Wireless in vivo Recording of Cortical Activity by an Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistor.

Wireless brain technologies are empowering basic neuroscience and clinical neurology by offering new platforms that minimize invasiveness and refine possibilities during electrophysiological recording and stimulation. Despite their advantages, most systems require on-board power supply and sizeable transmission circuitry, enforcing a lower bound for miniaturization. Designing new minimalistic architectures that can efficiently sense neurophysiological events will open the door to standalone microscale sensors and minimally invasive delivery of multiple sensors. Here we present a circuit for sensing ionic fluctuations in the brain by an ion-sensitive field effect transistor that detunes a single radiofrequency resonator in parallel. We establish sensitivity of the sensor by electromagnetic analysis and quantify response to ionic fluctuations in vitro. We validate this new architecture in vivo during hindpaw stimulation in rodents and verify correlation with local field potential recordings. This new approach can be implemented as an integrated circuit for wireless in situ recording of brain electrophysiology.

Wireless in vivo Recording of Cortical Activity by an Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistor.

Wireless brain technologies are empowering basic neuroscience and clinical neurology by offering new platforms that minimize invasiveness and refine possibilities during electrophysiological recording and stimulation. Despite their advantages, most systems require on-board power supply and sizeable transmission circuitry, enforcing a lower bound for miniaturization. Designing new minimalistic architectures that can efficiently sense neurophysiological events will open the door to standalone microscale sensors and minimally invasive delivery of multiple sensors. Here we present a circuit for sensing ionic fluctuations in the brain by an ion-sensitive field effect transistor that detunes a single radiofrequency resonator in parallel. We establish sensitivity of the sensor by electromagnetic analysis and quantify response to ionic fluctuations in vitro . We validate this new architecture in vivo during hindpaw stimulation in rodents and verify correlation with local field potential recordings. This new approach can be implemented as an integrated circuit for wireless in situ recording of brain electrophysiology.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the Emergency Department: Establishing an Interprofessional Incident Command System.

Coronavirus disease 2019 was declared a national emergency in the United States on March 13, 2020, at which time the Children's National Hospital Emergency Department in Washington, DC, mobilized to develop and implement a unit-based Incident Command System. Anticipating that the unique and challenging nature of this pandemic might require a large interprofessional team, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, and emergency physician assistants were placed in traditional Incident Command System roles to provide an organizational framework for the ED response. This framework served multiple purposes but most importantly it helped to efficiently streamline and coordinate communications within the emergency department, with hospital leadership and with other hospital departments. The focus on intentionally taking an interprofessional approach to assigning Incident Command System roles was key to optimize staff safety, patient care, and clinical efficiency. This paper highlights a unique concept of applying the Incident Command System model to a single hospital department in a disaster scenario, using existing ED staff to function in various roles not typically held during regular operations. Given that policies and procedures can be ever-changing during a pandemic, emergency departments can implement an interprofessional incident command structure to provide a framework for communications and operational planning that allows for agility based on evolving priorities. The Children's National Hospital ED Incident Command System model established during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic can serve as a guide for other emergency departments during a disaster response.

Enhanced magnetic transduction of neuronal activity by nanofabricated inductors quantified via finite element analysis.

Objective.Methods for the detection of neural signals involve a compromise between invasiveness, spatiotemporal resolution, and the number of neurons or brain regions recorded. Electrode-based probes provide excellent response but usually require transcranial wiring and capture activity from limited neuronal populations. Noninvasive methods such as electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography offer fast readouts of field potentials or biomagnetic signals, respectively, but have spatial constraints that prohibit recording from single neurons. A cell-sized device that enhances neurogenic magnetic fields can be used as anin situsensor for magnetic-based modalities and increase the ability to detect diverse signals across multiple brain regions.Approach.We designed and modeled a device capable of forming a tight electromagnetic junction with single neurons, thereby transducing changes in cellular potential to magnetic field perturbations by driving current through a nanofabricated inductor element.Main results.We present detailed quantification of the device performance using realistic finite element simulations with signals and geometries acquired from patch-clamped neuronsin vitroand demonstrate the capability of the device to produce magnetic signals readable via existing modalities. We compare the magnetic output of the device to intrinsic neuronal magnetic fields (NMFs) and show that the transduced magnetic field intensity from a single neuron is more than three-fold higher at its peak (1.62 nT vs 0.51 nT). Importantly, we report on a large spatial enhancement of the transduced magnetic field output within a typical voxel (40 × 40 × 10µm) over 250 times higher than the intrinsic NMF strength (0.64 nT vs 2.5 pT). We use this framework to perform optimizations of device performance based on nanofabrication constraints and material choices.Significance.Our quantifications institute a foundation for synthesizing and applying electromagnetic sensors for detecting brain activity and can serve as a general method for quantifying recording devices at the single cell level.

Relational security: The impact of facility design on youth custodial staffs' practices and approaches.

BACKGROUND: Constructive relationships between staff and young people in custody are a vital component of a therapeutic youth justice approach, which extends to the maintenance of a safe and secure environment (i.e., relational security). Despite the growing recognition that the physical environment of a facility impacts the procedures within a youth justice environment, as well as the relationships between staff and young people, there is a dearth of research in this area. AIMS: We investigated youth custodial staffs' views on, and approaches to, establishing relationships with young people while maintaining safety and security. The current study reports on the impacts and challenges highlighted by staff relating to the design of the facility. METHODS: We interviewed a total of 26 custodial staff members working at a Youth Justice facility in Melbourne, Australia. The semi-structured interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. NVivo 12 was used for thematic analysis. Two researchers (SO and PT) coded one transcript independently, iteratively creating a coding template using a thematic analysis approach. Once the final set of broad themes was constructed, the transcripts were re-examined, and narrower themes were identified. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed that a total of 14 staff (53.8%) identified the design of the custodial facility as impacting upon their ability to practice relational security. Identified design aspects included: unit size, quiet and private spaces, communal areas, green and outside spaces, ambience and spatial characteristics, spatial differentiation, facility and unit lay-out. CONCLUSION: Youth custodial staff identified design aspects of a youth custodial facility that either promoted or impeded the ability to practice relational security approaches. The current study highlights the importance of carefully considering facility design given its impact upon staff-young people relationships, procedures and ways of working within these custodial facilities.

Light-induced displacement of PLASTID MOVEMENT IMPAIRED1 precedes light-dependent chloroplast movements.

Light-dependent chloroplast movements are an actin-dependent cellular response to changes in the light environment that help plants maximize photosynthetic potential and reduce photodamage. Over a dozen proteins are known to be required for normal chloroplast movements, but the molecular mechanisms regulating the transformation of light perception into chloroplast motility are not fully understood. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) the actin-bundling plasma membrane-associated proteins THRUMIN1, PLASTID MOVEMENT IMPAIRED1 (PMI1), and KINESIN-LIKE PROTEIN FOR ACTIN-BASED CHLOROPLAST MOVEMENT1 (KAC1) interact through the 14-3-3 proteins KAPPA and OMEGA. We also show that the interaction of PMI1 with 14-3-3 KAPPA and OMEGA is regulated by blue light activation of the Phototropin2 photoreceptor. Live-cell confocal microscopy revealed light-induced dynamic changes in the cellular localizations of PMI1 and KAC1. In particular, PMI1 was relocated away from irradiated areas of the plasma membrane in less than a minute after blue light exposure, consistent with PMI1 playing a critical role in initiating light-dependent chloroplast movements. We present a modified conceptual model for high light-dependent chloroplast movements in which PMI1 acts as the mobile signal that initiates a coordinated sequence of changes in protein-protein and protein-plasma membrane interactions that initiate the chloroplast movement response and determine where in the cell chloroplasts are able to anchor to the plasma membrane.

Using the novel functional purchase task to examine prescription stimulant drug effect preferences in college students.

Nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NMPSU) is a rising trend among college-age adults (18-25 years old). Survey research has identified several reasons for use, including enhancing cognitive, athletic, and social performance. Less is known about how relative reinforcing value differs based on the self-reported reasons for use. The commodity purchase task (CPT) is used to assess demand for substances such as alcohol and cigarettes and has been extended for NMPSU among college student users. However, this work has not been replicated for NMPSU or expanded to determine how reason for use affects drug demand. The aim of this study was to develop a novel functional purchase task (FPT) to measure demand for preferred stimulant-like drug effects (e.g., focus, academic achievement, energy). Undergraduate students (n = 116) recruited from two universities who endorsed lifetime NMPSU completed five hypothetical stimulant purchase tasks, one for stimulant medication and four based on their ordinal ranking of eight possible reasons for stimulant use. Results support using a CPT to measure the reinforcing value of prescription stimulants and found demand predicts past year NMPSU, but not other variables associated with use. Furthermore, there are multiple reinforcing functions of NMPSU among college students, and more preferred reasons for use corresponded with higher demand intensity and inelasticity on the FPT at the aggregate level but less so at the individual participant level. These results suggest the need for further work exploring the utility of a functional approach to measure demand as reinforcing value. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of "Personal Protective Equipment Conservation Strategies Tool" to Predict Consumption of N95s, Facemasks, and Gowns During Pandemic-Related Shortages.

We sought to prospectively validate a model to predict the consumption of personal protective equipment in a pediatric emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed the Personal Protective Equipment Conservation Strategies Tool, a Monte Carlo simulation model with input parameters defined by members of our emergency department personal protective equipment task force. Inputs include different conservation strategies that reflect dynamic reuse policies. Over the course of 4 consecutive weeks in April and May 2020, we used the model to predict the consumption of N95 respirators, facemasks, and gowns in our emergency department based on values for each input parameter. At the end of each week, we calculated the percent difference between actual consumption and predicted consumption based on model outputs. Actual consumption of personal protective equipment was within 20% of model predictions for each of the 4 consecutive weeks for N95s (range, -16.3% to 16.1%) and facemasks (range, -7.6% to 13.1%), using "maximum conservation" and "high conservation" strategies, respectively. Actual consumption of gowns was 11.8% less than predicted consumption for Week 1, gown resupply data were unavailable on Weeks 2-4. The Personal Protective Equipment Conservation Strategies Tool was prospectively validated for "maximum conservation" and "high conservation" models, with actual consumption within 20% of model predictions.

Light-dependent phosphorylation of THRUMIN1 regulates its association with actin filaments and 14-3-3 proteins.

Light-dependent chloroplast movements in leaf cells contribute to the optimization of photosynthesis. Low-light conditions induce chloroplast accumulation along periclinal cell surfaces, providing greater access to available light, whereas high light induces movement of chloroplasts to anticlinal cell surfaces, providing photodamage protection and allowing more light to reach underlying cell layers. The THRUMIN1 protein is required for normal chloroplast movements in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and has been shown to localize at the plasma membrane and to undergo rapid light-dependent interactions with actin filaments through the N-terminal intrinsically disordered region (IDR). A predicted WASP-Homology 2 domain was found in the IDR but mutations in this domain did not disrupt localization of THRUMIN1:YFP to actin filaments. A series of other protein truncations and site-directed mutations of known and putative phosphorylation sites indicated that a phosphomimetic mutation (serine to aspartic acid) at position 170 disrupted localization of THRUMIN1 to actin filaments. However, the phosphomimetic mutant rescued the thrumin1-2 mutant phenotype for chloroplast movement and raises questions about the role of THRUMIN1's interaction with actin. Mutation of serine 146 to aspartic acid also resulted in cytoplasmic localization of THRUMIN1:YFP in Nicotiana benthamiana. Mutations to a group of putative zinc-binding cysteine clusters implicate the C-terminus of THRUMIN1 in chloroplast movement. Phosphorylation-dependent association of THRUMIN1 with 14-3-3 KAPPA and OMEGA were also identified. Together, these studies provide insights into the mechanistic role of THRUMIN1 in light-dependent chloroplast movements.

Beliefs related to health care incentives: Comparison of substance use disorder treatment providers, medical treatment providers, and a public sample.

This study surveyed substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers, medical treatment providers, and a public sample about beliefs regarding health care incentives to explore differences among the groups and across health disorders for which research has demonstrated incentives improve outcomes. Six hundred participants (n = 200/group) completed the Provider Survey of Incentives. The study found between group differences for positive and negative beliefs. The public sample was highest on the positive beliefs subscale (M = 3.81), followed by SUD (M = 3.63) and medical treatment providers (M = 3.48; F(2, 597) = 20.09, p < .001). The medical treatment providers were highest on the negative beliefs subscale (M = 2.91), compared to the public sample (M = 2.77) and SUD treatment providers (M = 2.65; F(2, 597) = 7.521, p < .001). Endorsement of incentives to treat medical disorders was similar across the groups, with obesity the most endorsed disorder. In contrast, endorsement of incentives to treat SUDs differed across groups, except for smoking. The SUD treatment providers were almost twice as likely as the public sample (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.27-2.59) and the public sample almost twice as likely as the medical treatment providers (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.24-2.47) to endorse the use of incentives to treat more SUDs. Medical treatment providers were also the least likely to endorse incentives to treat both legal and illicit substance use. These findings suggest that incentive programs have good acceptability among SUD treatment providers and the public, but medical treatment providers are less accepting of incentive programs. This study provides evidence that incentive-based interventions are acceptable to the public and is the first to document specific objections that individuals disseminating incentive interventions will most likely face when introducing them in medical settings.

Behavior-Analytic Approaches to the Management of Diabetes Mellitus: Current Status and Future Directions.

Diabetes mellitus is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, requiring a series of complex behavior changes that must be sustained for a lifetime (e.g., counting carbohydrates, self-monitoring blood glucose, adjusting insulin). Although complex, all of these tasks involve behavior, making them amenable targets for behavior analysts. In this article, the authors describe interventions that have focused on antecedent, consequent, multicomponent, and alternate procedures for the management of diabetes, highlighting ways in which technology has been used to overcome common barriers to the use of these intensive, evidence-based interventions. Additional variables relevant to poorly managed diabetes (e.g., delay discounting) are also discussed. Future research and practice should focus on harnessing continued advances in information technology while also considering underexplored behavioral technologies for the effective treatment of diabetes, with a focus on identifying sustainable, long-term solutions for maintaining proper diabetes management. Practical implementation of these interventions will depend on having qualified behavior analysts working in integrated primary care settings where the interventions are most likely to be used, which will require interdisciplinary training and collaboration.

Self-Winding Helices as Slow-Wave Structures for Sub-Millimeter Traveling-Wave Tubes.

We present a transformative route to obtain mass-producible helical slow-wave structures for operation in beam-wave interaction devices at THz frequencies. The approach relies on guided self-assembly of conductive nanomembranes. Our work coordinates simulations of cold helices (i.e., helices with no electron beam) and hot helices (i.e., helices that interact with an electron beam). The theoretical study determines electromagnetic fields, current distributions, and beam-wave interaction in a parameter space that has not been explored before. These parameters include microscale diameter, pitch, tape width, and nanoscale surface finish. Parametric simulations show that beam-wave interaction devices based on self-assembled and electroplated helices will potentially provide gain-bandwidth products higher than 2 dBTHz at 1 THz. Informed by the simulation results, we fabricate prototype helices for operation as slow-wave structures at THz frequencies, using metal nanomembranes. Single and intertwined double helices, as well as helices with one or two chiralities, are obtained by self-assembly of stressed metal bilayers. The nanomembrane stiffness and built-in stress control the diameter of the helices. The in-plane geometry of the nanomembrane determines the pitch, the chirality, and the formation of single vs intertwined double helices.

Awareness and knowledge of anal cancer in a community-recruited sample of HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.

Background Anal cancer disproportionately affects people with HIV infection, especially gay and bisexual men (GBM). The awareness and understanding of human papillomavirus (HPV) and anal cancer in a community-based sample of people living with HIV and GBM was explored to inform future evidence-based public health interventions. METHODS: Following consultation with affected communities and relevant healthcare professionals, a questionnaire was developed that assessed knowledge, understanding and experience of anal HPV, HPV vaccination, screening and perceived personal risk of anal cancer. Participants were recruited through HIV community and GBM organisations and anonymously completed the questionnaire online. RESULTS: Of 1660 questionnaires returned, 1574 were analysed from men, of whom 1535 (97.5%) identified as GBM and 15.7% reported being HIV-positive. Most (51.8%) of the HIV-positive men and 68.1% of HIV-negative or unknown men thought their risk of anal cancer was the same, or lower, than that of the general population. Only a small minority (12.5%) reported ever having talked to their doctor about anal HPV and/or anal cancer and 11.6% reported ever having had an anal cancer examination. Less than one-third (31.5%) had heard of HPV vaccination and only 2.9% of men recollected receiving HPV vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and awareness of anal cancer was generally poor in a sample of HIV-positive and HIV-negative GBM. Specific information targeted at these people could potentially raise awareness, leading to earlier diagnosis, reduced burden of disease among GBM and less demands on the healthcare system. Young GBM might benefit from education regarding the importance of HPV vaccination.

Sexual partner's age as a risk factor for HIV seroconversion in a cohort of HIV-negative homosexual men in Sydney.

Increasing partner age may be an important risk factor for HIV infection in homosexual men. About 20 % of 1,427 participants in the Health in Men study in Sydney, Australia, reported that half or more of their partners were much older. Having more partners who were much older was associated with an increased risk of HIV seroconversion (p trend = 0.002), and this remained significant after adjustment for participants' age, number of regular and casual partners, and sexual risk behaviour (p trend = 0.027). Men who reported much older partners were at increased risk of HIV infection, independent of unprotected anal intercourse with sero-nonconcordant partners.