Equitable Vaccine Access within an Age-Based Framework

Objectives: When vaccine supply was limited, several states adopted age-based prioritization for Covid-19 vaccine eligibility because it is simple (especially when age is quantized by decade) and age is strongly associated with Covid-19 mortality. But this approach raises equity concerns based in law and ethics. I propose data-driven solutions for equitable policy within an age-based framework. Methods: Using CDC and Census Bureau data, I analyzed 538,627 U.S. Covid-19 deaths by age and race-ethnicity through February 2021 and compared the risk ratios to published data on risk ratios for other conditions. Results: Covid-19 mortality rose 2.56-fold per decade of life. Down syndrome, organ transplantation, and intellectual/developmental disability all have higher risk ratios. Conclusions: People with specific conditions associated with a risk ratio of 2.56 or 6.54 should become vaccine-eligible along with people 10 or 20 years older, respectively. Even as vaccines become more available, data collection and reporting through disability systems should be integrated with general public health systems, including vaccination databases, in order to assess Covid-19 mortality associated with intellectual or developmental disability per se and to make it possible to track vaccine progress in this marginalized population. People from these groups should also be involved in decision making and advisory bodies

Novel Methods for Maximizing and Evaluating Adaptive Measurement Efficiency

Contributions within Discipline: The findings have improved the efficiency of adaptive measurement in psychophysics, in experimental paradigms where individual trials are often information-poor and experiments are consequently long. The Bayesian adaptive methodology improves the information throughput in such experiments and improves on heuristic methods. The multivariate estimation also extends the utility of Bayesian adaptive estimation into realms where it is even more important because of the \u27curse of dimensionality\u27 (where the size of parameter space is exponential in the number of parameters). In addition, the work on nonparametric adaptive methods has helped reveal the source of bias in simpler adaptive methodology that has often incorrectly been taken to be safe because of its apparent lack of statistical assumptions. By revealint the source of such bias, it offers solutions for minimizing the bias

Interdepartmental Coordination for Maine’s Young Children with Disabilities

Alan B. Cobo-Lewis describes Maine’s system of services for young children with disabilities. He notes that families of young children with disabilities face challenges in navigating Maine’s service structure. There can be delays before children get appropriate evaluation, and there are sometimes problems with inter-agency referrals. Cobo-Lewis makes a number of recommendations regarding data linkage; coordina­tion of eligibility determination from different funding streams; updating inter-agency agreements; and creation of a more efficient state departmental struc­ture for services to children with disabilitie

Picture vocabulary growth in students with and without disabilities in an early childhood program that targets poor families

We compared growth in the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test between children with disabilities and children without disabilities in Educare Central Maine, a highly resourced data-driven Birth-5 early care and education program that targets children at risk of school failure because of socioeconomic factors. Children with disabilities made up 13% of enrollment. Children with disabilities tended to catch up with the typically developing children as they spent more time in Educare.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ccids_posters/1007/thumbnail.jp

Shiga toxin production and translocation during microaerobic human colonic infection with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 and O104:H4

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is dependent on release of Shiga toxins (Stxs) during intestinal infection and subsequent absorption into the bloodstream. An understanding of Stx-related events in the human gut is limited due to lack of suitable experimental models. In this study, we have used a vertical diffusion chamber system with polarized human colon carcinoma cells to simulate the microaerobic (MA) environment in the human intestine and investigate its influence on Stx release and translocation during STEC O157:H7 and O104:H4 infection. Stx2 was the major toxin type released during infection. Whereas microaerobiosis significantly reduced bacterial growth as well as Stx production and release into the medium, Stx translocation across the epithelial monolayer was enhanced under MA versus aerobic conditions. Increased Stx transport was dependent on STEC infection and occurred via a transcellular pathway other than macropinocytosis. While MA conditions had a similar general effect on Stx release and absorption during infection with STEC O157:H7 and O104:H4, both serotypes showed considerable differences in colonization, Stx production, and Stx translocation which suggest alternative virulence strategies. Taken together, our study suggests that the MA environment in the human colon may modulate Stx-related events and enhance Stx absorption during STEC infection

Oscillator strengths and line widths of dipole-allowed transitions in ¹⁴N₂ between 89.7 and 93.5 nm

Line oscillator strengths in the 20 electric dipole-allowed bands of ¹⁴N₂ in the 89.7–93.5nm (111480–106950cm⁻¹) region are reported from photoabsorptionmeasurements at an instrumental resolution of ∼6mÅ (0.7cm⁻¹) full width at half maximum. The absorptionspectrum comprises transitions to vibrational levels of the 3pσᵤc′₄¹Σᵤ⁺, 3pπᵤc³Πᵤ, and 3sσgo₃¹ΠᵤRydberg states and of the b′¹Σᵤ⁺ and b¹Πᵤ valence states. The J dependences of band f values derived from the experimental line f values are reported as polynomials in J′(J′+1) and are extrapolated to J′=0 in order to facilitate comparisons with results of coupled Schrödinger-equation calculations. Most bands in this study are characterized by a strong J dependence of the band f values and display anomalous P-, Q-, and R-branch intensity patterns. Predissociation line widths, which are reported for 11 bands, also exhibit strong J dependences. The f value and line width patterns can inform current efforts to develop comprehensive spectroscopic models that incorporate rotational effects and predissociation mechanisms, and they are critical for the construction of realistic atmospheric radiative-transfer models.This work was supported in part by NASA Grant No. NNG05GA03G to Wellesley College and Australian Research Council Discovery Program Grant No. DP0558962

The Aging and Developmental Disabilities Networks: Can the Silos Be Dismantled?

The authors discuss the service networks for aging and developmental and physical disabilities, which have traditionally functioned in distinctly separate camps. They present the case for greater crossover between these networks and endorse increased alignment of the aging and disability networks in all arenas, including policy making, program development, education, and research

Optimized Boundary Conditions and Data Assimilation with Application to the M-2 Tide in the Yellow Sea

An optimization approach is derived for assimilating tidal height information along the open boundaries of a numerical model. The approach is then extended so that similar data along transects inside a model domain can also be optimally assimilated. To test the application of such an optimized methodology, M-2 tidal simulations were conducted with a numerical ocean model of the Yellow Sea, an area with a strong tidal influence. The use of the optimized open boundary conditions and internal data assimilation leads to a significant improvement of the predictive skill of the model. Average errors can be reduced by up to 75% when compared to nonoptimized boundary conditions

Reduced brain mammillary body volumes and memory deficits in adolescents who have undergone the Fontan procedure.

BackgroundAdolescents with single ventricle heart disease (SVHD) who have undergone the Fontan procedure show cognitive/memory deficits. Mammillary bodies are key brain sites that regulate memory; however, their integrity in SVHD is unclear. We evaluated mammillary body (MB) volumes and their associations with cognitive/memory scores in SVHD and controls.MethodsBrain MRI data were collected from 63 adolescents (25 SVHD; 38 controls) using a 3.0-Tesla MRI scanner. Cognition and memory were assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning 2. MB volumes were calculated and compared between groups (ANCOVA, covariates: age, sex, and total brain volume [TBV]). Partial correlations and linear regression were performed to examine associations between volumes and cognitive scores (covariates: age, sex, and TBV).ResultsSVHD group showed significantly lower MoCA and WRAML2 scores over controls. MB volumes were significantly reduced in SVHD over controls. After controlling for age, sex, and TBV, MB volumes correlated with MoCA and delayed memory recall scores in SVHD and controls.ConclusionAdolescents with SVHD show reduced MB volumes associated with cognitive/memory deficits. Potential mechanisms of volume losses may include developmental and/or hypoxic/ischemic-induced processes. Providers should screen for cognitive deficits and explore possible interventions to improve memory