Freed Faces, Our Past Americans: Collaborations to Create, Digitize and Describe the “Former Slaves in Freedom” Collection

The Chicago State University (CSU) Archives collaborated with the International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry (ISDSA), a Chicago-based lineage society, to digitize, describe, and make accessible online a collection of 359 private historic photographs of formerly enslaved African Americans, and 90+ brief family histories, submitted by descendants. This case study describes the benefits, processes, and challenges of this unique, unfinished collaborative project. The study also describes: 1. Creative, flexible approaches to collaborative digital projects by an academic institution and a community organization; 2. Balancing cataloging/metadata standards while respecting a curator’s goals for the collection

Animal Farm, Baby Boom and Crackberry Addicts

[Excerpt] In this chapter, we draw from both popular media and research support, along with anecdotal examples drawn from conversations accumulated as part of our own prior studies. Our goal is to present reminders that working hours are a personal life choice, even with external demands, but a choice that is influenced by elements of the individual’s working situation. The implications of a choice for long working hours are shown through use of two past “hard working” icons from popular media, one from the 1940s and one from the 1980s. Discussion continues into current time with an overview highlighting advances in technology that provide expanded work opportunities but, also, exacerbate tendencies toward work addiction

Shared voices, different worlds: Process and product in the Food Dignity action research project

Diversity of perspective makes for greater depth when painting a portrait of community life. But embracing the idea of representing true diversity in a formal research project is a whole lot easier than putting it into practice. The three dozen members of the Food Dignity action research team, now entering the fourth year of a five-year project, are intimately familiar with this challenge. In this article, four of the collaborators explore the intricacies of navigating what it means to bring together a genuine cross-section of community-based activists and academics in an effort to draw on one another’s professional and personal strengths to collect and disseminate research findings that represent the truth of a community’s experiences, and are ultimately disseminated in a way that brings tangible benefit to the heart and soul of that community. The authors include Food Dignity’s principal investigator (Porter) and three community organisers (Marshall, Herrera and Woodsum) in organisations that have partnered with Food Dignity. Two of the organisers (Herrera and Woodsum) also serve project-wide roles. These collaborators share their personal and professional hopes, struggles, concerns, successes and failures as participants in this cutting-edge effort to equalise community and university partnerships in research. Keywords: community-based participatory research (CBPR), food justice, equitable community-campus partnerships, food sovereignty, case study, action researc

Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Prime Time Sister Circles (PTSC) Program\u27s Impact on Hypertension among Midlife African American Women

Background The Prime-Time Sister Circles® (PTSC) program is a multifaceted, community-based peer support intervention targeting African American women who are 40 to 75 years of age. It aims to reduce hypertension disparities observed among African American women by promoting adherence to antihypertensive therapies, including lifestyle modification and therapeutic regimens. Methods The PTSC randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the PTSC Program on improved blood pressure control, healthcare utilization attributed to cardiovascular events, and healthcare costs. The study began in 2016 and will end in 2022. African American women who are 40–75 years old, have been diagnosed with hypertension, reside in Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, Maryland, and receive their care from Unity Health Care, a federally qualified health center in Washington, D.C., or Baltimore Medical System, a federally qualified health center in Baltimore, Maryland, are eligible to participate. Those randomized to the intervention group participate in the PTSC Program, which spans 13 weeks and comprises facilitator-led discussions, didactic training about hypertension management, and peer-based problem-solving concerning CVD risk factors and their amelioration. Blood pressure, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, self-reported adherence, physical activity, dietary practices, stress, and healthcare utilization data are collected at baseline, 13 weeks (end of the intervention), 9 months (months post-intervention), and 15 months (one year after the intervention). Healthcare costs will be computed at the end of the study. The study’s design is reported in the present manuscript, wherein we employed the SPIRIT checklist to guide its construction. Discussion Disparities in hypertension prevalence and management observed among mid-life African American women exist as a result of a confluence of structural determinants of health. Consequently, there is a need to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally appropriate and relevant interventions that are tailored to their lived experiences. The PTSC Trial aims to assess the impact of the program on participants’ cardiovascular, psychosocial, and cost outcomes. Its results have implications for advancing the science of designing and implementing culturally relevant interventions for African American women. Trial registration Unique identifier: NCT04371614. Retrospectively registered on April 30, 2020

Detecting abnormal and collusive bids in capped tendering

Recent developments in the area of Bid Tender Forecasting have enabled bidders to implement new types of easy-to-use tools for increasing their chances of winning contracts. Although these new tools (such as iso-Score Curve Graphs, Scoring Probability Graphs, and Position Probability Graphs) are designed for bidders in capped tendering (tenders with an upper price limit), some of their principles can also be applied by a Contracting Authority to detect which bidders do not follow a standard pattern, that is, their bids are extremely high or low. Since a collusive bid generally needs to be sufficiently high or low to make an impact on the bid distribution, any person in charge of supervising capped tenders can be alerted to any bidder that might be involved in a cartel after identifying the same abnormal behavior in a series of tenders through simple calculations and a new type of graph

A systematic review of the impacts of climate variability and change on electricity systems in Europe

Understanding the impacts of climate variability and change (CV&C) on electricity systems is paramount for operators preparing for weather-related disruptions, policymakers deciding on future directions of energy policies and European decision makers shaping research programs. This study conducted a systematic literature review to collate consistent patterns of impacts of CV&C on electricity systems in Europe. We found that, in the absence of adaptation and for current capacity, thermal electricity generation will decrease for the near term to mid-21st century (NT-MC) and the end of the 21st century (EC). In contrast, renewable electricity generation will increase for hydroelectricity in Northern Europe (NT-MC and EC), for solar electricity in Germany (NT-MC) and the United Kingdom and Spain (NT-MC and EC) and for wind electricity in the Iberian Peninsula (NT-MC) and over the Baltic and Aegean Sea (NT-MC and EC). Although the knowledge frontier in this area has advanced, the evidence available remains patchy. Future assessments should not only address some of the gaps identified but also better contextualise their results against those of earlier assessments. This review could provide a starting point for doing so

Identification of Novel Genetic Risk Loci in Maltese Dogs with Necrotizing Meningoencephalitis and Evidence of a Shared Genetic Risk across Toy Dog Breeds

Necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) affects toy and small breed dogs causing progressive, often fatal, inflammation and necrosis in the brain. Genetic risk loci for NME previously were identified in pug dogs, particularly associated with the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II complex on chromosome 12, but have not been investigated in other susceptible breeds. We sought to evaluate Maltese and Chihuahua dogs, in addition to pug dogs, to identify novel or shared genetic risk factors for NME development. Genome-wide association testing of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Maltese dogs with NME identified 2 regions of genome-wide significance on chromosomes 4 (chr4:74522353T>A, p = 8.1×10-7) and 15 (chr15:53338796A>G, p = 1.5×10-7). Haplotype analysis and fine-mapping suggests that ILR7 and FBXW7, respectively, both important for regulation of immune system function, could be the underlying associated genes. Further evaluation of these regions and the previously identified DLA II locus across all three breeds, revealed an enrichment of nominal significant SNPs associated with chromosome 15 in pug dogs and DLA II in Maltese and Chihuahua dogs. Meta-analysis confirmed effect sizes the same direction in all three breeds for both the chromosome 15 and DLA II loci (p = 8.6×10-11 and p = 2.5×10-7, respectively). This suggests a shared genetic background exists between all breeds and confers susceptibility to NME, but effect sizes might be different among breeds. In conclusion, we identified the first genetic risk factors for NME development in the Maltese, chromosome 4 and chromosome 15, and provide evidence for a shared genetic risk between breeds associated with chromosome 15 and DLA II. Last, DLA II and IL7R both have been implicated in human inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, suggesting that similar pharmacotherapeutic targets across species should be investigated

PERENCANAAN PICCO CELL DI GEDUNG KANTOR DEPARTEMEN KEHAKIMAN UNTUK MENGATASI BLANK SPOT PADA SISTEM CDMA 2000-1X (PICCO CELL PLANNING IN MINISTRY OF JUSTICE’S OFFICE BUILDING TO HANDLE BLANK SPOT ON CDMA 2000-1X SYSTEM)

ABSTRAKSI: Komunikasi wireless memiliki banyak masalah kompleks yang memerlukan penanganan secara baik. Salah satu permasalahan yang sering terjadi adalah blank spot (tidak ada sinyal) di dalam gedung, dan penumpukan user dalam satu sel/sektor, sehingga ada pelanggan yang tidak dapat terlayani (terjadi call blocking). Berbagai macam teknik telah digunakan untuk menangani blank spot, seperti menambah daya pada BS (Base Station), memasang repeater pada gedung-gedung untuk mendapatkan indoor coverage, atau bisa juga dengan menerapkan picco cell di dalam gedung. Keunggulan penerapan picco cell adalah mampu menambah kapasitas sel, selain menangani blank spot. PT.Telkom, selaku operator dari TelkomFLEXI yang menggunakan sistem CDMA 2000-1x, selama ini telah menggunakan suatu teknik untuk mengatasi blank spot, yaitu dengan memasang sebuah repeater pada atap gedung untuk kemudian didistribusikan melalui sebuah small antenna yang dipasang di setiap lantai gedung. Penggunaan repeater ini memang dapat mengatasi masalah blank spot yang terjadi, namun tidak menambah kapasitas sel. Pada Tugas Akhir ini dilakukan perencanaan pico cell pada gedung Kantor Departemen Kehakiman, yaitu dengan cara memasang Base Station Indoor, dan mendistribusikan daya-nya ke setiap lantai gedung. Dengan konsep “sel didalam sel”, diharapkan selain dapat menangani blank spot, penggunaan pico cell ini juga mampu menangani penumpukan user yang dapat terjadi di dalam gedung. Analisa yang dilakukan antara lain berapa jumlah picco cell yang dibutuhkan, pendistribusian daya ke setiap lantai gedung, penghitungan link budget, dan perencanaan PN offset sebagai identitas untuk picco cell tersebut. Dari hasil perencanaan didapatkan bahwa jumlah picco cell yang dibutuhkan di dalam gedung sebanyak satu buah, dengan kapasitas sebesar 29 kanal, cukup untuk menangani jumlah trafik yang dibangkitkan oleh user di dalam gedung yang membutuhkan 15 kanal. Dengan demikian, besar traffic loading (ρ) di dalam gedung sebesar 0.52. Untuk peng-implementasian picco cell dibutuhkan 1 buah base station indoor, 9 buah antena indoor, 1 buah 3-way splitter, 6 buah tapper-7, 11 buah attenuator 10 dB, dan kabel koaksial 5/4“ sepanjang 365 meter. Identitas dari base station di dalam gedung Kantor Departemen Kehakiman berupa PN Offset dengan nomor 152.Kata Kunci : ABSTRACT: In wireless communication system, there are so many complicated problems that needs decent handling. Some of the issues are blank spot at indoor locations, and "heaping" of users in one sector/cell (specially at public location), which increase the blocking probability. Many methods has been used to handle blank spot; increasing the base station transmit power, repeater installment, and implementing picco cell in buildings are some of the examples. The advantage of picco cell implementation is that picco cell adds cell\u27s capacity, besides handling blank spot at indoor locations. PT.Telkom, as operator of CDMA 2000-1x TelkomFlexi, often use repeater to handle blank spot. This method has proved effectively handles blank spot, but lack of capacity will still be problem. This final paper studied about picco cell planning, at Ministry of Justice\u27s office building. Picco cell implemented by installing an indoor base station, and distributing it\u27s transmit power to all location at the building. By using the concept of "cell within a cell", picco cell expected to give extra capacity, to handle users inside the building, besides handling blank spot. Analysis about how many cell(s) needed, power distribution of the indoor base station, link budget calculation, and PN Offset planning as the cell\u27s identity, are covered in this final paper. The result of picco cell planning shows that one picco cell, with maximum capacity of 29 channels, are sufficient to handle users inside the building, which needs 15 channels. Thus, the loading factor (ρ) inside the building are 0,52. The implementation of picco cell itself needs one indoor base station, nine indoor omni-directional antennas, one 3-way splitters, six tapper-7s, eleven 10 dB attenuators, and 365 meters of 5/4" coaxial cable. The identity of the picco cell is PN Offset with number 152.Keyword

Pathophysiology and treatment of inflammatory anorexia in chronic disease

Decreased appetite and involuntary weight loss are common occurrences in chronic disease and have a negative impact on both quality of life and eventual mortality. Weight loss in chronic disease comes from both fat and lean mass, and is known as cachexia. Both alterations in appetite and body weight loss occur in a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, heart failure, renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and HIV. An increase in circulating inflammatory cytokines has been implicated as a uniting pathogenic mechanism of cachexia and associated anorexia. One of the targets of inflammatory mediators is the central nervous system, and in particular feeding centers in the hypothalamus located in the ventral diencephalon. Current research has begun to elucidate the mechanisms by which inflammation reaches the hypothalamus, and the neural substrates underlying inflammatory anorexia. Research into these neural mechanisms has suggested new therapeutic possibilities, which have produced promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. This review will discuss inflammatory signaling in the hypothalamus that mediates anorexia, and the opportunities for therapeutic intervention that these mechanisms present

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Novel Mechanistic Insight into Murine Biological Responses to Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Lungs and Cultured Lung Epithelial Cells

There is great interest in substituting animal work with in vitro experimentation in human health risk assessment; however, there are only few comparisons of in vitro and in vivo biological responses to engineered nanomaterials. We used high-content genomics tools to compare in vivo pulmonary responses of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to those in vitro in cultured lung epithelial cells (FE1) at the global transcriptomic level. Primary size, surface area and other properties of MWCNT- XNRI -7 (Mitsui7) were characterized using DLS, SEM and TEM. Mice were exposed via a single intratracheal instillation to 18, 54, or 162 μg of Mitsui7/mouse. FE1 cells were incubated with 12.5, 25 and 100 μg/ml of Mitsui7. Tissue and cell samples were collected at 24 hours post-exposure. DNA microarrays were employed to establish mechanistic differences and similarities between the two models. Microarray results were confirmed using gene-specific RT-qPCR. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was assessed for indications of inflammation in vivo. A strong dose-dependent activation of acute phase and inflammation response was observed in mouse lungs reflective mainly of an inflammatory response as observed in BAL. In vitro, a wide variety of core cellular functions were affected including transcription, cell cycle, and cellular growth and proliferation. Oxidative stress, fibrosis and inflammation processes were altered in both models. Although there were similarities observed between the two models at the pathway-level, the specific genes altered under these pathways were different, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms of responses are different in cells in culture and the lung tissue. Our results suggest that careful consideration should be given in selecting relevant endpoints when substituting animal with in vitro testing