Elucidating the Role of Small Nucleolar RNA 114-12 in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

From the Washington University Senior Honors Thesis Abstracts (WUSHTA), 2017. Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research. Joy Zalis Kiefer, Director of Undergraduate Research and Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences; Lindsey Paunovich, Editor; Helen Human, Programs Manager and Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences Mentors: Daniel Link and Alun Carte

Benefits of Blockchain Initiatives for Value-Based Care: Proposed Framework

Background The potential of blockchain technology to achieve strategic goals, such as value-based care, is increasingly being recognized by both researchers and practitioners. However, current research and practices lack comprehensive approaches for evaluating the benefits of blockchain applications. Objective The goal of this study was to develop a framework for holistically assessing the performance of blockchain initiatives in providing value-based care by extending the existing balanced scorecard (BSC) evaluation framework. Methods Based on a review of the literature on value-based health care, blockchain technology, and methods for evaluating initiatives in disruptive technologies, we propose an extended BSC method for holistically evaluating blockchain applications in the provision of value-based health care. The proposed method extends the BSC framework, which has been extensively used to measure both financial and nonfinancial performance of organizations. The usefulness of our proposed framework is further demonstrated via a case study. Results We describe the extended BSC framework, which includes five perspectives (both financial and nonfinancial) from which to assess the appropriateness and performance of blockchain initiatives in the health care domain. Conclusions The proposed framework moves us toward a holistic evaluation of both the financial and nonfinancial benefits of blockchain initiatives in the context of value-based care and its provision

Chemical synthesis of polyaniline and polythiophene electrodes with excellent performance in supercapacitors

The emergence of portable electronics in miniaturized and intelligent devices demands high-performance supercapacitors (SC) and batteries as power sources. For the fabrication of such energy storage devices, conducting polymers (CPs) have significant advantages due to their high theoretical capacitive performance and conductivity. In this work, we developed two CPs including polyaniline and polythiophene through a low-cost chemically synthesized approach and the film-by-spin coating method. The structural and morphological properties of the CPs are analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Based on these CPs, novel pristine polyaniline and polythiophene-based SCs (PASC and PTSC) are developed. The prepared CPs contribute to high electrochemical performances due to their high conductive nature of the electrode and conjugated polymer materials reaction. Hence both electrochemical double-layer formation and pseudocapacitance contributed to the energy-storing performances of the device. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis (0.1 Hz to 100 kHz) demonstrates faster ionic exchange and high capacitance of the PASC electrode as compared to PTSC in H3PO4 electrolyte. The PASC devices exhibit specific capacitance of 13.22 mF·cm−2 with energy and power densities of 1.175 μW·h·cm−2 and 4.99 μW·cm−2 at a current of 50 μA. Compared to PTSC (specific capacitance 3.30 mF·cm−2) the PASC shows four times higher specific capacitance due to its improved surface, structural and electrical properties. The electrochemical performance reveals the superior SC performance for this type of CP electrode

Facile electrochemical synthesis of few layered graphene from discharged battery electrode and its application for energy storage

AbstractA cost-effective, simple and non-hazardous route for synthesis of few-layered graphene from waste zinc carbon battery (ZCB) electrodes via electrochemical expansion (ECE) has been reported. In this synthesis, we have electrochemically exfoliated the graphene layers, by intercalating sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) surfactant into graphitic layers at different D.C. voltages with a constant SDBS concentration. The graphene sheets were isolated, purified and characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry, Ultraviolet absorption (UV), Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and Cyclic voltammetry. Best result was obtained at 4.5V of D.C. A possible mechanism for the intercalation process has been proposed. A promising application of the produced material for supercapacitor application has also been explored in combination with polyaniline

Novel α-BTN Antibodies Modulate Vγ9Vδ2 Activation and Reveal Insights into the Extracellular Architecture of the Phospho-Antigen Signaling Complex

Infected and malignant target-cells trigger Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation by signaling pathogenic intracellular metabolite accumulation through Butyrophilin (BTN)-3A1 and BTN2A1 proteins to the Vγ9Vδ2 T cell receptor (TCR). An incomplete understanding of the molecular dynamics in this signaling complex precludes Vγ9Vδ2 T cell immunotherapeutic efficacy. Here, we develop a panel of engineered α-BTN3A1 and α-BTN2A1 antibody (mAb) reagents to probe the roles of BTN3A1 and BTN2A1 in pAg signaling. By modifying agonist α-BTN3A1 mAb 20.1 with increased inter-Fab distances, we establish that tight clustering of BTN3A1 is not necessary to stimulate Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation. By similarly modifying antagonist α-BTN3A1 mAb 103.2, we demonstrate that 103.2 does not antagonize Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation through conformational constraint but likely through steric occlusion of a critical binding interaction between BTN3A1 and a yet unknown co-receptor. Finally, we developed a panel of α-BTN2A1 mAb Vγ9Vδ2 antagonists that utilize different biophysical mechanisms to compete with the Vγ9Vδ2 TCR for BTN2A1 binding. Our 2.8Å structure of BTN2A1 ectodomain in complex with the Fab of potent antagonist, 2A1.9, provides molecular insights into BTN2A1 residues critical for pAg-signaling. 2A1.9 may be developed into an immunotherapy adjuvant to sensitize tumors in which high BTN2A1 expression is a poor prognostic marker to αβ T cell immunotherapies

Addressing vulnerabilities of female sex workers in an HIV prevention intervention in Mumbai and Thane: Experiences from the Aastha project

Background: It is important for targeted interventions to consider vulnerabilities of female sex workers (FSWs) such as poverty, work-related mobility, and literacy, for effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention. This paper describes and examines the association of the Aastha HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention project in Mumbai and Thane, India, on the relationship between vulnerability and behavioral outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data were drawn from the Behavioural Tracking Survey, a cross-sectional behavioral study conducted in 2010 with 2,431 FSWs recruited in Mumbai and Thane. The key independent measures used were program exposure and “vulnerability index”, a composite index of literacy, factors of dependence (alternative livelihood options, current debt, and children), and aspects of sex work (mobility and duration in sex work). Dependent measures included service uptake, self-confidence, self-identity, and individual agency. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the study objectives. Results: Of the analytical sample of 2,431 FSWs, 1,295 (53.3%) were categorized as highly vulnerable. Highly vulnerable FSWs who were associated with the Aastha program for more than a year were more likely to have accessed crisis-response services in the past 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–3.6; P \u3c 0.001), to have visited a clinic to get a checkup for STI symptoms (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2–4.8; P \u3c 0.015), not to be ashamed to disclose identity as an FSW to health workers (AOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.5; P \u3c 0.008), and to be confident in supporting a fellow FSW in crisis (AOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.0–2.8, P \u3c 0.033) compared to those less vulnerable with similar exposure to the Aastha program. Conclusion: It is critical for HIV/STI interventions to consider vulnerabilities of FSWs at project inception and address them with focused strategies, including a segmented service-delivery model and community involvement, in order to strengthen the structural response to HIV prevention