28232 research outputs found
Sort by
Placing Elderly Parents in Institutions in Urban China
No full text The authors examined changing attitudes about filial piety, or xiao, using data from intensive interviews with 20 elderly residents, 14 family members, and 9 staff members in Nanjing, China. The findings reveal that respondents interpreted the notion of xiao in terms of their own social worlds and on the basis of their own social locations and contexts. The increasing unavailability of adult children, various benefits of institutional care, and children's financial assistance for older parents are major explanations for xiao behaviors, even when elders are placed in institutions. The high cost of professional care in institutions is contributing to a shift in attitudes about institutional elder care from stigma to privilege. The authors argue that China can expect an increasing need and demand for elder care institutions as a large number of Chinese baby boomers retire. </jats:p
Tunable Poly(ethylene glycol)-based Hydrogels for Reductionist Models of the Tumor Microenvironment
No full textTumor growth, survival, and metastasis depend upon interactions with the matrix and cells which compose the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor cell interactions with transformed extracellular matrix (ECM) and immune cells, such as tumor associated neutrophils (TANs) have been shown to affect tumor progression both clinically and in animal models. Unfortunately, while the complexity of the TME is difficult to recapitulate in standard cell culture, it is also difficult to analyze and to influence in vivo. Researchers have sought to circumvent these challenges by developing 3D models in naturally derived matrices like collagen and Matrigel, but these scaffolds often sacrifice biochemical tunability and fail to meet the stiffness regimes often seen in malignant ECM. Thus, there is a need for highly controlled 3D culture systems which mimic the biophysical properties and cell-cell interactions of the TME to better investigate how these interactions direct cancer development and progression. To meet this goal, researchers have employed synthetic hydrogel systems for 3D in vitro cell culture. Our lab has previously engineered a synthetic scaffold to serve as an ECM by incorporating a matrix metalloproteinase cleavable peptide into a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) backbone and grafting in an integrin-binding peptide. This system allows independent tuning of adhesivity and matrix stiffness and supports tumor cell growth and spheroid formation. Here, we present two applications of this system to model cell-matrix interactions in the TME.
First, we orthogonally tuned the adhesion ligand concentration and stiffness of our PEG-based hydrogels to investigate the individual and interactive impact of these matrix properties in a physiologically relevant regime. We assessed the tumor progression of a fibrosarcoma cell line (derived from mesenchymal cells) and a triple-negative breast carcinoma cell line (TNBC, derived from epithelial cells) cultured in and on these hydrogels. We observed that the cell proliferation, invasion, and focal complex formation in the fibrosarcoma cells responded to changes in matrix stiffness, while the same behaviors in the TNBC cell line occurred in response to changes in matrix adhesivity. to discern the differential behavior of these broad classes of tumors. We found no interactive effect between the two matrix properties within the conditions tested. These results helped to reiterate the importance of independently tunable systems in assessing cell response to specific matrix properties and established our system’s ability to discern differential tumorigenic behavior across diseases.
Next, we incorporated neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in our system to study their impact on tumorigenesis in TNBC cells in a highly controlled environment. We observed that NETs helped to increase cell survival, proliferation, and pro-metastatic morphological phenotype. We also showed that the presence of NETs influenced the secretion of IL-8, a pro-NETosis factor, and that conditioned media from cells cultured in these gels influenced NETosis in an IL-8 dependent manner. The results observed in this system correlate with murine models and clinical studies in the literature and help to provide additional insight of the individual factors at play in the NET-mediated promotion of TNBC progression and metastasis.
To expand upon current models of cell-matrix interactions within the TME, we applied an existing model to assess the differences in behavior between a fibrosarcoma and TNBC cell line and developed a new model for assessing NETs as a matrix biomolecule in TME models. These two reductionist models help to advance our understanding of the roles specific aspects of the TME play in tumor progression, ultimately helping to drive better rational design of TME-targeted therapies to improve clinical outcomes of cancer patients. </p
Suppurative parotitis Due to Candida glabrata: Case report and review of the literature
No full textWe report the case of an insulin-dependent diabetic woman with chronic renal insufficiency who developed Candida glabrata suppurative parotitis. Infectious inflammation of the parotid gland is typically bacterial in etiology, and candidal parotitis is a rarely documented finding with only 6 reported cases in the literature. Four cases involved Candida albicans; and 2, C. glabrata. Furthermore, our patient was uncharacteristically young and without ductal obstruction or other nidus for infection, which makes this case especially unique. We also present a literature review of the previous cases. © 2010 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Are Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons or Classical Open Spine Surgeons More Consistent with Their Treatment of Adult Spinal Deformity?
No full textObjectiveSpine surgeons have a heuristic sense of how to surgically restore alignment and address adult spinal deformity (ASD) symptoms, but consensus on the extent of treatment remains unclear. We sought to determine the variability of surgical approaches in treating ASD.MethodsSixteen spine surgeons were surveyed on treatment approaches in 10 select ASD cases. We repeated the survey with the same surgeons 4 weeks later, with cases ordered differently. We examined the variability in length of construct, use of interbody spacers, osteotomies, and pelvic fixation frequency.ResultsTreatment approaches for each case varied by surgeon, with some surgeons opting for long fusion constructs in cases for which others offered no surgery. There was no consensus among surgeons on the number of levels fused, interbody spacer use, or anterior/posterior osteotomies. Intersurgeon and intrasurgeon variability was 48% (kappa = 0.31) and 59% (kappa = 0.44) for surgeons performing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus 37% (kappa = 0.21) and 47% (kappa = 0.30) for those performing open surgery. In the second-round survey, 8 of 15 (53%) surgeons substantially changed the construct length, number of interbody spacers, and osteotomies in at least half the cases they previously reviewed. Surgeons performing MIS versus open surgery were less likely to extend constructs to the pelvis (42.5% vs. 67.5%; P = 0.02), but construct length was not correlated with whether a surgeon performed MIS or open surgery.ConclusionsSpinal deformity surgeons lack consensus on the optimal surgical approach for treating ASD. Classifying surgeons as performing MIS or open surgery does not mitigate this variability
Testing the Self-Domestication Hypothesis: How Convergent are Dogs' Cooperative Communicative Abilities with those of Humans?
No full textHomo sapiens’ capacity for cooperative communication enables us adapt to new environments more rapidly than any other species via the process of cumulative cultural evolution, but the evolutionary processes which led to this capacity remain an open question (Boyd & Richerson, 1995; Henrich & McElreath, 2003; Hill et al., 2009; Mesoudi & Thornton, 2018; Tomasello, 1999). One proposed explanation for this capacity is the human self-domestication hypothesis (SDH), which posits that cooperative communication was altered via shifts in development as a by-product of self-selecting against aggression and for prosociality (Hare, 2017; Hare et al., 2012). Dogs have been hypothesized to have undergone the same process during their domestication, resulting in human-like cooperative communicative abilities (Hare, 2017). If so, this convergence could make dogs a critical model for human self-domestication. The present dissertation evaluates this hypothesis by testing three resulting predictions: 1) that dogs’ understanding of communicative intentions is actually “human-like” (i.e. spontaneous and flexible), which we tested through a series of gesture reading tasks with adult dogs; 2) that these qualities are a result of domestication, and therefore expressed more strongly and at an earlier age in dogs compared to wolves, which we tested by running dog and wolf puppies through a cross-sectional battery of cognitive and temperament tasks; and 3) that dogs show early emerging and expanded windows of social development relative to other non-social cognitive abilities, indicating a similar developmental pattern as is observed in humans, which we tested by running puppies through a longitudinal battery containing nine cognitive tasks during the period of rapid brain development. Strong support was found for predictions 1 and 2, and some support was found for prediction 3, with more work being needed to draw stronger conclusions. We conclude that dogs’ cooperative communicative abilities are convergent with those of humans at the levels of behavior, cognition, and potentially development as well. </p
Differentially Private Verification with Survey Weights
No full textSurvey sampling is a popular technique used in various fields for making inferences about populations from samples. However, the release of survey data can lead to confidentiality concerns due to the presence of sensitive information about individuals. To mitigate this issue, data stewards generate synthetic data that reflects the statistical features of confidential data to obscure sensitive variables. Synthetic data can be released for public use as a substitute of confidential data. However, the quality of synthetic data may impact the accuracy of inferences drawn from it. Therefore, assessing the quality of inferences derived from synthetic data is essential. Researchers have proposed a verification procedure that allows analysts to submit queries regarding their inferences and evaluate their accuracy by comparing results from synthetic data with those from confidential data. This approach enables the protection of individual privacy while facilitating the public use of confidential data.This thesis proposes a differentially private verification measure for synthetic data in the context of complex survey designs. To ensure differential privacy, we use the sub-sample and aggregate method. We partition the confidential data into disjoint partitions and compute survey-weighted estimates of the statistics of interest. Analysts can set a tolerance interval reflecting their desired level of estimate accuracy from synthetic data. Since smaller partitions have higher variance in estimates, we suggest to use a wider tolerance interval for partitions. We refer to a tolerance interval that does not account for such higher variance as a fixed tolerance interval, while a tolerance interval with inflation as a varying one. We define an indicator to signify whether estimates from the partitions fall within the tolerance interval, and compute the sum of indicators from all partitions. To satisfy differential privacy, we add a noise from the Laplace Mechanism to this metric. Bayesian post-processing is then applied to improve interpretability, and the summary statistics of the posterior distribution of the metric is released.The proposed measure generalized the application of privacy-preserving techniques and enables analysts to validate the quality of their inferences based on synthetic data in the context of complex survey data sets. </p
Climate Change Is Here, but Who Is Paying for It?
No full textIn an era of increased political polarization and decreased confidence in national institutions, many bold initiatives have stalled or met an untimely end. This abdication of federal responsibility is no more evident than the ongoing response to COVID-19. Strategic response to the pandemic has largely shifted from the White House to governors’ mansions.
A renewed era of federalism is beginning to take shape, and it is important to consider potential ramifications in other pressing areas—specifically climate change. State and local governments have advanced their own initiatives on climate change when faced with a failure of federal leadership. States have launched climate strategies to combat this growing threat both individually and in coalition. However, in order to mitigate and develop resiliency to climate change, much more needs to be done. This analysis will look at one aspect of the challenge: understanding costs.
Resource management for states with ever-thin operational budgets is already logistically daunting without the massive investment in preventative measures needed to meaningfully combat climate change. Where do they start? Do states across the board have the technical capacity to understand what impacts they have already been facing? The resounding answer at this current moment is no
A Lysine Residue Essential for Geminivirus Replication Also Controls Nuclear Localization of the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Rep Protein.
No full textGeminiviruses are single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses that infect a wide range of plants. To promote viral replication, geminiviruses manipulate the host cell cycle. The viral protein Rep is essential to reprogram the cell cycle and then initiate viral DNA replication by interacting with a plethora of nuclear host factors. Even though many protein domains of Rep have been characterized, little is known about its nuclear targeting. Here, we show that one conserved lysine in the N-terminal part of Rep is pivotal for nuclear localization of the Rep protein from Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), with two other lysines also contributing to its nuclear import. Previous work had identified that these residues are essential for Rep from Tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) to interact with the E2 SUMO-conjugating enzyme (SCE1). We here show that mutating these lysines leads to nuclear exclusion of TYLCV Rep without compromising its interaction with SCE1. Moreover, the ability of TYLCV Rep to promote viral DNA replication also depends on this highly conserved lysine independently of its role in nuclear import of Rep. Our data thus reveal that this lysine potentially has a broad role in geminivirus replication, but its role in nuclear import and SCE1 binding differs depending on the Rep protein examined.IMPORTANCE Nuclear activity of the replication initiator protein (Rep) of geminiviruses is essential for viral replication. We now define that one highly conserved lysine is important for nuclear import of Rep from three different begomoviruses. To our knowledge, this is the first time that nuclear localization has been mapped for any geminiviral Rep protein. Our data add another key function to this lysine residue, besides its roles in viral DNA replication and interaction with host factors, such as the SUMO E2-conjugating enzyme
Compelling Black Preaching Themes Reaching Black Millennial-Xennial Males
No full textABSTRACTThis thesis examines Black preaching themes appearing to yield influence on Black Millennial-Xennial males. The prospective connection of this demographic giving ear and response to certain preaching motifs, is approached in this study from multiple perspectives. The thesis’ research methodology is designed to summarize scholarship of traditional and contemporary Black homileticians and place those assumptions in conversation with traditional and contemporary developmental psychology and sociology on the internal and external motivations of Black Millennial-Xennial males. This study assesses the following: Black preaching scholarship assertions regarding effective Black preaching; Developmental description of Black Millennial-Xennial males, Sociodynamics this demographic must negotiate to survive and thrive; Black preaching themes of contemporary Black preaching appearing to reach this demographic; and to conclude, comparison and contrast between Black academic and preaching homileticians.
My research examines a corpus of leading traditional and contemporary Black homileticians. The Black homileticians’ assertions on effective Black preaching establish a foundation upon which Black preaching themes can be built. This thesis engages from a developmental perspective, social science to discuss the Millennial brain. Cerebral characteristics of Black Millennial-Xennial males address behaviors and assist in explaining Black Millennial-Xennial males’ indifferences and motivations. The study then pivots to consider key social factors that affect Black Millennial-Xennial males. This research project explores the dynamics of technology, social media platforms, “life markers,” incarceration and social inequities in relation to Black Millennial-Xennial males. These sociodynamics are placed in conversation with assertions from leading Black homileticians, academicians, and theoreticians. The study next moves to a case study featuring a leading church appearing to reach Black Millennial-Xennial males. Fifteen sermons from one pastor are examined to identify recurring Black preaching themes—themes compelling my study’s demographic. My central argument of existing Black preaching themes that are compelling Black Millennial-Xennial males concludes with comparative and contrasting examination of academic, homiletical theory versus preaching praxis. For example, the study’s analysis seeks to answer the question of whether the assertions of traditional and contemporary homileticians regarding tenets of effective Black preaching translate to the sermons examined that seem to be producing compelling Black preaching themes for Black Millennial-Xennial males. The study will evaluate whether and to what degree the theory of effective Black preaching concepts appears in the sermons of preaching practitioners. Conclusions drawn in this study aim to inform sermonic approaches to engage Black Millennial-Xennial males.
</p
Spinopelvic sagittal compensation in adult cervical deformity.
No full textObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate spinopelvic sagittal alignment and spinal compensatory changes in adult cervical kyphotic deformity.MethodsA database composed of 13 US spine centers was retrospectively reviewed for adult patients who underwent cervical reconstruction with radiographic evidence of cervical kyphotic deformity: C2-7 sagittal vertical axis > 4 cm, chin-brow vertical angle > 25°, or cervical kyphosis (T1 slope [T1S] cervical lordosis [CL] > 15°) (n = 129). Sagittal parameters were evaluated preoperatively and in the early postoperative window (6 weeks to 6 months postoperatively) and compared with asymptomatic control patients. Adult cervical deformity patients were further stratified by degree of cervical kyphosis (severe kyphosis, C2-T3 Cobb angle ≤ -30°; moderate kyphosis, ≤ 0°; and minimal kyphosis, > 0°) and severity of sagittal malalignment (severe malalignment, sagittal vertical axis T3-S1 ≤ -60 mm; moderate malalignment, ≤ 20 mm; and minimal malalignment > 20 mm).ResultsCompared with asymptomatic control patients, cervical deformity was associated with increased C0-2 lordosis (32.9° vs 23.6°), T1S (33.5° vs 28.0°), thoracolumbar junction kyphosis (T10-L2 Cobb angle -7.0° vs -1.7°), and pelvic tilt (PT) (19.7° vs 15.9°) (p ConclusionsAdult cervical deformity is associated with upper cervical hyperlordotic compensation and thoracic hypokyphosis. In the setting of increased kyphotic deformity and sagittal malalignment, thoracolumbar junction kyphosis and lumbar hyperlordosis develop to restore normal center of gravity. There was no consistent compensatory pelvic retroversion or anteversion among the adult cervical deformity patients in this cohort