Race and ethnicity representation in clinical trials: findings from a literature review of Phase I oncology trials

Aim: To provide an assessment of published literature on the demographic representation in Phase I trials of biopharmaceutical oncology agents. Materials & methods: We conducted a rapid evidence assessment to identify demographic representation reported in Phase I clinical trials for biopharmaceutical oncology agents published in 2019. Results: Globally, the population was predominantly White/Caucasian (62.2%). In the USA, the distribution was heavily skewed toward White/Caucasian (84.2%), with minimal representation of Blacks/African–Americans (7.3%), Asians (3.4%), Hispanics/Latinos (2.8%) or other race/ethnicity groups. Conclusion: Our data highlight that Phase I oncology trials do not reflect the population at large, which may perpetuate health disparities. Further research is needed to understand and address barriers to participation, particularly among under-represented groups

Visual Perception and the Emergence of Minimal Representation

There is a long-lasting quest of demarcating a minimally representational behavior. Based on neurophysiologically-informed behavioral studies, we argue in detail that one of the simplest cases of organismic behavior based on low-resolution spatial vision–the visually-guided obstacle avoidance in the cubozoan medusa Tripedalia cystophora–implies already a minimal form of representation. We further argue that the characteristics and properties of this form of constancy-employing structural representation distinguish it substantially from putative representational states associated with mere sensory indicators, and we reply to some possible objections from the liberal representationalists camp by defending and qualitatively demarcating the minimal nature of our case. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of our thesis within a naturalistic framework.

O estresse da hospitalização na infância na perspectiva do enfermeiro

Compreender as perspectivas do enfermeiro sobre o estresse da hospitalização na infância. Pesquisa descritiva e exploratória, com abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvida em um hospital de urgência e emergência, em setembro de 2018, com sete enfermeiros. Os dados foram coletados por um roteiro semiestruturado e analisados pelo discurso do sujeito coletivo. Emergiram cinco ideias centrais: O estresse se manifesta pelas mudanças comportamentais e alterações nos parâmetros fisiológicos; A hospitalização como recurso terapêutico que gera ansiedade devido a separação do sistema, suporte e rotina doméstica da criança; A hospitalização é uma experiência para a criança e sua família que pode gerar desconforto e resultar em estresse; A dor como a principal consequência dos procedimentos invasivos; O diálogo, a distração e os brinquedos são ferramentas que minimizam o estresse durante a hospitalização. A perspectiva dos enfermeiros está majoritariamente voltada para o modelo biomédico, com ínfima representatividade do cuidado integral.Descritores: Criança Hospitalizada, Estresse Psicológico, Enfermagem. The stress of hospitalization in childhood from the nurse's perspectiveAbstract: To understand nurses perspectives on the stress of hospitalization in childhood. Descriptive and exploratory research, with a qualitative approach, developed in urgency and emergency hospital, in September 2018, with seven nurses. Data were collected using a semi-structured script and analyzed using the collective subject's discourse. Five central ideas emerged: Stress is manifested by behavioral changes and changes in physiological parameters; Hospitalization as a therapeutic resource that generates anxiety due to the separation of the child's system, support and domestic routine; Hospitalization is an experience for the child and his family that can cause discomfort and result in stress; Pain as the main consequence of invasive procedures; Dialogue, distraction and toys are tools that minimize stress during hospitalization. The nurses perspective is mostly focused on the biomedical model, with minimal representation of comprehensive care.Descriptors: Hospitalized Child, Psychological Stress, Nursing. El estrés de la hospitalización en la infancia desde la perspectiva de la enfermeraResumen: Comprender las perspectivas de las enfermeras sobre el estrés de la hospitalización en la infancia. Investigación descriptiva y exploratoria, con enfoque cualitativo, desarrollada en un hospital de urgencias y emergencias, en septiembre de 2018, con siete enfermeras. Los datos fueron recolectados usando un guión semi-estructurado y analizados usando el discurso del sujeto colectivo. Surgieron cinco ideas centrales: el estrés se manifiesta por cambios de comportamiento y cambios en los parámetros fisiológicos; La hospitalización como recurso terapéutico que genera ansiedad debido a la separación del sistema del niño, el apoyo y la rutina doméstica; La hospitalización es una experiencia para el niño y su familia que puede causar molestias y provocar estrés; El dolor como consecuencia principal de los procedimientos invasivos; El diálogo, la distracción y los juguetes son herramientas que minimizan el estrés durante la hospitalización. La perspectiva de las enfermeras se centra principalmente en el modelo biomédico, con una representación muy pequeña de la atención integral.Descriptores: Niño Hospitalizado, Estrés Psicológico, Enfermería.

Synthetic heparan sulfate standards and machine learning facilitate the development of solid-state nanopore analysis

The application of solid-state (SS) nanopore devices to single-molecule nucleic acid sequencing has been challenging. Thus, the early successes in applying SS nanopore devices to the more difficult class of biopolymer, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), have been surprising, motivating us to examine the potential use of an SS nanopore to analyze synthetic heparan sulfate GAG chains of controlled composition and sequence prepared through a promising, recently developed chemoenzymatic route. A minimal representation of the nanopore data, using only signal magnitude and duration, revealed, by eye and image recognition algorithms, clear differences between the signals generated by four synthetic GAGs. By subsequent machine learning, it was possible to determine disaccharide and even monosaccharide composition of these four synthetic GAGs using as few as 500 events, corresponding to a zeptomole of sample. These data suggest that ultrasensitive GAG analysis may be possible using SS nanopore detection and well-characterized molecular training sets.

A Crash Course in Representation Theory

This chapter studies representation theory. In order to state the equivariant localization formula of Atiyah–Bott and Berline–Vergne, one will need to know some representation theory. Representation theory “represents” the elements of a group by matrices in such a way that group multiplication becomes matrix multiplication. It is a way of simplifying group theory. The chapter provides the minimal representation theory needed for equivariant cohomology. A real representation of a group G is a group homomorphism. Every representation has at least two invariant subspaces, 0 and V. These are called the trivial invariant subspaces. A representation is said to be irreducible if it has no invariant subspaces other than 0 and V; otherwise, it is reducible.

A Minimal Representation of the Orthosymplectic Lie Supergroup

We construct a minimal representation of the orthosymplectic Lie supergroup $OSp(p,q|2n)$ for $p+q$ even, generalizing the Schrödinger model of the minimal representation of $O(p,q)$ to the super case. The underlying Lie algebra representation is realized on functions on the minimal orbit inside the Jordan superalgebra associated with $\mathfrak{osp}(p,q|2n)$, so that our construction is in line with the orbit philosophy. Its annihilator is given by a Joseph-like ideal for $\mathfrak{osp}(p,q|2n)$, and therefore the representation is a natural generalization of a minimal representation to the context of Lie superalgebras. We also calculate its Gelfand–Kirillov dimension and construct a nondegenerate sesquilinear form for which the representation is skew-symmetric and which is the analogue of an $L^2$-inner product in the supercase.

Minish HAT: A Tool for the Minimization of Here-and-There Logic Programs and Theories in Answer Set Programming

When it comes to the writing of a new logic program or theory, it is of great importance to obtain a concise and minimal representation, for simplicity and ease of interpretation reasons. There are already a few methods and many tools, such as Karnaugh Maps or the Quine-McCluskey method, as well as their numerous software implementations, that solve this minimization problem in Boolean logic. This is not the case for Here-and-There logic, also called three-valued logic. Even though there are theoretical minimization methods for logic theories and programs, there aren’t any published tools that are able to obtain a minimal equivalent logic program. In this paper we present the first version of a tool called that is able to efficiently obtain minimal and equivalent representations for any logic program in Here-and-There. The described tool uses an hybrid method both leveraging a modified version of the Quine-McCluskey algorithm and Answer Set Programming techniques to minimize fairly complex logic programs in a reduced time.