Virus Sharing, Genetic Sequencing, and Global Health Security

The WHO’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework was a milestone global agreement designed to promote the international sharing of biological samples to develop vaccines, while that ensuring poorer countries would have access to those vaccines. Since the PIP Framework was negotiated, scientists have developed the capacity to use genetic sequencing data (GSD) to develop synthetic viruses rapidly for product development of life-saving technologies in a time-sensitive global emergency—threatening to unravel the Framework. Access to GSD may also have major implications for biosecurity, biosafety, and intellectual property (IP). By rendering the physical transfer of viruses antiquated, GSD may also undermine the effectiveness of the PIP Framework itself, with disproportionate impacts on poorer countries. We examine the changes that need to be made to the PIP Framework to address the growing likelihood that GSD might be shared instead of physical virus samples. We also propose that the international community harness this opportunity to expand the scope of the PIP Framework beyond only influenza viruses with pandemic potential. In light of non-influenza pandemic threats such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Ebola, we call for an international agreement on the sharing of the benefits of research – such as vaccines and treatments – for other infectious diseases to ensure not only a more secure and healthy world, but also a more just world, for humanity

BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education) Camp for Young Women

This poster will describe the development and implementation of an annual two-week residential summer science enrichment program for 24 rising female juniors and seniors from Bridgeport, CT, a community comprised of many health disparity populations traditionally underrepresented in science. The program, entitled BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education), has an overall goal to excite and inform students from local health disparity populations about the process and promise of science in an effort to increase interest in the pursuit of STEM and health careers after college. The program includes three key components. The first component is the Research Immersion Experience, a weeklong scientific research experience that engages students in faculty-led research projects. The second component of the camp is the Science and Health Careers Exploration that exposes students to various careers in science, technology, and health sciences and the academic paths required to get there. The final component of the program is the College Admissions Counseling in which the Fairfield University Office of Undergraduate Admissions educates the students about the process and requirements for admission to college, informs students about financial aid opportunities, and engages students in mock interviews and essay writing. We will present pre- and post-camp participant, and post-camp counselor, and faculty survey results from 2012. Camper feedback is overwhelmingly positive, and the program appears to be meeting its goals to excite and inform students from health disparity populations about science and to inspire them to pursue scientific careers

BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education): A Research and Mentoring Focused Summer STEM Camp Serving Underrepresented High School Girls

BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education) Camp is a hands-on two-week residential summer science experience on the Fairfield University campus, in Fairfield CT, USA. The annual program targets 24 young women who attend high school in our neighboring city of Bridgeport, CT, the most economically depressed city in CT. The camp, which is free to students, includes three components. The first is the week-long Research Immersion Experience, which engages students in faculty-mentored science research projects assisted by current undergraduate STEM majors. The second component is Career Exploration, which allows students to explore a variety of careers in science, technology, and healthcare, as well as the academic paths required to get there. The third component is College Admissions Counseling, which links campers with Fairfield University’s undergraduate admissions staff for mentoring on the college application process. This program is particularly unique in that it rests entirely on a female staff, engaging Fairfield University’s women STEM faculty and undergraduate STEM majors. BASE Camp was founded and developed through funding from several organizations, and is currently supported by a five-year R25 grant from the NIMHD (National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities), National Institutes of Health. After four years in this format, the program has engaged close to 100 young women. Data collected show nearly 100% camper satisfaction with the program. In addition, we found the camp increased camper perception of their science knowledge and confidence, as well as understanding of skills required to succeed in careers in science and health. Finally, in a follow-up survey we found that 95% have applied to, or plan to apply to, college, and 87% are interested in pursuing a STEM or health-related career. The close mentorship of these young women by female role models at the faculty and undergraduate levels has greatly contributed to the success and efficacy of this experience. We hope our program can be used as a model for others to create programming in an effort to promote and support underrepresented women in the pursuit of STEM careers

High prevalence of scrapie in a dairy goat herd: tissue distribution of disease-associated PrP and effect of PRNP genotype and age

Following a severe outbreak of clinical scrapie in 2006–2007, a large dairy goat herd was culled and 200 animals were selected for post-mortem examinations in order to ascertain the prevalence of infection, the effect of age, breed and PRNP genotype on the susceptibility to scrapie, the tissue distribution of diseaseassociated PrP (PrP$^{\rm d}$), and the comparative efficiency of different diagnostic methods. As determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations with Bar224 PrP antibody, the prevalence of preclinical infection was very high (72/200; 36.0%), with most infected animals being positive for PrP$^{\rm d}$ in lymphoreticular system (LRS) tissues (68/72; 94.4%) compared to those that were positive in brain samples (38/72; 52.8%). The retropharyngeal lymph node and the palatine tonsil showed the highest frequency of PrP$^{\rm d}$ accumulation (87.3% and 84.5%, respectively), while the recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) was positive in only 30 (41.7%) of the infected goats. However, the efficiency of rectal and palatine tonsil biopsies taken shortly before necropsy was similar. The probability of brain and RAMALT being positive directly correlated with the spread of PrP$^{\rm d}$ within the LRS. The prevalence of infection was influenced by PRNP genetics at codon 142 and by the age of the goats: methionine carriers older than 60 months showed a much lower prevalence of infection (12/78; 15.4%) than those younger than 60 months (20/42; 47.6%); these last showed prevalence values similar to isoleucine homozygotes of any age (40/80; 50.0%). Two of seven goats with definite signs of scrapie were negative for PrP$^{\rm d}$ in brain but positive in LRS tissues, and one goat showed biochemical and IHC features of PrP$^{\rm d}$ different from all other infected goats. The results of this study have implications for surveillance and control policies for scrapie in goats

Cost efficient narrow linewidth laser transmitter for coherent detection

Authors present a cost efficient narrow linewidth laser transmitter for future coherent detection systems. The spectral purity of the laser allows the phase modulation of data signals at bit rates as low as 155 Mb/s

Autonomous Light Management in Flexible Photoelectrochromic Films Integrating High Performance Silicon Solar Microcells

Commercial smart window technologies for dynamic light and heat management in building and automotive environments traditionally rely on electrochromic (EC) materials powered by an external source. This design complicates building-scale installation requirements and substantially increases costs for applications in retrofit construction. Self-powered photoelectrochromic (PEC) windows are an intuitive alternative wherein a photovoltaic (PV) material is used to power the electrochromic device, which modulates the transmission of the incident solar flux. The PV component in this application must be sufficiently transparent and produce enough power to efficiently modulate the EC device transmission. Here, we propose Si solar microcells (μ-cells) that are i) small enough to be visually transparent to the eye, and ii) thin enough to enable flexible PEC devices. Visual transparency is achieved when Si μ-cells are arranged in high pitch (i.e. low-integration density) form factors while maintaining the advantages of a single-crystalline PV material (i.e., long lifetime and high performance). Additionally, the thin dimensions of these Si μ-cells enable fabrication on flexible substrates to realize these flexible PEC devices. The current work demonstrates this concept using WO₃ as the EC material and V₂O₅ as the ion storage layer, where each component is fabricated via sol-gel methods that afford improved prospects for scalability and tunability in comparison to thermal evaporation methods. The EC devices display fast switching times, as low as 8 seconds, with a modulation in transmission as high as 33%. Integration with two Si μ-cells in series (affording a 1.12 V output) demonstrates an integrated PEC module design with switching times of less than 3 minutes, and a modulation in transmission of 32% with an unprecedented EC:PV areal ratio

Thermoelectric Properties of Intermetallic Semiconducting RuIn3 and Metallic IrIn3

Low temperature (<400 K) thermoelectric properties of semiconducting RuIn3 and metallic IrIn3 are reported. RuIn3 is a narrow band gap semiconductor with a large n-type Seebeck coefficient at room temperature (S(290K)~400 {\mu}V/K), but the thermoelectric Figure of merit (ZT(290K) = 0.007) is small because of high electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity ({\kappa}(290 K) ~ 2.0 W/m K). IrIn3 is a metal with low thermopower at room temperature (S(290K)~20 {\mu}V/K) . Iridium substitution on the ruthenium site has a dramatic effect on transport properties, which leads to a large improvement in the power factor and corresponding Figure of merit (ZT(380 K) = 0.053), improving the efficiency of the material by an over of magnitude.Comment: Submitted to JA

The shape of equality: discourses around the Section 28 repeal in Scotland

This article focuses on conceptualizations of equality in the discourses deployed in the campaign to repeal Section 28 in Scotland. I use the parliamentary debates and two newspapers: the Daily Record, which supported the campaign to Keep the Clause, and The Guardian, which supported repeal, to exemplify the different discursive articulations around equality and citizenship. I suggest that the Scottish example provides further evidence of the ways in which liberalism naturalizes heterosexuality as the standard for citizenship and thus bequeaths a hierarchy of 'equality' and citizenship in the realm of sexuality, wherein lesbian and gay citizenship is either rendered invalid or characterized as 'special rights'. However, within the narrow confines of the parliamentary debates, more expansive and differentiated notions of citizenship and equality are evident. Whilst I conclude that the 'shape' of equality achieved through the repeal has been moulded to support institutionalized heterosexuality - with Section 28 replaced by statutory guidelines on sex education which advocate marriage - I also suggest equality is contested, both through the recognition of transformations in heterosexual family forms and the appeal to non-discrimination as a democratic principle. It is possible, therefore, that current destabilizations of the heterosexual social order simultaneously destabilize the precepts of liberal democracy