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From left, Nilanjan Chakraborty, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at SBU and IV Ramakrishnan, Professor of Computer Science, demonstrate how CART could hold a cup and move its arm. Photo by John Griffin/SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

Caretakers of those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (or “Lou Gehrig’s disease”) have an enormous responsibility, particularly as the disease progresses. People in the latter stages of the disease can require around-the-clock care with everything from moving their limbs to providing sustenance.

IV Ramakrishnan, Professor of Computer Science and an Associate Dean in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University, recently received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Army to lead a team that is building a Caregiving Robot Assistant, or CART, for ALS patients and their caregivers. 

The grant, which is for three years, will cover the cost of building, testing and refining a robot that a caregiver can help train and that can provide a helping hand in challenging circumstances.

Using off the shelf robot parts, Ramakrishnan envisions CART as a robotic arm on a mobile base, which can move around and, ultimately, help feed someone, get them some water and help them drink or open and close a door. They are also developing a special gripper that would allow the robotic arm to switch a channel on a TV or move a phone closer.

In working through the grant process, Ramakrishnan emphasized the ability of the robot, which can learn and respond through artificial intelligence programs he will create, to take care of a patient and offer help to meet the needs of people and their caregivers who are battling a progressive disease.

“As the needs evolve, the caregiver can show the robot” how to perform new tasks, Ramakrishnan said.

The project includes collaborators in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Nursing, the Renaissance School of Medicine, and clinical and support staff from the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence in the Neuroscience Institute at Stony Brook Medicine.

At this point, Ramakrishnan and his team have sent out fliers to recruit patients and caregivers to understand the physical challenges of daily living. 

Ramakrishnan would like to know “what are the kinds of tasks we should be doing,” he said, which will be different in the stages of the disease. They know what kinds of tasks the robot can do within limits. It can’t lift and move a heavy load.

Once the team chooses the tasks the robot can perform, they can try to program and test them in the lab, with the help of therapists and students from the nursing school.

After they develop the hardware and software to accomplish a set of actions, the team will recruit about a dozen patients who will test the robot for one to two weeks. Members of the ALS community interested in the project can reach out to Ramakrishnan by email.

A biostatistician will be a part of that group, monitoring and calculating the success rate.

At this point, the development and testing of the robot represents a pilot study. After the group has proven it can work, they plan to submit a follow up proposal and, eventually, to apply for approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Ramakrishnan estimates the robot will cost around $30,000, which is about the same cost as a motorized wheelchair. He is unsure whether Medicare will cover this expense.

As a part of the development, Ramakrishnan recognizes that the first goal, similar to the Hippocratic Oath doctors take, is to do no harm. He and his team are incorporating safety features that make the robot withdraw automatically if it gets too close to someone.

A key part of the team

Members of the CART team: Vibha Mullick, and her husband, ALS patient Anuraag Mullick, are in the center. Back row, from left: Clare Whitney, Nilanjan Chakraborty, Theresa Imperato, C.R. Ramakrishnan, and Wei Zhu. Front row, from left, are Maria Milazzo and I.V. Ramakrishnan. Photo by John Griffin

Vibha Mullick, a Senior Web and Database Analyst in Computer Science and resident of South Setauket, will be a key team member on the project.

Mullick has been caring for her husband Anuraag Mullick, who is 64 and was diagnosed with ALS in 2016. Anuraag Mullick is confined to a wheelchair where he can’t swallow or breathe on his own.

“My husband also wants to participate” in the development, said Mullick, who spends considerable time reading his lips.

Caring for her husband is a full-time job. She said she can’t leave him alone for more than five or 10 minutes, as she has to suction out saliva he can’t swallow and that would cause him to choke. When she’s at work, a nurse takes care of him. At night, if she can’t get a nurse, she remains on call.

If her husband, who is in the last stage of ALS, needs to turn at night, use the bathroom or needs anything he makes a clicking sound, which wakes her up so she can tend to his needs.

 “It tires me out,” Mullick said. In addition, she struggles to take care of typical household chores, which means she can’t always do the dishes or wash the laundry. She suggested a robot could help caregivers as well as ALS patients.

In the earlier stages of ALS, people can have issues with falling. Mullick suggests a robot could steady the person so they can walk. She has shared the news about the project with other members of the ALS community.

“They are excited about it and encouraged,” she said. 

Origin of the project

The idea for this effort started with a meeting between Ramakrishnan and the late Brooke Ellison, a well-known and much beloved Associate Professor at Stony Brook University who didn’t allow a paralyzing car accident to keep her from inspiring, educating and advocating for people with disabilities.

Encouraged by SBU Distinguished Professor Miriam Rafailovich, who was a friend of Ellison’s, Ramakrishnan met with Ellison, whose mother Jean spent years working tirelessly by her side when she earned a degree at Harvard and worked at Stony Brook.

Ramakrishnan, who developed assistive computer interactions technologies for people with vision impairments, asked Ellison what a robot arm could do for her and mean for her. 

He recalled Ellison telling him that a robot arm would “transform my life,” by helping feed her, set her hair, or even scratch an itch.

“That moved me a lot,” said Ramakrishnan.

While CART will work with one population of patients, it could become a useful tool for patients and their caregivers in other circumstances, possibly as a nursing assistant or for aging in place.

Road to Stony Brook

Ramakrishnan, who is a resident of East Setauket, was born in Southern Tamil Nadu in India and attended high school in what was then called Bombay and is now Mumbai.

He earned his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ramakrishnan is married to Pramila Venkateswaran, an award-winning poet and is retiring this summer after 33 years as a Professor of English at Nassau Community College. The couple has two grown children, Aditi Ramakrishnan, who is a physician scientist at the Washington University in St. Louis and Amrita Mitchell-Krishnan, who is a clinical pediatric psychologist.

As for the work on CART, Ramakrishnan is eager to help patients and caregivers. The ultimate goal is to “reduce the caregiving burden,” he said.

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Frozen Mixed berry Pie

By Heidi Sutton

Memorial Day celebrations should stress-free and these no-bake desserts will give you plenty of time to attend a parade and spend time with family and friends. Fast and fabulous recipes like these assemble in minutes. Here are some delicious choices, courtesy of Eagle Brand.

Fresh Fruit Cream Cheese Pie

Fresh Fruit Cream Cheese Pie

YIELD: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS: 

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 9-inch frozen deep-dish pie crust, baked

Fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, bananas*)

Seedless red raspberry jam

DIRECTIONS:

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into baked pie crust. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set. Arrange fruit on top of pie. If coating berries, stir jam until smooth. Brush berries with jam and serve. Dip the bananas in lemon juice before placing on pie to keep them from turning brown. Do not coat with jam.

Frozen Mixed Berry Pie

Frozen Mixed berry Pie

YIELD: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS: 

1  can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1/2  cup lemon juice from concentrate

1 1/2 to 2  cups assorted fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.)

4 cups frozen light whipped topping, thawed

1 graham cracker crumb crust (9 inches)

DIRECTIONS:

In large mixing bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until well combined. Mix in berries. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Freeze 5 hours, or until set. Let stand 30-40 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired. Freeze leftovers.

Lemon Raspberry Ribbon Pie

Lemon Raspberry Ribbon Pie

YIELD: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS: 

1 (10-ounce) package frozen red raspberries, thawed

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1/2 cup lemon juice from concentrate

Yellow food coloring if desired

2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream, stiffly whipped

1 (9-inch) pastry shell, baked

Fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In small saucepan, combine raspberries and cornstarch; cook and stir until thickened and clear. Cool 10 minutes. Chill thoroughly, about 20 minutes.

In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and food coloring if desired. Fold in whipped cream. Spread one-third lemon mixture into prepared pastry shell; top with raspberry mixture then remaining lemon mixture.

Chill thoroughly. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

YIELD: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS: 

2  squares (1 ounce each) semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1/4  cup creamy peanut butter

1 tub (8 ounces) frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed

1  graham cracker crumb crust (9 inches)

DIRECTIONS:

In large mixing bowl, melt chocolate squares in microwave for 15 seconds, or until completely melted. Add sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter to melted chocolate; mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Freeze 6 hours. Garnish as desired. Freeze leftovers.

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METRO photo

By Michael Christodoulou

Michael Christodoulou

If you’ve retired, you may have thought you closed the book on one chapter of your life. But what happens if you need to “reverse” your retirement?

Due to higher inflation and rising interest rates, many retirees are taking out more money from their retirement accounts than they had originally anticipated. As a result, some are headed back to the workforce. If you’re thinking of joining them, you’ll need to consider some factors that may affect your finances. 

First, if you’ve been taking Social Security, be aware that you could lose some of your benefits if you earn over a certain level, at least until you reach your full retirement age, which is likely between 66 and 67. Specifically, if you are under your full retirement age for the entire year, Social Security will deduct $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit, which, in 2024, is $22,320. In the year you reach your full retirement age, Social Security will deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit, which, in 2024, is $59,520. 

Social Security will only count your earnings up to the month before you reach your full retirement age, at which point your earnings will no longer reduce your benefits, regardless of how much you earn. Also, Social Security will recalculate your benefit amounts to credit you for the months your payments were reduced due to your excess earnings. Social Security also allows you to pay back early benefits received if you withdraw your application within 12 months of starting benefits. This move could help you receive substantially higher benefits at full retirement age.

Your Social Security isn’t the only benefit that could be affected by your earnings. Your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums are based on your income, so they could rise if you start earning more money. Also, your extra income could push you into a higher tax bracket.

Nonetheless, you can certainly gain some benefits by returning to the working world. Obviously, you’ll be making money that can help you boost your daily cash flow and possibly reduce some debts. But depending on where you work, you might also be able to contribute to a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. And regardless of where you work, you’ll be eligible to contribute to an IRA. By putting more money into these accounts, you may well be able to strengthen your financial position during your retirement years. You might also be able to receive some employee benefits, such as group health insurance — which could be particularly valuable if you haven’t yet started receiving Medicare. 

In addition to the potential financial advantages of going back to work, you might get some social benefits, too. Many people enjoy the interactions with fellow workers and miss these exchanges when they retire, so a return to the workforce, even if it’s on a part-time basis, may give you an emotional boost.

In the final analysis, you’ll want to weigh the potential costs of going back to work against the possible benefits. There’s no one right answer for everyone, but by looking at all the variables, you should be able to reach a decision that works for you. 

Michael Christodoulou, ChFC®, AAMS®, CRPC®, CRPS® is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones in Stony Brook, Member SIP

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

 

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Tis the season for the opposite of schadenfreude.

Schadenfreude, as you may know, suggests happiness at someone else’s misery. Not being a German speaker, I understand that “schaden” means “damage” or “harm” and “freude” means “joy,” or, if you prefer, is the last name of the founder of psychoanalysis, which, I guess, is either supposed to make you happy or more self aware, coupled with an “e” at the end to make it harder to spell, so that you can feel schadenfreude when someone misspells the word.

So, why, in an era when so many others are so happy to enjoy the misery of those on the other end of an ideological spectrum, is it the era of the opposite of schadenfreude?

Well, look around! You might notice people in caps and gowns, completing their journeys through an educational curriculum strewn with considerably more obstacles than most four-year periods, starting with the dislocation caused by Covid.

Students couldn’t meet their classmates, except on zoom, skype or social media. They got to know each other through the facial expressions they could see online or through the images on their screens, as some of their professors’ children played with LEGOs, their cats climbed across keyboards, or their neighbors took their daily jogs in neon colors.

These graduates endured dislocation, loneliness, and, in some cases, prolonged exposure to family members whose watchful eye and judgment they thought they were finally escaping. They remained trapped in the family fishbowl.

Uncertainty, which is, admittedly, part of life, became even greater, as they didn’t know when they could go back to normal. When, they wondered, could they take a brief nap in a biochemistry class while a professor described reactions on an overhead projector in a slightly dimmed room?

For a while, they couldn’t chat with people on the way to the dining hall or at a party or mixer, they couldn’t compare the challenges of helicopter parenting and they couldn’t wonder what it would be like to leave their home country, travel thousands of miles away, and only speak to their parents once or twice a month.

And then, slowly, the fog of the pandemic lifted, giving them a chance to see each other in person, to listen to the questions others asked, and to have those moments when they could teach or learn outside of class while enjoying a late-night pizza.

Yes, these are remarkable high school, college, graduate school and night school students. We can and should be happy for them, celebrating their resilience and determination. They learned to multitask and adapt in ways most graduates don’t endure.

As we clap for them, we might need to fight the urge to wonder “what about me?” Or, perhaps, to think “What was hard about school when I went?” or, if perhaps “I could have been a doctor, except for the science part.” (Thanks to Woody Harrelson in the movie “Doc Hollywood” for that line).

Yes, you had challenges, but this day and time isn’t about you. It’s about these students who not only graduated, but will also contribute to the world, realizing their dreams, the goals of their parents and/or grandparents, and their communities, who need professionals in a range of fields to contribute to society.

This is our time to shine as a part of a support system, to acknowledge, to admire, and to elevate those who will likely encounter future difficulties, knowing that they already triumphed under extreme circumstances.

Oh, and if you crave schadenfreude, people have seized on numerous other outlets for their free-floating frustrations, laughing at the disappointed voters whose candidates are no longer in the race or who seem poised for an agonizing defeat.

Graduations, however, are not a zero sum game, where you win and I lose or I win and you lose. We all win when these graduates design beautiful homes that raise the property value in our neighborhood, when they help us with legal challenges, and when they hold our hands and provide medical guidance during future health threats.

Let’s hold back on our urge to pinch them in their pictures, to put them in their place when they seem happy with themselves, or to talk about ourselves instead of them, and let’s admire them for their pothole-filled journey and wish them well in the days, months and years ahead.

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The Metropollitan Opera. Photo from Facebook

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

As much as I enjoy living on our beautiful Island, getting away for a quick break from the predictable routine and usual scenery is a delight. This past Saturday morning, we rode into New York City ready for adventure.

Six months earlier, we had ordered tickets for the matinee performance of the new opera at the Met, “The Hours,” a story about three women in different eras and locations, that takes place in a single day. 

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel and the highly regarded subsequent film, the opera had won rave reviews at its premier the previous year and offered three fabulous singers, Renee Fleming, Joyce DiDonato and Kelli O’Hara in the leading roles. We figured it would be worth the trip just to hear all three on the same stage.

It was.

The plot uses Virginia Woolf’s novel, “Mrs. Dalloway,” as the thread that ties the three women together, although they don’t meet until the end. DiDonato as Woolf is writing the novel in a London suburb in 1923, O’Hara as Laura is reading it in 1949 in Los Angeles, and Fleming as Clarissa in Manhattan at the end of the century is reenacting the story.

The women have much in common. At various times, as the playbill notes, they are rapturous, fearful, desperate but always accepting. And the music carries and amplifies the story, as the times and places flow back and forth.

There was a light rain as we emerged from the opera house and found a place to eat supper. It was a leisurely meal as we marveled at what was coming next. At the time we had ordered tickets for “The Hours,” we noted that the evening performance was to be “Carmen,” which just happens to be my favorite opera.

Reasoning that we had much  cultural enrichment to make up for due to the losses forced on us by COVID-19, we splurged on tickets for that opera as well. So after we ate, we returned to the opera house for the evening attraction.

Two operas in one day!

Yes, we survived, although we were a bit woozy when it was all over, especially since Bizet’s “Carmen” is one of the longer operas. Stimulating but disappointing to us was the transfer of this classic 19th century opera set alongside a cigarette factory and a military base in Spain to a modern American truck depot in the industrial Midwest.

The plot was unchanged. “Don Jose, a naive soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen, abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous [bullfighter] Escamillo, after which Don Jose kills her in a jealous rage,” is a quick synopsis from Wikipedia.

But instead of the bullring, we have a rodeo, and conspicuously missing are the exotic settings in the mountains and especially the seductive dance on the table at the tavern serving as a hideout for the gypsy smugglers.

Nonetheless, the music, well-known even as background to Saturday morning TV cartoons for early rising youngsters, is so forceful and the story so dramatic that by the later acts, the longstanding appeal of this opera again captivated us, and we left happy.

Using our one free night from our loyalty credit card points, we had arranged to sleep at a nearby hotel in NYC. As you might imagine, after all that operatic action, we slept exceedingly well. We found a good spot for breakfast the next morning; actually it was more like brunch. 

Stopping only to pick up some NYC bagels, we returned refreshed and thrilled to be back. Our neighborhood looked newly washed and appealing. As much as it is enjoyable to have a break from our normal routines, interestingly it is even more satisfying to come home. And the magic of live music continues to play in our heads.

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The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house in 1900. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler
Annie, Carrie and Corinne Tyler about 1935. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler
The Tyler Brothers Store. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house, built about 1740, was home to many generations. On June 1 and 2, the house at 97 Main Street in Setauket will function as the central hub for Gallery North’s 20th Annual Wet Paint Festival. The history of the house itself, as well as the families who have lived there, is a representation of the story of the growth of the Three Village community; of farming, transportation, commerce and trade. 

The original section of the house was constructed with white oak timber framing. Over the frame and on the floors were white pine boards; on the roof were red cedar shingles. These were the trees found locally and used to build most colonial-era buildings in this area. For more than 100 years, this was a farmhouse on an active farm with many out-buildings. In the original house there were two rooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor.

As a family home and farm, many generations of two prominent families lived here. Amos Smith and his wife Juliana Hawkins raised five children, born between 1773-1785. When Amos died intestate in 1799, an inventory of his home and farm included household goods, farm tools and farm animals. Their son, Walter Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Ellison, raised five children here, born between 1811-1825. 

About 1831, Joseph Swift purchased the house and farm. Joseph and his wife, Amelia Bacon, raised nine children here, born between 1832 and 1851. Joseph’s eldest daughter Eliza married Charles B. Tyler, my great-grandfather, in 1851. Charles purchased the house and farm in 1854 and raised nine children here, born between 1851 and 1870. Charles’ wife Eliza, their unmarried daughters, Annie and Corinne, and one of Charles’ granddaughters, Carrie, lived here until their deaths in 1924, 1941, 1943 and 1947, respectively. The house and property then passed to Carrie’s half brother Beverly Griffin Tyler, his wife Blanche and their three children. When Blanche Tyler Davis died in 2016 in her 102nd year, ownership passed to the Three Village Community Trust, who will preserve the home and property, including Patriot’s Rock, in perpetuity. 

 The Tyler Brothers General Store stood on the corner of the property, just north of the house, where it served the community as a post office and store for more than 50 years. The store was run by Charles B. Tyler and his brother Israel. Israel lived in East Setauket along what is now Gnarled Hollow Road and he served as Setauket postmaster for most of the years between 1870 and 1897. Both men were schooner captains who traveled up and down Long Island Sound and the U. S. East Coast carrying commercial cargo and passengers. Their knowledge of trade routes and sources of supply contributed to their success as general store owners.

The original house served well for the large families who lived there; however, by the last decades of the nineteenth century, with American industry providing more and more labor-saving devices for the home, change and growth was inevitable. In 1889, an addition included a formal dining room and two additional bedrooms. Over the years, the use of a kitchen had changed from a central fireplace to a summer kitchen, separated from the house. Finally, about a decade before World War I, that structure was moved and attached to the house as a “modern” kitchen with an ice box, a large coal stove and other appliances. All of these changes were implemented, not by the men, but by the women who remained in the home after most of Charles and Eliza’s children had moved on. 

Following the deaths of Israel in 1895 and Charles in 1899, Charles’ wife, Eliza, sold the general store to her children, Corinne and Annie Tyler, for one dollar. Corinne ran the general store. Annie was Setauket’s postmaster from 1897 until 1915.

Lucy Hart Keyes remembered that when she was six or seven and going to the school on the Village Green, she would walk home, stopping first at the post office. “They were such nice ladies. Miss Annie took care of mail … Miss Annie used to make money orders and everything. Miss Corinne took care of the store. They kept it open even during lunch–Miss Corinne and Miss Annie switched. It was open until after mail at night… We used to trade with Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. It came in the mail.”

Lucy recalled that Corinne’s brother Henry Tyler helped her at the store. “Momma and Poppa bought all their  groceries there. We bought canned goods, salt pork, potatoes, bread and even bananas in later years. We were a big family and we were always down there. Sometimes Poppa paid once a week. They kept track of it and I could get anything. They never asked questions.”

Lucy remembered a candy case in the store which contained a number of selections. “You would get 4 or 5 round things for a penny. JawBreakers, 3 or 4 for a penny, and stick candy was a penny a stick.”

By the 1920’s, the appeal of the local merchant who carried all the staples needed by the local family was decreasing. The variety of products was increasing by leaps and bounds, and the small country store could not keep pace. Chain food stores with quantity buying were able to offer lower prices and wider selections. In East Setauket the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A & P, established 1859) was getting a large share of daily trade with advertisements in the local papers listing prices such as “New Potatoes 5 lbs-15¢, Grandmother’s BREAD Small Loaf 5¢-Large Loaf 8¢.” (“Port Jefferson Times’’ – July 7, 1927). 

“After being established in the grocery business at Setauket for more than 60 years, the familiar old corner store, known as Tylers’ grocery store, near the lakes, closed out their stock last week and have discontinued business. . .” (“Port Jefferson Times” – April 1927). 

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society.

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Pixabay photo

It’s easy to overlook the impact that local school boards have on our community. 

Yet, the decisions made by these boards directly influence the quality of education our children receive, shaping not just their future, but the future of our communities. As we approach another election season, we must recognize the importance of voting for local school board members, for the sake of our children, pillars of our collective future.

Local school boards wield significant power in determining educational policies, budgets and curriculum standards. They are responsible for hiring superintendents, setting district priorities and ensuring that our schools are safe and conducive to learning. The individuals we elect to these boards will make decisions that affect the daily lives of our children, from the quality of their teachers to the resources available in their classrooms.

When we vote for school board members, we are not just casting a ballot — we are making a commitment to our children’s education and well-being. A strong, well-funded and innovative school system can provide our children with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed in an ever-changing world. 

Conversely, neglecting to participate in these elections can lead to underfunded schools, outdated curriculums and a lack of necessary support for both students and teachers.

By voting for dedicated and knowledgeable school board members, we ensure that our children are given the best possible start in life, equipping them with the tools they need to build a brighter future for all of us.

Moreover, active participation in school board elections fosters a sense of community and civic responsibility. It sends a powerful message to our children about the value of democracy and the importance of being engaged in local governance. When they see us prioritizing their education and future, they learn the importance of advocacy and the impact of collective action.

In addition to voting, it is crucial that we hold school board members accountable. Attend board meetings, stay informed about the issues at hand and communicate with board members to ensure they are meeting the needs of our students. A well-informed and engaged community can make a significant difference in the quality of education provided.

Not nearly enough residents vote in school board elections. Please learn about the candidates and the issues by referring to the relevant TBR stories or by going to your district’s website, then get out and vote your choice next Tuesday, May 21. 

Just as importantly, voters will be asked to approve school budgets for the upcoming year, 2024-25.

Your vote counts. 

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METRO photo

By Shannon L. Malone, Esq.

Shannon L. Malone Esq.

Earlier in our series with respect to traffic infractions, we discussed proposed legislation that would increase the number of points associated with dangerous driving. These provisions would add point penalties to violations that presently have none. In this article, we will explore the existing Driver Violation Point System and provide readers with a quick reference guide illustrating the number of points associated with speeding violations in New York State. Understanding this system will empower you to make informed decisions about your driving habits and potential consequences. 

It is crucial to remember that if you accumulate 11 points on your driver’s license within 18 months, your driver’s license will be suspended. This is a significant consequence that can obviously disrupt your daily life. Exceptions to this point are rare. Nonetheless, you should consult an experienced attorney if you find yourself in this situation. Additionally, you must pay a Driver Responsibility fee if you accumulate six or more points on your driving record within 18 months.

Once 18 months have passed from the violation date, the points for that violation no longer count toward your total. However, the points do remain on your overall driving record, and your insurance company may use these points to increase your premium.

How Your Point Total is Calculated

Points are added to your driving record based on the date of the traffic violation, not the conviction. The point total is calculated by adding the points for violations occurring within the last 18 months.

Out-of-State Convictions

Suppose you are convicted of a traffic violation in another state, like Connecticut, New Jersey, or Florida. In that case, points are not added to your New York State driving record. Interestingly, however, if the violation occurred in Canada, specifically in Ontario or Quebec points are added because New York State has a reciprocal agreement with these provinces.

Insurance Premiums

Insurance companies have their own point systems and can increase premiums based on your driving records. Insurance companies almost invariably increase your premium if you are convicted of a moving violation such as speeding. Other moving violations that may affect your insurance premium are passing a stop sign, running a red light, and failing to yield the right of way.  For these reasons, it is always a good idea to consult a lawyer when you receive a summons for a moving violation, particularly a speeding ticket.

Check Your Points

New York State DMV’s “MyDMV” service allows users to check their points on their New York State driver’s license. Taking a DMV-approved Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP) course (usually online) will help prevent you from losing your license if you accrue 11 or more points on your driving record. Four points are ‘subtracted’ to calculate a suspension if you have 11 or more points. The tickets/points do not physically come off your driving record, but this system can potentially save you 10 percent on your automobile liability and collision insurance premiums. This offers a glimmer of hope and control in managing your points and insurance premiums.

Shannon L. Malone, Esq. is an Associate Attorney at Glynn Mercep Purcell and Morrison LLP in Setauket. She graduated from Touro Law, where she wrote and served as an editor of the Touro Law Review. Ms. Malone is a proud Stony Brook University alumna.

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Camila dos Santos Photo courtesy of CSHL

By Daniel Dunaief

People often think of and study systems or organs in the body as discrete units. 

In a healthy human body, however, these organs and systems work together, sometimes producing signals that affect other areas.

Recently, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Associate Professor Camila dos Santos and graduate students Samantha Henry and Steven Lewis, along with former postdoctoral researcher Samantha Cyrill, published a study in the journal Nature Communications that showed a link in a mouse model between persistent bacterial urinary tract infections and changes in breast tissue.

The study provides information about how a response in one area of the body could affect another far from an infection and could provide women with the kind of information that could inform the way they monitor their health.

To be sure, dos Santos and her graduate students didn’t study the processes in humans, which could be different than they are in mice.

Indeed, they are in the process of establishing clinical studies to check if UTIs in women drive breast alterations.

The body’s response

In this research, the scientists demonstrated that an unresolved urinary tract infection itself wasn’t causing changes in breast tissue, but that the body’s reaction to the presence of the bacteria triggered these changes.

By treating the urinary tract infections, Henry and Lewis showed that breast cells returned to their normal state.

Further, when they didn’t treat the UTI but blocked the molecule TIMP1, which causes collagen deposits and milk duct enlargements, the breast cells returned to their normal state.

The TIMP1 role is “probably the main eureka moment,” said Lewis, who is an MD/ PhD student at Stony Brook University. “It explains how an infection in the bladder can change a faraway tissue.”

Lewis suggested that collagen, among other factors, changes the density of breast tissue. When women get a mammography, doctors are looking for changes in the density of their breasts.

Taking a step back from the link, these graduate students and dos Santos considered whether changes in the breast tissue during an infection could provide an evolutionary benefit.

“From an evolutionary standpoint, there should be some adaptive advantage,” suggested Henry, who is earning her PhD in genetics at Stony Brook University and will defend her thesis in July. Speculating on what this might be, she suggested the mammary gland might change in response to an infection to protect milk production during lactation, enabling a mother to feed her young.

Epidemiological studies

A link between persistent UTIs and breast cancer could show up in epidemiological studies.

Dos Santos and collaborators are exploring such questions in the context of European data and are working with US collaborators to collect this information.

In addition, dos Santos believes women should consider how other ongoing threats to their overall health impact their bodies. Women with clinical depression, for example, have worse prognoses in terms of disease. Humans have health threats beyond UTIs that could predispose them to developing cancer, dos Santos said.

Division of labor

Henry and Lewis took over a study that Samantha Cyrill, the third co-first author on the paper started. When Cyrill finished her postdoctoral work, Henry and Lewis “put on their capes and said, ‘We are going to take this to the end line.’ They are incredible people,” said dos Santos.

They each contributed to the considerable work involved.

Henry primarily analyzed the single cell RNA sequencing data, specifically identifying changes in the epithelial compartment. Gina Jones, a visiting CSHL undergraduate research program student, and Lewis also contributed to this.

Henry also participated in TIMP1 neutralizing antibody treatment in post-lactation involution mice, contributing to tissue collection and staining.

Working with Cyrill and Henry, Lewis contributed to the mouse work, including experiments like neutralizing TIMP1 and CSF3. Lewis also worked with Cyrill on the UTI infections in the animals and with Henry in processing tissues for single cell RNA sequencing and assisted Henry on the sequencing analysis.

While this result is compelling and offers an opportunity to study how an infection in an area of the body can trigger changes in another, dos Santos recognized the inherent risk in a new project and direction that could have either been disconnected or a been a dead end.

“It was an incredible risk,” said dos Santos. She was rejected from at least four different funding opportunities because the research is “so out there,” she said. She tapped into foundations and to CSHL for support.

Back stories

A resident of Brooklyn, Lewis was born in Queens and raised in Scarsdale. He joined the dos Santos lab in March of 2021. One of the appeals of the dos Santos lab was that he wanted to understand how life history events drive disease, especially breast cancer.

A big Mets fan, Lewis, whose current favorite payer is Pete Alonso, is planning to run his third marathon this fall.

Lewis is dating Sofia Manfredi, who writes for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and accepted an Emmy award on behalf of the staff.

Lewis considers himself Manfredi’s “biggest cheerleader,” while he appreciates how well she listens to him and asks important questions about his work.

As for Henry, she grew up in Greenport. She joined the lab in May of 2020 and is planning to defend her thesis in July.

Her father Joseph Henry owns JR Home Improvements and her mother Christine Thompson worked as a waitress and a bartender in various restaurants.

Henry is married to Owen Roberts, who is a civil engineer and works in the Empire State Building for HNTB as a civil engineer, where he focuses on traffic.

Henry hopes to live in Boston after she graduates. She’s adopted the rooting interests of her husband, who is a fan of Beantown teams, and will support the Bruins and the Celtics. A lifelong Yankees fan, however, Henry, who watched the Bronx Bombers with her father growing up, draws the line at supporting the “Sawx.”

As for the work, Henry and Lewis are excited to see what the lab discovers in the next steps.

“I do think this work is extremely informative, defining a relationship between an infection, UTI, and the mammary gland that has not previously been appreciated,” Henry explained.

“This provides information to the public,” said Henry. “I always think it is worth knowing how different events may impact your body.”

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