepsy of audiogenic origin derived from an autosomal recessive disorder. Thus, the GASH:Sal exhibits generalized tonic–clonic seizures, characterized by a short latency period after auditory stimulation, followed by wild running, a convulsive phase, and finally stupor, with origin in the brainstem. The seizure profile of the GASH:Sal is similar to those exhibited by other models of inherited AGS susceptibility, which decreases after six months of age, but the proneness across generations is maintained. The GASH:Sal can be considered a reliable model of audiogenic seizures, suitable to investigate current antiepileptic pharmaceutical treatments as well as novel therapeutic drugs

Influence of environmental factors on the reproductive cycle of the eared ark Anadara notabilis (Röding, 1798) in Northeastern Venezuela

5 figuras, 2 tablasThe reproductive cycle of the eared ark Anadara notabilis and its relationship with environmental factors was evaluated every 15 days between March 2004 and February 2005 at the northern part of the Peninsula de Araya, Venezuela. Environmental factors measured included temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, and total seston, including the particulate organic matter and particulate inorganic matter fractions. Adult specimens were collected using a net drag and then randomly selected to estimate wet live biomass and dry biomass of soft body tissues. Gonad samples were processed with histological analysis to determine sex ratio, developmental stages, and variations of follicle size. Reproduction in A. notabilis was continuous throughout the year, with spawning peaks occurring in June and October, coinciding with the lowest water temperatures. In March, September, and November 2004, specimens attained the highest dry biomass values, whereas lowest dry biomass occurred in June and October 2004. Stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that temperature and particulate organic matter values are the main modulators of reproductive events. When temperature decreased, dribble spawning was detected in this species, possibly inducing a survival strategy whereby the spawning period is extended to increase reproductive successPeer reviewe

Transplant of Tissue-Engineered Artificial Autologous Human Skin in Andalusia: An Example of Coordination and Institutional Collaboration

A new model of tissue-engineered artificial autologous human skin developed in Andalusia is currently being transplanted into patients suffering from large burns within the Andalusian Public Healthcare System. This product is considered an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) in Europe, and its clinical use implies meeting transplant and medicinal product legal requirements, being the Guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practice for ATMPs of particular importance. The preclinical research and clinical translation of the product have represented a technical, regulatory, and organizational challenge, which has taken 10 years since the first preclinical experiments were designed. Twelve patients with large burns, including 3 pediatric patients, have hitherto received artificial autologous skin grafts with an overall survival rate of 75% and positive clinical, homeostatic, and histologic results. Achieving such a milestone within our Healthcare System was possible through a multidisciplinary approach and the joint efforts of multiple publicly funded institutions and units under the coordination of the Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies. In this article, we present the organizational model set up to facilitate collaboration and logistics among the professionals involved, totaling more than 80 people. The similarities between the tissue-engineered artificial autologous human skin transplant and other organ and tissue transplants, in terms of logistic requirements, reveal how regional and hospital transplant coordination have played a crucial role

CFD Modelling of Coupled Multiphysics-Multiscale Engineering Cases

Many of the engineering problems have multiphysics and multiscale nature. Non-isothermal flows, stirred reactors, turbulent mixing and membrane filtration, are prevalent cases in which the coupling of several physics phenomena is required for the adequate prediction of overall behaviors. Also, a multiscale analysis, where the same phenomenon is analyzed at different scales, can lead to better understanding of the phenomena, which can be used in optimization and to provide adequate scale-up methodologies. Studies incorporating both multiscale and multiphysics analysis are rarely addressed in literature; in fact, these kinds of problems will be the research challenge in the next years. Computer fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques have shown to be promising to deal with these kinds of systems. In this chapter, these are used to implement a multiscale analysis of the hydrodesulphurization (HDS) process for light gas-oil (LGO). The aforementioned is carried out by the analysis of mass an energy transport at: (1) microporous (MP) scale, (2) pseudo-homogeneous catalyst (PHC) scale, and by analysis of (3) momentum and mass transport at reactor scale (RS). In addition, a particular discussion is made regarding the proper establishment of the model, its validation, the use of different boundary conditions, its justification; and the dependence of solutions of parameters and initial and boundary conditions

Intradermal and virosomal influenza vaccines for preventing influenza hospitalization in the elderly during the 2011–2012 influenza season: A comparative effectiveness study using the Valencia health care information system

AbstractBackgroundThe use of intradermal vaccination or virosomal vaccines could increase protection against influenza among the vulnerable population of older adults. Studies assessing the comparative effectiveness of these two influenza vaccine types in this age group are lacking.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study to estimate the comparative effectiveness of intradermal seasonal trivalent-influenza vaccine (TIV) delivered by a microneedle injection system and a virosomal-TIV intramuscularly delivered for prevention of influenza hospitalization in non-institutionalized adults aged ≥65 years. We obtained administrative data on immunization status and influenza hospitalization for the 2011–2012 influenza season, and used Cox regression models to assess comparative effectiveness. We estimated crude and adjusted (age, sex, comorbidity, pharmaceutical claims, recent pneumococcal vaccination and number of hospitalizations for all causes other than influenza between the previous and current influenza seasons) hazard ratios (HR).ResultsOverall, 164,021 vaccinated subjects were evaluated. There were 127 hospitalizations for influenza among 62,058 subjects, contributing 914,740 person-weeks at risk in the virosomal-TIV group, and 133 hospitalizations for influenza among 101,963 subjects, contributing 1,504,570 person-weeks at risk in the intradermal-TIV group. The crude HR of intradermal-TIV relative to virosomal-TIV was 0.64 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50–0.81), and the adjusted Cox estimated HR was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.52–0.85).ConclusionsDuring the 2011–2012 influenza season the risk of hospitalization for influenza was reduced by 33% in non-institutionalized elderly adults who were vaccinated with intradermal-TIV compared with virosomal-TIV

The response of pre-osteoblasts and osteoclasts to gallium containing mesoporous bioactive glasses.

Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) in the system SiO2-CaO-P2O5-Ga2O3 have been synthesized by the evaporation induced self-assembly method and subsequent impregnation with Ga cations. Two different compositions have been prepared and the local environment of Ga(III) has been characterized using 29Si, 71Ga and 31P NMR analysis, demonstrating that Ga(III) is efficiently incorporated as both, network former (GaO4 units) and network modifier (GaO6 units). In vitro bioactivity tests evidenced that Ga-containing MBGs retain their capability for nucleation and growth of an apatite-like layer in contact with a simulated body fluid with ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human blood plasma. Finally, in vitro cell culture tests evidenced that Ga incorporation results in a selective effect on osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Indeed, the presence of this element enhances the early differentiation towards osteoblast phenotype while disturbing osteoclastogenesis. Considering these results, Ga-doped MBGs might be proposed as bone substitutes, especially in osteoporosis scenarios

CFD Analysis of BED Textural Characteristics on TBR Behavior: Hydrodynamics and Scaling-up

In recent years, CFD has played an important role in the understanding and design of TBR’s. In this work, through CFD with Eulerian approach, a three-phase heterogeneous reactor model was developed, were the accuracy of Interfacial Momentum Exchange Model (IMEM) for the gas-solid interaction, the effect of a more detailed catalytic bed geometry description, and the pellet shape over TBR hydrodynamics of two fluid phases interacting with the solid phase was studied. Then, a second model was developed, where the validated hy- drodynamic model was coupled with mass transport for an HDS process of light gasoil. Additionally, in order to insight into the scaling up process of a TBRs, the proposed columns behaviors were compared against lit- erature columns using four different ways, and it was found that the best predictions were obtained when the models’ holdup were equaled to those evaluated in literature columns. Since in reliable literature deviations in pressure drop predictions of around 30% can be found, the model results show significant improvement against literature, achieving 5 times better accuracy in predicting pressure drops, and 50% improvement in holdup prediction; the coupled model reproduces the same conversion values compared with literature data, and predicts conversions with 95% accurac