• COVID-19
• CA close
• IE close

Dashboards use a suite of visual analytics, such as various forms of graphs (e.g., line graphs, histograms, bar charts, pie charts), maps, and infographics (e.g., gauges, traffic lights, meters, arrows) to display and communicate time series and spatial data. 1 Most contemporary dashboards are dynamic (i.e., being updated as data, including real-time data, are released) and interactive (e.g., allowing selecting, filtering, and querying data; zooming in or out, panning, and overlaying; changing type of visualization).2 The power and utility of dashboards is that they act as effective cognitive tools for making sense of and tracking voluminous, varied, and quickly transitioning data, enabling users to examine emerging patterns and trends and make evidence- informed decisions and policy responses.3,4 Consequently, dashboards have become common across sectors as a means to communicate, monitor, track, analyze, and act on large volumes of dynamic data.

Ionizable cationic lipids are essential for efficient

The study aims to investigate the effects of delivery modalities on psychometric characteristics and student performance on cognitive tests. A first study assessed the inductive reasoning ability of 715 students under the supervision of teachers. A second study examined 731 students’ performance on the application of the control-of variables strategy in basic physics but without teacher supervision due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rasch measurement showed that the online format fitted to the data better in the unidimensional model across two conditions. Under teacher supervision, paper-based testing was better than online testing in terms of reliability and total scores, but contradictory findings were found in turn without teacher supervision. Although measurement invariance was confirmed between two versions at item level, the differential bundle functioning analysis supported the online groups on the item bundles constructed of figure-related materials. Response time was also discussed as an advantage of technology-based assessment for test development.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the leading technology for RNA delivery, given the success of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA (mRNA) vaccines, and small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapies (patisiran). However, optimization of LNP process parameters and compositions for larger RNA payloads such as self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), which can have complex secondary structures, have not been carried out. Furthermore, the interactions between process parameters, critical quality attributes (CQAs), and function, such as protein expression and cellular activation, are not well understood. Here, we used two iterations of design of experiments (DoE) (definitive screening design and Box-Behnken design) to optimize saRNA formulations using the leading, FDA-approved ionizable lipids (MC3, ALC-0315, and SM-102). We observed that PEG is required to preserve the CQAs and that saRNA is more challenging to encapsulate and preserve than mRNA. We identified three formulations to minimize cellular activation, maximize cellular activation, or meet a CQA profile while maximizing protein expression. The significant parameters and design of the response surface modeling and multiple response optimization may be useful for designing formulations for a range of applications, such as vaccines or protein replacement therapies, for larger RNA cargoes.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at elevated risk for HIV infection; however, syringe services programs (SSPs) are effective in curtailing HIV transmission. Despite their effectiveness, SSPs in many settings are hampered by social and political opposition. We aimed to estimate the impact of closure and temporary interruption of SSP service provision on the HIV epidemic among PWID in a rural US setting. Methods: Using an agent-based model calibrated to observed surveillance data, we simulated HIV risk behaviors and transmission in adult populations who inject and do not inject drugs in Scott County, Indiana, a rural American setting that experienced a devastating HIV outbreak in 2015. We projected HIV incidence and prevalence between 2020 and 2025 for scenarios with permanent closure, delayed closure (one additional renewal for 24 months before closure), and temporary closure (representing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) of an SSP in comparison to SSP maintenance. Findings: With sustained SSP operation, we projected an incidence rate of 0.16 per 100 person-years among the overall population (95% simulation interval: 0.08-0.29). Permanently closing the SSP would cause an average of 62 more HIV infections and a 52.0% increase in the incidence rate during 2021 to 2025, resulting in a higher prevalence of 59.0% [48.3%-68.4%] (22.0% increase) among PWID by 2025. A delayed closure (from 2023 to 2025) would increase the five-year incidence rate by 33.2%. A temporary closure (lasting 12 months) would cause 12 (32.8%) more infections during 2020 to 2021. Interpretation: Our analysis suggests that temporary interruption and permanent closure of existing SSPs operating in rural US settings may lead to “rebound” HIV outbreaks among PWID. To maintain control of the HIV epidemic, it will be necessary to sustain existing or implement new SSPs in combination with other prevention interventions. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant number DP2DA040236 to B.D.L.M and grant number R25MH083620 to W.C.G.) Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has amplified preexisting racism and xenophobia. In this study, we investigated (a) whether perceived personal and group discrimination make distinct contributions to Chinese Canadians' negative affect and concern that the heightened discrimination they experienced during the pandemic will continue after the pandemic; (b) whether Canadian and Chinese identities and social support moderate the effect of discrimination on this concern; and (c) whether race-based rejection sensitivity (RS) explains why each type of discrimination predicts negative affect and expectation of future discrimination.A sample of Chinese Canadian adults across Canadian provinces (Personal and group discrimination were intercorrelated and positively associated with negative emotion and expectation of future discrimination. Chinese Canadians who identified more strongly as Chinese experienced a less adverse impact related to group discrimination. However, those who identified more (vs. less) strongly as Canadians were more likely to be impacted by personal discrimination. Finally, path analysis revealed that both personal and group discrimination were positively associated with RS, which in turn predicted an expectation that long-lasting racism would continue after the pandemic.Group and personal discrimination play different roles in Chinese Canadians' experiences during and expectations after the pandemic. Maintaining Chinese identity can be beneficial to Chinese Canadians, particularly in mitigating the negative effect of group discrimination during the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).