The espoused values of multiculturalism and social justice often depict counseling and psychology programs as exceptions in the systematically racist context of academia, where faculty of color often ...experience marginalization, alienation, isolation, and othering. As part of a larger study, the purpose of this article was to highlight the lived experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural classes in graduate counseling and psychology programs in a deliberate attempt to challenge dominant scholarship that has minimized their voices. Emerging from the critical-ideological paradigm and guided by critical race theory (CRT), we conducted 40-120 min semistructured interviews with 19 Asian and Black American faculty with various gender, sexuality, rank, and career developmental stage backgrounds and used a thematic analysis design and approach. Our results from thematic analysis told a counterstory of host programs' overstated commitment to justice and equity in two overarching themes: (1) problematic structure and implementation of the multicultural class, and (2) racialized experiences of teaching multicultural classes. In our discussions, we problematize the harm that faculty of color endured, which reflected the personal cost of sacrificing their emotional well-being, safety, and career development in order to advance the multicultural and social justice movements in their home programs.
Public Significance Statement
The espoused values of multiculturalism and social justice often depict counseling and psychology programs as exceptions in the systematically racist and White supremacist context in academia. This study interviewed 19 Asian and Black American faculty regarding their lived experiences of teaching multicultural classes. Our results told counterstories of these programs' overly stated commitment to justice and equity.
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease with high morbidity. Recently, the
phosphodiesterase SmPDE4A was suggested as a putative new drug target. To support SmPDE4A targeted drug discovery, ...we cloned, isolated, and biochemically characterized the full-length and catalytic domains of SmPDE4A. The enzymatically active catalytic domain was crystallized in the apo-form (PDB code: 6FG5) and in the cAMP- and AMP-bound states (PDB code: 6EZU). The SmPDE4A catalytic domain resembles human PDE4 more than parasite PDEs because it lacks the parasite PDE-specific P-pocket. Purified SmPDE4A proteins (full-length and catalytic domain) were used to profile an in-house library of PDE inhibitors (PDE4NPD toolbox). This screening identified tetrahydrophthalazinones and benzamides as potential hits. The PDE inhibitor
was the most active tetrahydrophthalazinone, whereas the approved human PDE4 inhibitors roflumilast and piclamilast were the most potent benzamides. As a follow-up, 83 benzamide analogs were prepared, but the inhibitory potency of the initial hits was not improved. Finally,
and roflumilast were evaluated in an in vitro anti-
assay. Unfortunately, both SmPDE4A inhibitors were not effective in worm killing and only weakly affected the egg-laying at high micromolar concentrations. Consequently, the results with these SmPDE4A inhibitors strongly suggest that SmPDE4A is not a suitable target for anti-schistosomiasis therapy.
Web cameras are transforming coastal environmental monitoring. Improvements in camera technology and image processing capabilities, paired with decreases in cost, enable widespread use of camera ...systems by researchers, managers and first responders for a growing range of environmental monitoring applications. Applications are related to transportation and commerce, preparedness, risk reduction and response, and stewardship of coastal resources. While web cameras are seemingly ubiquitous, operators often follow unique installation procedures and collect, store, and process imagery data in various ways. These inconsistencies significantly limit the ability for imagery data to be shared and utilized across research and operational disciplines. Similar to the early days of other remote sensing networks like High Frequency Radar, the benefits and downstream application of coastal imagery data can be greatly enhanced through centralized data access and standardization of data collection, analysis and dissemination. The NOAA National Ocean Service Web Camera Applications Testbed (WebCAT) was launched in 2017 in partnership with SECOORA, as a public-private partnership to address this coastal ocean observing standardization need. WebCAT is a pilot project relying on the private sector expertise of Surfline, Inc. to install and operate several web cameras capable of meeting the short-term needs of diverse users including NOAA, USGS, state health agencies, academia and others. The project aims to determine operational imagery collection, storage, processing, access, and archival requirements that will foster collaboration across research and operational user communities. Seven web cameras have been installed at six locations along the southeast U.S. coast (from Florida to North Carolina) for purposes including: counting animals on the beach and migrating right whales, identifying rip currents, validating wave runup models, and understanding human use of natural resources. Here we present a review of the state of coastal imagery data and an overview of the WebCAT project. Goals of an upcoming community workshop will also be presented along with our vision for how WebCAT can motivate a future sustained operational web camera network.
Chitin is a naturally abundant biopolymer with low cytotoxicity offering substantial promise in biomedical applications. An enhanced understanding of the polymorph-selective interactions between ...proteins and chitin surfaces would enable targeted advances in tissue engineering, antimicrobial surfaces, sensing, and drug delivery. This fundamental understanding is scarce and is challenging to obtain via experimental approaches alone. Molecular simulation approaches can offer complementary insights. Here, we use umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations to predict the adsorption free energies of nine representative amino acids at four aqueous chitin interfaces, comprising two chitin polymorphs and two different crystal surfaces. Our results demonstrate a clear selectivity for one polymorph over the other at the amino acid level. From these findings we provide a fundamental basis for explaining the polymorph selectivity exhibited by some chitin binding proteins. Our outcomes offer a platform for the future rational design of polymorph-selective chitin binding motifs.
Objective
Patient perceptions of healthcare ratings, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes management play a role in diabetes-related outcomes, particularly among women of childbearing age. Guided by ...a modified Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior framework, the objective was to compare differences in perceptions of health care ratings, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes management among non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women of childbearing age.
Methods
The sample comprised 7 years (2012–2018) of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. The sample was limited to women of childbearing age (18–45 years) who have ever been told they had diabetes (
n
= 691; weighted
n
= 932,426). Dependent variables were health care rating, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes care management. The key independent variable was race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White). We adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and perceived health status using multiple linear and multivariable logistic regressions.
Results
Non-Hispanic Black women (41.6%) self-reported their health status as fair or poor (44.9%) compared to non-Hispanic White (33.3%) and Hispanic (37.6%). In adjusted models, non-Hispanic Black women had 46% lower odds (95% CI = 0.31, 0.94) of reporting high health care ratings compared to non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic Black women had 43% lower odds (95% CI = 0.35, 0.95) and Hispanic women had 47% lower odds (95% CI = 0.34, 0.80) of reporting higher levels of diabetes care management than non-Hispanic White women.
Conclusions
This study provides important information regarding diabetes health care ratings, self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors. Because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes among women of childbearing age, it is important to improve health care particularly for racial/ethnic minority women with diabetes.
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The discovery of antiviral activity of 2,3-disubstituted quinazolinones, prepared by a one-pot, three-component condensation of isatoic anhydride with amines and aldehydes, against ...Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)-1 is reported. Sequential iterative synthesis/antiviral assessment allowed structure-activity relationship (SAR) generation revealing synergistic structural features required for potent anti-HSV-1 activity. The most potent derivatives show greater efficacy than acyclovir against acute HSV-1 infections in neurons and minimal toxicity to the host.
The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a massive release of inflammatory cytokines and high mortality. Mesenchymal ...stromal cells (MSCs) have anti-inflammatory properties and have shown activity in treating acute lung injury. Here the authors report a case series of 11 patients with COVID-19-associated ARDS (CARDS) requiring mechanical ventilation who were treated with remestemcel-L, an allogeneic MSC product, under individual patient emergency investigational new drug applications.
Patients were eligible if they were mechanically ventilated for less than 72 h prior to the first infusion. Patients with pre-existing lung disease requiring supplemental oxygen or severe liver or kidney injury were excluded. Each patient received two infusions of remestemcel-L at a dose of 2 million cells/kg per infusion given 48–120 h apart.
Remestemcel-L infusions were well tolerated in all 11 patients. At the end of the 28-day follow-up period, 10 (91%, 95% confidence interval CI, 59–100%) patients were extubated, nine (82%, 95% CI, 48–97%) patients remained liberated from mechanical ventilation and were discharged from the intensive care unit and two (18%, 95 CI%, 2–52%) patients died. The median time to extubation was 10 days. Eight (73%, 95% CI, 34–100%) patients were discharged from the hospital. C-reactive protein levels significantly declined within 5 days of MSC infusion.
The authors demonstrate in this case series that remestemcel-L infusions to treat moderate to severe CARDS were safe and well tolerated and resulted in improved clinical outcomes.
Objectives:Students and professionals who suffer from communication anxiety may have all of the skills necessary to be excellent communicators, but unable to communicate effectively as they struggle ...with that anxiety. Guided by the Instructional Beliefs Model, the purpose of this study is to evaluate emotional intelligence (EQ), a developable skill, as an indirect influence of writing and presentation anxieties.
Methods:An online survey was disseminated to 224 business majors. Each were assessed on the dimensions of EQ, self-efficacy, writing apprehension, and public speaking anxiety.
Results:The data supported a model in which the EQ dimensions of well-being and self-control, which are the dimensions of EQ that are oriented toward one’s own emotions, indirectly influence students’ public speaking anxiety through the mediation of self-efficacy. However, while all EQ dimensions were negatively correlated with writing apprehension, none appear to be an indirect influence of it.
Conclusions:The findings of this study indicate that elevating an individual’s well-being and self-control can ultimately give them the tools they need to manage their anxiety when giving presentations. Through instructional strategies known to enhance these characteristics, business educators and organizational trainers should be able to assist individuals in giving better presentations. KCI Citation Count: 0
Abstract
Background
Dexanabinol is a synthetic analogue of tetrahydrocannabinol identified as a potential anti-cancer therapeutic by e-Therapeutics PLC. Dexanabinol was selected for further ...investigation based on its preclinical tumoricidal activity. This phase I dose-escalation trial examined the safety, drug penetration into the central nervous system (CNS), preliminary antitumor activity, and recommended phase II dose.
Methods
Dexanabinol formulated in cremophor/ethanol was administered once weekly via 3-hour intravenous infusion to patients with brain cancer.
Results
A total of 26 patients were dosed once weekly at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 28, and 36 mg/kg. Two patients at 36 mg/kg were nonevaluable for dose level confirmation, having withdrawn early for reasons unrelated to study treatment. A recommended phase II dose of dexanabinol was established at 28 mg/kg due to related, reversible adverse events at higher dose levels that required medications for symptomatic relief. The most common drug-related toxicities were the depressed level of consciousness and lightheadedness, diarrhea, itching, fatigue, chest discomfort, and tingling in the mouth. Systemic exposure to dexanabinol (AUC0-t and Cmax) increased from 2 to 36 mg/kg, with dose nonproportionality apparent at the highest dose; dexanabinol was present in appreciable levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which implies the possibility of exposure of intracranial tumors to drug. Five of 24 efficacy-evaluable patients (21%) experienced stable disease with a median duration of 2 cycles (28-day cycle) as the best response.
Conclusions
Dexanabinol administered weekly by intravenous infusion was safe and well-tolerated up to 28 mg/kg in brain cancer patients, but has limited antitumor activity in patients with brain cancer.
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