Rapid Mobilization of Medical Student Volunteers to Administer Vaccines During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In December 2020, the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and vaccination efforts rapidly launched across the country. Concurrently, New York City experienced an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations. This created an immediate need to inoculate frontline workers in a strained health system that lacked sufficient personnel to meet the demand. In response, New York State permitted medical students with appropriate clinical experience to administer vaccinations. Albert Einstein College of Medicine students rapidly stepped in to administer vaccines and serve as clinic navigators. Student leaders at Einstein collaborated with Montefiore Medical Center to rapidly implement a student vaccination initiative. Medical students underwent virtual and on-site training regarding COVID-19 vaccines and their administration. In January 2021, students began to staff vaccine clinics across the Bronx. By July 2021, 291 out of 830 eligible medical and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) students (35.1%) had volunteered >2400 h. Of the 291 volunteers, 77 (26.5%) worked as vaccinators and administered approximately 2929 COVID-19 vaccines from January to May 2021. We demonstrate success using the concept of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in the context of training medical students in a specific clinical skill. Our framework resulted in the administration of approximately 2929 COVID-19 vaccines from January to May 2021. The authors believe that this framework can be implemented at peer institutions to alleviate the burden on hospital systems and outpatient clinics vaccinating their communities against COVID-19, or to meet future clinical needs.

Medical diagnosis of COVID-19 using blood tests and machine learning

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2), colloquially known as Coronavirus surfaced in late 2019 and is an extremely dangerous disease. RT-PCR (Reverse transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests are extensively used in COVID-19 diagnosis. However, they are prone to a lot of false negatives and erroneous results. Hence, alternate methods are being researched and discovered for the detection of this infectious disease. We diagnose and forecast COVID-19 with the help of routine blood tests and Artificial Intelligence in this paper. The COVID-19 patient dataset was obtained from Israelita Albert Einstein Hospital, Brazil. Logistic regression, random forest, k nearest neighbours and Xgboost were the classifiers used for prediction. Since the dataset was extremely unbalanced, a technique called SMOTE was used to perform oversampling. Random forest obtained optimal results with an accuracy of 92%. The most important parameters according to the study were leukocytes, eosinophils, platelets and monocytes. This preliminary COVID-19 detection can be utilised in conjunction with RT-PCR testing to improve sensitivity, as well as in further pandemic outbreaks.

Proof that Einstein’s field equations are invalid: Exposition of the unimodular defect

Albert Einstein first presented his gravitational field equations in unimodular coordinates. In these coordinates, the field equations can be written explicitly in terms of the Einstein pseudotensor for the energy-momentum of the gravitational field. Since this pseudotensor produces, by contraction, a first-order intrinsic differential invariant, it violates the laws of pure mathematics. This is sufficient to prove that Einstein’s unimodular field equations are invalid. Since the unimodular form must hold in the general theory of relativity, it follows that the latter is also physically and mathematically unsound, lacking a proper mathematical foundation.

A New Interpretation of Contributions Presented at the Solvay Conference 1911. Can We Falsify the “Geocentric” Foundations of Quantum Mechanics in the Solar System?

We have studied the contributions and presentations published in the Proceedings of the Solvay Conference 1911. Based on the lecture of Ernest Solvay on the “gravito-matérialitique” we can distinguish two features of the Earth´s gravitational field – 1. “gravité réelle” described by the Newton´s gravitational law and 2. “gravité potentielle” acting as an agent of the self-organization on quantum particles and creating structures described by the Planck constant hEARTH. From the discussions followed after the presentations of Walther Nernst and Albert Einstein we interpreted the Nernst- Lindemann Formula for the specific heat of solids using the comment of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (the discoverer of the superconductivity) as two transverse and one longitudinal oscillations of phonon in the surroundings at temperature T. In order to falsify this “geocentric” model of foundations of quantum mechanics in the spirit of Karl Popper we propose to initiate the CURE Project (China – USA – Russia – European Union) (cure = to solve a problem) in order to build quantum laboratories on different orbits around the Earth, on the surface of the Moon and Mars, and in the Lagrange points of the system the Earth – Moon and the Earth – Sun to get new experimental data for the specific heat of solids, the critical temperatures of superconductors, chemical and physical self-organized reactions (Liesegang rings, Belousov- Zhabotinsky waves, chemical clocks, Bose-Einstein condensates, de Broglie waves, etc.). There is space enough for all participants on this CURE Project to collect new valuable data describing this “hidden variable” presented by Ernest Solvay in his forgotten lecture in 1911.

De Mach ao ‘novo experimentalismo’

Experimentos de pensamento vêm sendo amplamente utilizados na história da ciência desde a Antiguidade. Contudo, somente por volta do século XIX eles passam a ser discutidos teoricamente, em termos de suas características e funcionalidades. Este artigo resgata estudos do físico e filósofo Ernst Mach, que acendem definitivamente as luzes sobre o potencial desses notáveis experimentos, considerações de Thomas Kuhn acerca desse conceito e a discussão do assunto a partir da menção a teses que surgem com o “novo experimentalismo”. Através de um exemplo desenvolvido por Albert Einstein em sua obra A teoria da relatividade especial e geral, reflete-se sobre essa temática e suas potencialidades para o ensino das ciências naturais, da física em particular.

Einstein en de kunst van... Managen zonder macht: Zeven alternatieven

Einstein Voor de auteurs staat Albert Einstein voor: nieuwsgierig, consistent, integer, gewetensvol, aandachtig en altijd persoonlijk. De onderzoeker, die vooral denkt in hypotheses, die hij aandachtig toetst door het stellen van vragen. Vragen en doorvragen, niet ophouden nieuwsgierig te zijn: een belangrijk kenmerk voor leiders en managers, die beogen verbetering te brengen in vaak complexe situaties. ... en de kunst van het zeilen In 2005 verscheen Einstein en de kunst van het zeilen, een zoektocht naar de nieuwe rol van de leidinggevende. Een lees- en werkboek over leiderschap en management, dat uitnodigt mee te zoeken naar de nieuwe rol van de leider. Het verzoek van veel gebruikers om ‘meer’, krijgt gehoor in de reeks Einstein en de kunst van.... Boeken met dezelfde ambitie, die de structuur, het karakter en de speelsheid van het basisboek naadloos volgen. Managen zonder macht De boodschap van dit boek is niet dat managen met macht (control of many by a few) per definitie overal en altijd fout zou zijn. Managen zonder macht (the capacity to produce change) blijkt echter een serieuze optie, die de moeite waard is om te onderzoeken. In die zin is dit boek een (onder)zoektocht, die de auteurs graag samen met hun lezers willen aangaan. Dit boek biedt een aantal theoretische kaders uit de Transactionele Analyse (Eric Berne), Group Relations Theory (Wilfred Bion) en de Systeem- en Communicatietheorie (Paul Watzlawick). Het is echter vooral een handreiking bij de zoektocht naar en de worsteling met de rol van leidinggevende in een snel veranderende omgeving.

“I think like if Albert Einstein and Superman had a baby, that's what it would take”: The experiences and perceptions of community and hospital healthcare professionals in a seniors’ patient navigator program

Introduction The success of new patient navigation programs have mostly been described from the perspectives of patient outcomes. Little is known about how patient navigators interact with healthcare professionals in the community and in hospital settings. Methods A qualitative study using a phenomenological analysis was undertaken to depict the lived experiences of Ontario (Canada) healthcare providers who have interacted with a patient navigator. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 healthcare professionals, including frontline care providers ( n = 25) and administrators ( n = 16) from hospital ( n = 21) and community care settings ( n = 21). Results Participants’ experiences were reflected in one overarching theme: role clarity and three emergent themes related to the overarching theme: (i) concerns over accountability of patient care (ii) trust (iii) attainable-but-not. Participants described an inconsistent understanding of the role of patient navigators which led to uncertainty regarding their role in patient care. The current nature of the healthcare system influenced participants’ belief in the sustainability of patient navigation model of care. Despite these experiences, participants felt that patient navigators could help healthcare providers care for patients by preventing potential crises from developing and enhancing their knowledge about services. Discussion This study expands our understanding of patient navigation programs by exploring the experiences and perceptions of healthcare professionals, thereby providing new perspectives into components that support the successful health outcomes of older adults being supported by a patient navigator. The implications of findings for research, clinical practice, and policy are described.

Albert Einstein: religiosidade e política como valores do homem de ciência

O objetivo do presente artigo é o de apresentar um Albert Einstein diferente daquele que comumente encontramos nos meios de comunicação social, bem como nos livros didáticos: a imagem de um gênio da Física, cujas produções teóricas deixaram marcas que muito dificilmente serão superadas e cujos efeitos práticos de suas teorias vemos a todo momento serem aplicados no campo da tecnologia. Gostaríamos, portanto, de apresentar, mesmo que de forma restrita, as facetas de um Einstein engajado nas causas mais nobres do seu tempo. Aquele que, enquanto homem de ciência, não se furtou de sua responsabilidade social e do alto de sua fama pronunciou-se sobre os mais diversos temas que afligiam o seu século. Especialmente, aqui, trataremos de dois posicionamentos de Einstein a respeito de temas que vimos ser cruciais em sua vida pessoal, a saber, “ciência e religião” e “ciência e política”. Esperamos que as linhas que se seguem, possam servir de exemplo e estímulo àqueles que as lerem.