“I was pushed out of school”: Social and Emotional Approaches to a Youth Promotion Program

In this study, we analyze the effects of Project GRIT (Generating Resiliency and Inspiring Transformation), a six-week intervention program that worked with a group of high school pushouts, students who were encouraged to leave school, in a school district in southern California. We interviewed thirty-nine former high school students who “dropped out,” or were pushed out of school, 61.5% males (n=24) and 38.5% females (n=15). The mean age is 18.1 years and the sample consists of 27 Latino and 12 African American/Black youth. Findings indicate that an increase in healthy relationships with peers generates beneficial social and emotional skills, including increased communication, team-oriented thinking, projected self-actualization, trust, and development of self. We argue that storytelling is central to engaging and promoting at-promise students in the education system, providing them opportunities to overcome adversity, excel in academics, and expand their ability to build healthy relationships with others in their community

DTA0100, dual topoisomerase II and microtubule inhibitor, evades paclitaxel resistance in P-glycoprotein overexpressing cancer cells

The efficacy of microtubule targeting agents in cancer treatment has been compromised by the development of drug resistance that may involve both, P-glycoprotein overexpression and the changes in beta-tubulin isoforms' expression. The anti-Topoisomerase II activity of methyl 4-((E)-2-(methoxycarbonyl)vinyloxy)oct-2-ynoate (DTA0100) was recently reported. Herein, we further evaluated this propargylic enol ether derivative and found that it exerts inhibitory effect on tubulin polymerization by binding to colchicine binding site. DTA0100 mitotic arrest properties were investigated in two multi-drug resistant cancer cell lines with P-glycoprotein overexpression (colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma). The sensitivity of multi-drug resistant cancer cell lines to DTA0100 was not significantly changed in contrast to microtubule targeting agents such as paclitaxel, vinblastine and colchicine. DTA0100 clearly induced microtubule depolymerization, leading to disturbance of cell cycle kinetics and subsequent apoptosis. The fine-tuning in beta-tubulin isoforms expression observed in multi drug resistant cancer cells may influence the efficacy of DTA0100. Importantly, DTA0100 blocked the Pglycoprotein function in both multi-drug resistant cancer cell lines without inducing the increase in Pglycoprotein expression. Therefore, DTA0100 acting as dual inhibitor of Topoisomerase II and microtubule formation could be considered as multi-potent anticancer agent. Besides, it is able to overcome the problem of drug resistance that emerges in the therapeutic approaches with either Topoisomerase II or microtubule targeting agents.Related to published version: [https://imagine.imgge.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1079]This is the peer reviewed version of the paper: Podolski-Renić, A., Banković, J., Dinić, J., Rios-Luci, C., Fernandes, M. X., Ortega, N., Kovačević Grujičić, N., Martin, V. S., Padron, J. M., & Pesić, M. (2017). DTA0100, dual topoisomerase II and microtubule inhibitor, evades paclitaxel resistance in P-glycoprotein overexpressing cancer cells. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 105, 159–168. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2017.05.011

An excitable electronic circuit as a sensory neuron model

An electronic circuit device, inspired on the FitzHugh-Nagumo model of neuronal excitability, was constructed and shown to operate with characteristics compatible with those of biological sensory neurons. The nonlinear dynamical model of the electronics quantitatively reproduces the experimental observations on the circuit, including the Hopf bifurcation at the onset of tonic spiking. Moreover, we have implemented an analog noise generator as a source to study the variability of the spike trains. When the circuit is in the excitable regime, coherence resonance is observed. At sufficiently low noise intensity the spike trains have Poisson statistics, as in many biological neurons. The transfer function of the stochastic spike trains has a dynamic range of 6 dB, close to experimental values for real olfactory receptor neurons.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Methods for epidemiological studies in competitive cycling:an extension of the IOC consensus statement on methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport 2020

In 2020, the IOC released a consensus statement that provides overall guidelines for the recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport. Some aspects of this statement need to be further specified on a sport-by-sport basis. To extend the IOC consensus statement on methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sports and to meet the sport-specific requirements of all cycling disciplines regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). A panel of 20 experts, all with experience in cycling or cycling medicine, participated in the drafting of this cycling-specific extension of the IOC consensus statement. In preparation, panel members were sent the IOC consensus statement, the first draft of this manuscript and a list of topics to be discussed. The expert panel met in July 2020 for a 1-day video conference to discuss the manuscript and specific topics. The final manuscript was developed in an iterative process involving all panel members. This paper extends the IOC consensus statement to provide cycling-specific recommendations on health problem definitions, mode of onset, injury mechanisms and circumstances, diagnosis classifications, exposure, study population characteristics and data collection methods. Recommendations apply to all UCI cycling disciplines, for both able-bodied cyclists and para-cyclists. The recommendations presented in this consensus statement will improve the consistency and accuracy of future epidemiological studies of injury and illness in cycling

Father's occupational exposure to carcinogenic agents and childhood acute leukemia: a new method to assess exposure (a case-control study)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medical research has not been able to establish whether a father's occupational exposures are associated with the development of acute leukemia (AL) in their offspring. The studies conducted have weaknesses that have generated a misclassification of such exposure. Occupations and exposures to substances associated with childhood cancer are not very frequently encountered in the general population; thus, the reported risks are both inconsistent and inaccurate. In this study, to assess exposure we used a new method, an exposure index, which took into consideration the industrial branch, specific position, use of protective equipment, substances at work, degree of contact with such substances, and time of exposure. This index allowed us to obtain a grade, which permitted the identification of individuals according to their level of exposure to known or potentially carcinogenic agents that are not necessarily specifically identified as risk factors for leukemia. The aim of this study was to determine the association between a father's occupational exposure to carcinogenic agents and the presence of AL in their offspring.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 1999 to 2000, a case-control study was performed with 193 children who reside in Mexico City and had been diagnosed with AL. The initial sample-size calculation was 150 children per group, assessed with an expected odds ratio (OR) of three and a minimum exposure frequency of 15.8%. These children were matched by age, sex, and institution with 193 pediatric surgical patients at secondary-care hospitals. A questionnaire was used to determine each child's background and the characteristics of the father's occupation(s). In order to determine the level of exposure to carcinogenic agents, a previously validated exposure index (occupational exposure index, OEI) was used. The consistency and validity of the index were assessed by a questionnaire comparison, the sensory recognition of the work area, and an expert's opinion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The adjusted ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 1.69 (0.98, 2.92) during the preconception period; 1.98 (1.13, 3.45) during the index pregnancy; 2.11 (1.17, 3.78) during breastfeeding period; 2.17 (1.28, 3.66) after birth; and 2.06 (1.24, 3.42) for global exposure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study in which an OEI was used to assess a father's occupational exposure to carcinogenic agents as a risk factor for the development of childhood AL in his offspring. From our results, we conclude that children whose fathers have been exposed to a high level of carcinogenic agents seem to have a greater risk of developing acute leukemia. However, confounding factors cannot be disregarded due to an incomplete control for confounding.</p

Skeletal Diversification via Heteroatom Linkage Control: Preparation of Bicyclic and Spirocyclic Scaffolds from NSubstituted Homopropargyl Alcohols

The discovery and application of a new branching pathway synthesis strategy that rapidly produces skeletally diverse scaffolds is described. Two different scaffold types, one a bicyclic iodo-vinylidene tertiary amine/tertiary alcohol and the other, a spirocyclic 3-furanone, are each obtained using a two-step sequence featuring a common first step. Both scaffold types lead to intermediates that can be orthogonally diversified using the same final components. One of the scaffold types was obtained in sufficiently high yield that it was immediately used to produce a 97-compound library

Unconscious bias in the suppressive policing of Black and Latino men and boys: neuroscience, Borderlands theory, and the policymaking quest for just policing

his article applies neuroscience and Borderlands theory to reveal how unconscious bias currently stabilizes suppressive policing practices in America despite new efforts at reform. Illustrative cases are offered from Oakland and Santa Barbara, California, with a focus on civil gang injunctions (CGIs) and youth gang suppression. Theoretical analysis of these cases reveals how the unconscious biases of validity illusions and framing effects operate despite the best intentions of law enforcement personnel. Such unconscious or implicit biases create contradictions between the stated beliefs and actions of law enforcement. In turn, these unintended self-contradictions then work to the detriment of Latino and Black boys. The analysis here also extends to how unconscious biases and unintended self-contradictions can influence municipal policymaking in favor of suppressive police tactics such as CGIs, thereby displacing evidence-based policies that are proven to be far more effective. The article concludes with brief discussion of some of the means by which the unconscious biases – effects to which everyone is involuntarily prone – can be disrupted

Auditory stimulation with Mozart sonata k-448 and heavy metal music improves short-term memory in rats

Objectives. We aimed to assess the effect of both classical and heavy metal music on short-term and long-term memory. Methods. Male rats were separated into three groups: Mozart (n=14), rats were exposed to Mozart´s K-448 piano sonata; Heavy Metal (n=15), rats were exposed to Psychosocial (band: Slipknot), and Control (n=12), rats were exposed to ambient sounds in an acoustically isolated room. The animals were exposed to the music for 8 hours per day, between 10:00 pm to 06:00 am, with an intensity of 50-75 dB, for 61 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the final day of adjustment to the enclosure the animals were individually exposed for 5 minutes in the enclosure to explore two identical objects. Ninety minutes after the object recognition training session, the animals were submitted to the short-term memory test and twenty-eight days after the object recognition training session, the animals were submitted to a long-term memory test. Results. There was no modification amongst the three groups during the object recognition training. Regarding the short-term memory test both Mozart (U=33.00, p=0.016, FDR-corrected) and Heavy Metal (U=44.00, p=0.033, FDR-corrected) groups revealed a higher percentage value of significance compared to the control group. In contrast, there was no significant change in relation to the long-term memory test. Conclusion. Mozart Sonata K-448 and heavy metal music achieved beneficial effects on the short-term memory in rats