Federal Dollars for All Humankind: Using Procurement Law to Increase Diversity in the Space Industry

This Article explores how to employ federal government contracting programs to increase gender and racial diversity within the space industry. Part II of the Article touches briefly on the importance of diversity generally and examines the underrepresentation of women and minorities within the $325 billion industry surrounding outer space activities. Part III provides a high-level overview of federal government contracting, in particular focusing on Small Business Administration programs intended to benefit small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses. Part IV concentrates on contracting within the space industry. Part V offers three suggestions to increase contract awards to women and minority business owners, thereby advancing toward the ultimate goals of encouraging women and minorities to start small businesses, directing capital toward disadvantaged groups, and increasing mission success through diverse perspectives and involvement

A brief mindfulness-based intervention reduces eating disorder symptoms and improves eating self-efficacy and emotion regulation among adults seeking bariatric surgery

Background Up to 64% of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery-seeking adults report eating disorder (ED) symptoms (i.e., binge eating, emotional eating, addictive-like eating, and grazing) that can interfere with surgery outcomes. Well-designed pre-surgical interventions targeting eating behaviours may reduce ED symptoms and protect against suboptimal surgery outcomes. Objectives Provide proof-of-concept data to inform the design and optimization of a pre-surgical mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for ED symptoms. Evaluate whether the MBI produces meaningful improvements in ED symptoms and clarify the mechanisms-of-action by which the MBI impacts ED symptoms. Methods Twenty-one pre-surgical patients with obesity and ED symptoms referred to a MBI completed self-report measures of addictive-like eating, binge eating, emotional eating, grazing, mindful eating, eating self-efficacy, and emotion regulation pre-(T1) and post-(T2) MBI. Results Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed improvements in binge eating symptoms (F (1,20) = 30.38, ηp2 = .60, p < .001) and grazing (F (1,20) = 7.57, ηp2 = .28, p = .012), pre- to post-MBI. Adjusting for multiple comparisons, no significant improvements were found for addictive-like eating or emotional eating. Eating self-efficacy (F (1,20) = 29.70, ηp2 = .60, p < .001) and emotion regulation (F (1,20) = 7.18, ηp2 = .26, p = .014) improved, while mindful eating decreased (F (1,20) = 16.25, ηp2 = .45, p = .001), following the MBI. Bivariate correlations found associations between improvements in the mechanism of eating self-efficacy and improvements in the ED symptom of grazing pre- to post-MBI (r = 0.46, p < .05).  As well, improvements in emotion regulation were associated with positive changes in binge and emotional eating and grazing (r = 0.55, p < .001, r = 0.66, p < .001, r = 0.61, p < .05, respectively). Conclusions After participating in the MBI binge eating, grazing, eating self-efficacy, and emotion regulation abilities improved. Further work is needed to understand and mitigate deterioration in mindful eating. Moreover, acceptability and feasibility of the MBI should be assessed prior to testing the MBI in a large-scale efficacy trial. Future research should assess the the impact of this intervention on post-surgery weight-loss, weight-loss maintenance, and maintenance of improvements in ED symptoms

Evaluation of Restaurant Menus to Determine the Availability of Healthy Food Options and Guide Community Transformation Grant Activities in Massachusetts

INTRODUCTION. The availability of healthy menu options in restaurants is an important factor in the prevention of obesity. The Mass in Motion Initiative and two Community Transformation Grant (CTG) projects are conducting statewide longitudinal surveys to determine the availability of healthy food in restaurants in the state of Massachusetts. METHODS. The Community Nutrition Environment Evaluation Data System-Restaurant (C-NEEDS-R) was developed for food environment surveillance. C-NEEDS-R takes into account seasonal and geographic variations in food supplies, cultural relevance, and USDA dietary recommendations. Between summer 2012 and winter 2013, 506 restaurants in 36 Massachusetts towns and cities were surveyed and analyzed. Through menu and site evaluation, the availability of healthy entrees was examined for each restaurant, and the total number of healthy entrees as well as the percent of healthy entrees was calculated for each restaurant. For each municipality, the average number and average percentage of healthy entrees for restaurants within the community was also calculated. RESULTS. The surveyed restaurants had average 3.2 healthy entrees on the menu, accounting for 13.4% of the total number of entrees available. The percentage of healthy options varied widely by restaurant and restaurant type, ranging from 0 to 84%, and only 15 of the 506 surveyed restaurants ( DISCUSSION. As noted, menu evaluation demonstrated that the large majority of the surveyed restaurants had few healthy entrees, indicating a need to increase availability of healthy options. Analysis of restaurant- and community-level variations in availability is useful for CTG programs to formulate and prioritize interventions. Future longitudinal surveys of food stores in the intervention and control communities will help evaluate the effectiveness of CTG interventions

Lactation and neonatal nutrition: defining and refining the critical questions.

This paper resulted from a conference entitled "Lactation and Milk: Defining and refining the critical questions" held at the University of Colorado School of Medicine from January 18-20, 2012. The mission of the conference was to identify unresolved questions and set future goals for research into human milk composition, mammary development and lactation. We first outline the unanswered questions regarding the composition of human milk (Section I) and the mechanisms by which milk components affect neonatal development, growth and health and recommend models for future research. Emerging questions about how milk components affect cognitive development and behavioral phenotype of the offspring are presented in Section II. In Section III we outline the important unanswered questions about regulation of mammary gland development, the heritability of defects, the effects of maternal nutrition, disease, metabolic status, and therapeutic drugs upon the subsequent lactation. Questions surrounding breastfeeding practice are also highlighted. In Section IV we describe the specific nutritional challenges faced by three different populations, namely preterm infants, infants born to obese mothers who may or may not have gestational diabetes, and infants born to undernourished mothers. The recognition that multidisciplinary training is critical to advancing the field led us to formulate specific training recommendations in Section V. Our recommendations for research emphasis are summarized in Section VI. In sum, we present a roadmap for multidisciplinary research into all aspects of human lactation, milk and its role in infant nutrition for the next decade and beyond

The Impact of Infectious Disease-Related Public Health Emergencies on Suicide, Suicidal Behavior, and Suicidal Thoughts:A Systematic Review

Background: Infectious disease-related public health emergencies (epidemics) may increase suicide risk, and high-quality evidence is needed to guide an international response. Aims: We investigated the potential impacts of epidemics on suicide-related outcomes. Method: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsyArXiv, medRxiv, and bioRxiv from inception to May 13–16, 2020. Inclusion criteria: primary studies, reviews, and meta-analyses; reporting the impact of epidemics; with a primary outcome of suicide, suicidal behavior, suicidal ideation, and/or self-harm. Exclusion criteria: not concerned with suicide-related outcomes; not suitable for data extraction. PROSPERO registration: #CRD42020187013. Results: Eight primary papers were included, examining the effects of five epidemics on suicide-related outcomes. There was evidence of increased suicide rates among older adults during SARS and in the year following the epidemic (possibly motivated by social disconnectedness, fears of virus infection, and concern about burdening others) and associations between SARS/Ebola exposure and increased suicide attempts. A preprint study reported associations between COVID-19 distress and past-month suicidal ideation. Limitations: Few studies have investigated the topic; these are of relatively low methodological quality. Conclusion: Findings support an association between previous epidemics and increased risk of suicide-related outcomes. Research is needed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on suicide outcomes

A systematic review of frameworks for the interrelationships of mental health evidence and policy in low- and middle-income countries

Background: The interrelationships between research evidence and policy-making are complex. Different theoretical frameworks exist to explain general evidence–policy interactions. One largely unexplored element of these interrelationships is how evidence interrelates with, and influences, policy/political agenda-setting. This review aims to identify the elements and processes of theories, frameworks and models on interrelationships of research evidence and health policy-making, with a focus on actionability and agenda-setting in the context of mental health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: A systematic review of theories was conducted based on the BeHeMOTh search method, using a tested and refined search strategy. Nine electronic databases and other relevant sources were searched for peer-reviewed and grey literature. Two reviewers screened the abstracts, reviewed full-text articles, extracted data and performed quality assessments. Analysis was based on a thematic analysis. The included papers had to present an actionable theoretical framework/model on evidence and policy interrelationships, such as knowledge translation or evidence-based policy, specifically target the agenda-setting process, focus on mental health, be from LMICs and published in English. Results: From 236 publications included in the full text analysis, no studies fully complied with our inclusion criteria. Widening the focus by leaving out ‘agenda-setting’, we included ten studies, four of which had unique conceptual frameworks focusing on mental health and LMICs but not agenda-setting. The four analysed frameworks confirmed research gaps from LMICs and mental health, and a lack of focus on agenda-setting. Frameworks and models from other health and policy areas provide interesting conceptual approaches and lessons with regards to agenda-setting. Conclusion: Our systematic review identified frameworks on evidence and policy interrelations that differ in their elements and processes. No framework fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Four actionable frameworks are applicable to mental health and LMICs, but none specifically target agenda-setting. We have identified agenda-setting as a research theory gap in the context of mental health knowledge translation in LMICs. Frameworks from other health/policy areas could offer lessons on agenda-setting and new approaches for creating policy impact for mental health and to tackle the translational gap in LMICs

Atlas of group A streptococcal vaccine candidates compiled using large-scale comparative genomics.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) is a bacterial pathogen for which a commercial vaccine for humans is not available. Employing the advantages of high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to vaccine design, we have analyzed 2,083 globally sampled GAS genomes. The global GAS population structure reveals extensive genomic heterogeneity driven by homologous recombination and overlaid with high levels of accessory gene plasticity. We identified the existence of more than 290 clinically associated genomic phylogroups across 22 countries, highlighting challenges in designing vaccines of global utility. To determine vaccine candidate coverage, we investigated all of the previously described GAS candidate antigens for gene carriage and gene sequence heterogeneity. Only 15 of 28 vaccine antigen candidates were found to have both low naturally occurring sequence variation and high (>99%) coverage across this diverse GAS population. This technological platform for vaccine coverage determination is equally applicable to prospective GAS vaccine antigens identified in future studies

Development of Shuttle Vectors for Transformation of Diverse Rickettsia Species

Plasmids have been identified in most species of Rickettsia examined, with some species maintaining multiple different plasmids. Three distinct plasmids were demonstrated in Rickettsia amblyommii AaR/SC by Southern analysis using plasmid specific probes. Copy numbers of pRAM18, pRAM23 and pRAM32 per chromosome in AaR/SC were estimated by real-time PCR to be 2.0, 1.9 and 1.3 respectively. Cloning and sequencing of R. amblyommii AaR/SC plasmids provided an opportunity to develop shuttle vectors for transformation of rickettsiae. A selection cassette encoding rifampin resistance and a fluorescent marker was inserted into pRAM18 yielding a 27.6 kbp recombinant plasmid, pRAM18/Rif/GFPuv. Electroporation of Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia bellii with pRAM18/Rif/GFPuv yielded GFPuv-expressing rickettsiae within 2 weeks. Smaller vectors, pRAM18dRG, pRAM18dRGA and pRAM32dRGA each bearing the same selection cassette, were made by moving the parA and dnaA-like genes from pRAM18 or pRAM32 into a vector backbone. R. bellii maintained the highest numbers of pRAM18dRGA (13.3 – 28.1 copies), and R. parkeri, Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia montanensis contained 9.9, 5.5 and 7.5 copies respectively. The same species transformed with pRAM32dRGA maintained 2.6, 2.5, 3.2 and 3.6 copies. pRM, the plasmid native to R. monacensis, was still present in shuttle vector transformed R. monacensis at a level similar to that found in wild type R. monacensis after 15 subcultures. Stable transformation of diverse rickettsiae was achieved with a shuttle vector system based on R. amblyommii plasmids pRAM18 and pRAM32, providing a new research tool that will greatly facilitate genetic and biological studies of rickettsiae

Gene Fusion Characterization of Rare Aggressive Prostate Cancer Variants ‐ Adenosquamous Carcinoma, Pleomorphic Giant Cell Carcinoma, and Sarcomatoid Carcinoma: An Analysis of 19 Cases

Aims We evaluated the molecular underpinnings of rare aggressive prostate cancer variants adenosquamous, pleomorphic giant cell, and sarcomatoid carcinomas. Methods and Results We retrieved 19 tumors with one or more variant(s) and performed ERG immunohistochemistry, a next‐generation sequencing assay targeting recurrent gene fusions, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for ERG and BRAF. Divergent differentiation included: sarcomatoid (n=10), adenosquamous (n=7), and pleomorphic giant cell carcinoma (n=7). Five patients had more than one variant. Four had variants only in metastases. ERG rearrangement was detected in 9 (47%, 7 via sequencing, showing TMPRSS2‐ERG and one GRHL2‐ERG fusion, and 2 via FISH, showing rearrangement via deletion). Of these, ERG immunohistochemistry was positive in the adenocarcinoma for 8/9 (89%) but only 5/9 (56%, typically decreased) in the variant. One patient had false‐positive ERG immunohistochemistry in the sarcomatoid component despite negative FISH. Two (11%) harbored BRAF fusions (FAM131A‐BRAF and SND1‐BRAF). Conclusions ERG gene fusions are present in these rare prostate cancer variants with a close frequency to conventional prostate cancer (9/19, 47%). ERG immunohistochemistry usually detects rearrangement in the adenocarcinoma but is less sensitive for the variant histology with weak to negative staining. Adenosquamous and sarcomatoid variants particularly can occur together. Molecular assessment may be an additional tool in select cases to confirm prostatic origin of unusual tumors. The presence of 2 BRAF gene rearrangements suggests that this gene fusion may be enriched in this setting, as RAF kinase fusions have been previously reported in 1‐2% of prostate cancers