Search

In dialogue with science education and learning sciences research, in this article we develop a disciplinary-specific view on youth and community agency for community-based technology education. Cultivating agency is a central principle in our design and empirical study of the Young People's Race, Power, and Technology Program (YPRPT), a program designed to engage youth in critical inquiry about the technologies impacting their local communities. In this article, drawing from our multiyear partnership with a community-based youth organization, we examine how agency was supported and constrained as a function of the practices we engaged in as a research team committed to participatory and justice-centered education. Our findings illustrate ways that the emergence and enactment of agency, at both individual and community levels, works to interrupt, subvert, and creatively "jam" systems of power. We argue that cultivating agency in community-driven science and technology learning requires an honest reckoning with the deeply entrenched racial and economic oppression in the United States. We contend that it is equally essential to commit to learning from, co-designing with, and working in solidarity alongside the youth and communities that are most impacted by technologies that mediate our experiences--toward unveiling, resisting, and reimagining their powerful roles in our collective lives.

Abstract Bimetallic nickel‐iron based oxides are regarded as one of the most promising catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this study, we show that the precursor metal salts can affect the OER activity of the resulting Ni/Fe oxide under the same hydrothermal synthesis conditions. Pure sulfate, pure nitrate and mixed sulfate/nitrate metal salts were used to fabricate NiFe based oxide materials and to study the importance of the precursor choice for the OER. The results show that the nature of the precursor used in the synthesis of the bimetallic nickel‐iron materials can influence different multi‐phase catalysts to form which effects the OER.

Abstract Leveraging high performance computing, remote sensing, geographic data science, machine learning, and computer vision, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has partnered with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to build a baseline structure inventory covering the US and its territories to support disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The dataset contains more than 125 million structures with critical attribution, and is ready to be used by federal agencies, local government and first responders to accelerate on-the-ground response to disasters, further identify vulnerable areas, and develop strategies to enhance the resilience of critical structures and communities. Data can be freely and openly accessed through Figshare data repository, ESRI’s Living Atlas or FEMA’s Geodata platform.

Abstract Background Between 2020 and 2022, eight calves in a Nebraska herd (composite Simmental, Red Angus, Gelbvieh) displayed exercise intolerance during forced activity. In some cases, the calves collapsed and did not recover. Available sire pedigrees contained a paternal ancestor within 2–4 generations in all affected calves. Pedigrees of the calves’ dams were unavailable, however, the cows were ranch-raised and retained from prior breeding seasons, where bulls used for breeding occasionally had a common ancestor. Therefore, it was hypothesized that a de novo autosomal recessive variant was causative of exercise intolerance in these calves. Results A genome-wide association analysis utilizing SNP data from 6 affected calves and 715 herd mates, followed by whole-genome sequencing of 2 affected calves led to the identification of a variant in the gene PYGM (BTA29:g.42989581G > A). The variant, confirmed to be present in the skeletal muscle transcriptome, was predicted to produce a premature stop codon (p.Arg650*). The protein product of PYGM, myophosphorylase, breaks down glycogen in skeletal muscle. Glycogen concentrations were fluorometrically assayed as glucose residues demonstrating significantly elevated glycogen concentrations in affected calves compared to cattle carrying the variant and to wild-type controls. The absence of the PYGM protein product in skeletal muscle was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and label-free quantitative proteomics analysis; muscle degeneration was confirmed in biopsy and necropsy samples. Elevated skeletal muscle glycogen persisted after harvest, resulting in a high pH and dark-cutting beef, which is negatively perceived by consumers and results in an economic loss to the industry. Carriers of the variant did not exhibit differences in meat quality or any measures of animal well-being. Conclusions Myophosphorylase deficiency poses welfare concerns for affected animals and negatively impacts the final product. The association of the recessive genotype with dark-cutting beef further demonstrates the importance of genetics to not only animal health but to the quality of their product. Although cattle heterozygous for the variant may not immediately affect the beef industry, identifying carriers will enable selection and breeding strategies to prevent the production of affected calves.

Abstract Objectives B cells are important in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. It is yet unknown which subsets may be involved, but atypical B cells have been proposed as mediators of autoimmunity. In this study, we investigated differences in B‐cell subsets between controls and patients with untreated and anti‐CD20‐treated multiple sclerosis. Methods We recruited 155 participants for an exploratory cohort comprising peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and a validation cohort comprising peripheral blood. Flow cytometry was used to characterize B‐cell phenotypes and effector functions of CD11c+ atypical B cells. Results There were no differences in circulating B cells between controls and untreated multiple sclerosis. As expected, anti‐CD20‐treated patients had a markedly lower B‐cell count. Of B cells remaining after treatment, we observed higher proportions of CD11c+ B cells and plasmablasts. CD11c+ B cells were expanded in cerebrospinal fluid compared to peripheral blood in controls and untreated multiple sclerosis. Surprisingly, the proportion of CD11c+ cerebrospinal fluid B cells was higher in controls and after anti‐CD20 therapy than in untreated multiple sclerosis. Apart from the presence of plasmablasts, the cerebrospinal fluid B‐cell composition after anti‐CD20 therapy resembled that of controls. CD11c+ B cells demonstrated a high potential for both proinflammatory and regulatory cytokine production. Interpretation The study demonstrates that CD11c+ B cells and plasmablasts are less efficiently depleted by anti‐CD20 therapy, and that CD11c+ B cells comprise a phenotypically and functionally distinct, albeit heterogenous, B‐cell subset with the capacity of exerting both proinflammatory and regulatory functions.

Background: Good communication is central to effective social work practice, helping to develop constructive working relationships and improve the outcomes of people in receipt of social work services. There is strong consensus that the teaching and learning of communication skills for social work students is an essential component of social work qualifying courses. However, the variation in communication skills training and its components is significant. There is a sizeable body of evidence relating to communication skills training therefore a review of the findings helps to clarify what we know about this important topic in social work education. We conducted this systematic review to determine whether communication skills training for social work students works and which types of communication skills training, if any, were more effective and lead to the most positive outcomes. Objectives: This systematic review aimed to critically evaluate all studies which have investigated the effectiveness of communication skills training programmes for social work students. The research question which the review posed is: 'What is the effectiveness of communication skills training for improving the communicative abilities of social work students?' It was intended that the review would provide a robust evaluation of communication skills training for social work students and help explain variations in practice to support educators and policy-makers to make evidence-based decisions in social work education, practice and policy. Search Methods: We conducted a search for published and unpublished studies using a comprehensive search strategy that included multiple electronic databases, research registers, grey literature sources, and reference lists of prior reviews and relevant studies. Selection Criteria: Study selection was based on the following characteristics: Participants were social work students on generic (as opposed to client specific) qualifying courses; Interventions included any form of communication skills training; eligible studies were required to have an appropriate comparator such as no intervention or an alternative intervention; and outcomes included changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours. Study selection was not restricted by geography, language, publication date or publication type. Data Collection and Analysis: The search strategy was developed using the terms featuring in existing knowledge and practice reviews and in consultation with social work researchers, academics and the review advisory panel, to ensure that a broad range of terminology was included. One reviewer conducted the database searches, removing duplicates and irrelevant records, after which each record was screened by title and abstract by both reviewers to ensure robustness. Any studies deemed to be potentially eligible were retrieved in full text and screened by both reviewers. Main Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, findings indicate that communication skills training including empathy can be learnt, and that the systematic training of social work students results in some identifiable improvements in their communication skills. However, the evidence is dated, methodological rigour is weak, risk of bias is moderate to high/serious or incomplete, and extreme heterogeneity exists between the primary studies and the interventions they evaluated. As a result, data from the included studies were incomplete, inconsistent, and lacked validity, limiting the findings of this review, whilst identifying that further research is required. Authors' Conclusions: This review aimed to examine effects of communication skills training on a range of outcomes in social work education. With the exception of skill acquisition, there was insufficient evidence available to offer firm conclusions on other outcomes. For social work educators, our understanding of how communication skills and empathy are taught and learnt remain limited, due to a lack of empirical research and comprehensive discussion. Despite the limitations and variations in educational culture, the findings are still useful, and suggest that communication skills training is likely to be beneficial. One important implication for practice appears to be that the teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education should provide opportunities for students to practice skills in a simulated (or real) environment. For researchers, it is clear that further rigorous research is required. This should include using validated research measures, using research designs which include appropriate counterfactuals, alongside more careful and consistent reporting. The development of the theoretical underpinnings of the interventions used for the teaching and learning of communication skills in social work education is another area that researchers should address. [For the protocol, see EJ1267502.]

Purpose: Intravascular tumor emboli in axillary soft tissue (ITE) is a rare pathologic finding in breast cancer and is associated with higher axillary nodal disease burden. The independent prognostic and predictive value of this entity is unknown, as is the role of radiation therapy for ITE. Methods and Materials: We analyzed a prospectively maintained database of breast cancer patients treated from 1992 to 2020. Patients with ITE were matched to those without (1:2) based on propensity scores to control for potential confounding factors. Locoregional (LRR) and distant recurrence (DR) were evaluated using competing risks methods accounting for death as a competing event. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated by Cox regression models. Among patients with ITE, we also evaluated whether RT improved outcomes. Results: Among 2377 total patients, 129 had ITE, of whom 126 were propensity score matched to 252 without ITE. Median follow-up from time of surgery was 5.5 years (IQR 2.3, 9.7). There were no statistically significant differences in the 5-year incidence of LRR between groups (5.4% [95% CI, 1.6%-13%] with ITE vs 10% [95% CI, 6.7%-15%] without, P = .53) or DR (24% [95% CI, 15% 35%] with ITE vs 21% [95% CI, 16%-27%] without, P = .51). Five-year OS and DFS did not differ between groups (P > .9 for both comparisons, patients with ITE vs without ITE). In analyzing the effect of RT among patients with ITE, receipt of RT was associated with significantly improved DFS (HR, 0.34, 95% CI, 0.12-0.93, P = .04). Conclusions: Patients with ITE do not exhibit significantly worse LRR, DR, DFS, or OS compared with a propensity-score-matched cohort without ITE. However, among patients with ITE, those who received RT demonstrated significantly improved DFS. Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to evaluate the prognostic and predictive implications of ITE.