Until superheroes learn how to use their power: Exploring the triple consciousness of African American male students identified as dis/abled

As early as elementary school, African American students are labeled and passed along from teacher to teacher with negative stigma and stereotypes (Wright, 2018). This negative academic self-concept adversely affects and shapes a deficit lens rather than a strength-based perspective and may further perpetuate trauma, mirroring the disproportionate inequities within education (Banks, 2017; Wright, 2018). The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore how African American males identified as having specific learning dis/abilities understand their triple consciousness and what particular experiences influence their post-high school decisions (Stake, 2006). The study investigated the multidimensional lived experiences of eight African American male high school seniors identified as having specific learning dis/abilities. The findings redrew the generalizations of DuBois\u27s (1903) double consciousness as a new perspective of awareness and critical consciousness for students with multidimensional identities that are interdependent of race and ability (Annamma & Morrison, 2018). The conceptual framework of triple consciousness was used to guide the study and recognize the varied lived experiences, influences, and self-awareness of an individual with multidimensional identities

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Targeting Microvasculature for Neuroprotection after SCI

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by secondary degeneration, which leads to tissue loss at the epicenter and subsequent functional deficits. This review provides insight into the pathophysiology of microvascular dysfunction and endothelial cell loss, which are among the earliest responses during the first postinjury day. The enigmatic role of the angiogenic response in the penumbra around the lost tissue, which occurs during the first 2 weeks, is also discussed. The importance of stabilizing and rescuing the injured vasculature is now well-recognized, and several pharmacological and genetic treatments have emerged in the past few years. We conclude with suggestions for future experimental research, including development of vascular-selective treatments and exploitation of genetic models. In summary, vascular dysfunction following SCI is an important contributor to neurological deficits, as proposed long ago. However, there now appears to be new and potentially powerful opportunities for treating acute SCI by targeting the vascular responses