2,402 research outputs found
Enhancing the Capacity of Community Health Centers to Achieve High Performance
Based on a survey of community health centers, assesses access to care, care coordination, quality improvement efforts, health information technology adoption, and ability to serve as patient-centered medical homes. Suggests policy to strengthen clinics
Closing the Divide: How Medical Homes Promote Equity in Health Care
Presents findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health Care Quality Survey, and demonstrates how having stable insurance, a regular provider and, in particular, a medical home, improves health care access and quality among vulnerable populations
ARHGEF18/p114RhoGEF Coordinates PKA/CREB Signaling and Actomyosin Remodeling to Promote Trophoblast Cell-Cell Fusion During Placenta Morphogenesis
Coordination of cell-cell adhesion, actomyosin dynamics and gene expression is crucial for morphogenetic processes underlying tissue and organ development. Rho GTPases are main regulators of the cytoskeleton and adhesion. They are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. However, the roles of these Rho GTPase activators during complex developmental processes are still poorly understood. ARHGEF18/p114RhoGEF is a tight junction-associated RhoA activator that forms complexes with myosin II, and regulates actomyosin contractility. Here we show that p114RhoGEF/ARHGEF18 is required for mouse syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and placenta development. In vitro and in vivo experiments identify that p114RhoGEF controls expression of AKAP12, a protein regulating protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, and is required for PKA-induced actomyosin remodeling, cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-driven gene expression of proteins required for trophoblast differentiation, and, hence, trophoblast cell-cell fusion. Our data thus indicate that p114RhoGEF links actomyosin dynamics and cell-cell junctions to PKA/CREB signaling, gene expression and cell-cell fusion
Should I grow wildflowers? Agrilink, your growing guide to better farming
Each Agrilink kit has been designed to be both comprehensive and practical. As the kits are arranged to answer questions of increasing complexity, they are useful references for both new and experienced producers of specific crops. Agrilink integrates the technology of horticultural production with the management of horticultural enterprises.
REPRINT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ!
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Comparing families of dynamic causal models
Mathematical models of scientific data can be formally compared using Bayesian model evidence. Previous applications in the biological sciences have mainly focussed on model selection in which one first selects the model with the highest evidence and then makes inferences based on the parameters of that model. This “best model” approach is very useful but can become brittle if there are a large number of models to compare, and if different subjects use different models. To overcome this shortcoming we propose the combination of two further approaches: (i) family level inference and (ii) Bayesian model averaging within families. Family level inference removes uncertainty about aspects of model structure other than the characteristic of interest. For example: What are the inputs to the system? Is processing serial or parallel? Is it linear or nonlinear? Is it mediated by a single, crucial connection? We apply Bayesian model averaging within families to provide inferences about parameters that are independent of further assumptions about model structure. We illustrate the methods using Dynamic Causal Models of brain imaging data
Complex sequencing rules of birdsong can be explained by simple hidden Markov processes
Complex sequencing rules observed in birdsongs provide an opportunity to
investigate the neural mechanism for generating complex sequential behaviors.
To relate the findings from studying birdsongs to other sequential behaviors,
it is crucial to characterize the statistical properties of the sequencing
rules in birdsongs. However, the properties of the sequencing rules in
birdsongs have not yet been fully addressed. In this study, we investigate the
statistical propertiesof the complex birdsong of the Bengalese finch (Lonchura
striata var. domestica). Based on manual-annotated syllable sequences, we first
show that there are significant higher-order context dependencies in Bengalese
finch songs, that is, which syllable appears next depends on more than one
previous syllable. This property is shared with other complex sequential
behaviors. We then analyze acoustic features of the song and show that
higher-order context dependencies can be explained using first-order hidden
state transition dynamics with redundant hidden states. This model corresponds
to hidden Markov models (HMMs), well known statistical models with a large
range of application for time series modeling. The song annotation with these
models with first-order hidden state dynamics agreed well with manual
annotation, the score was comparable to that of a second-order HMM, and
surpassed the zeroth-order model (the Gaussian mixture model (GMM)), which does
not use context information. Our results imply that the hierarchical
representation with hidden state dynamics may underlie the neural
implementation for generating complex sequences with higher-order dependencies
Isotope effect in superconductors with coexisting interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms
We examine the isotope effect of superconductivity in systems with coexisting
interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms in addition to the direct
Coulomb interaction. The interaction mediated by the spin fluctuations is
discussed as an example of the nonphonon interaction. Extended formulas for the
transition temperature Tc and the isotope-effect coefficient alpha are derived
for cases (a) omega_np omega_D, where omega_np is
an effective cutoff frequency of the nonphonon interaction that corresponds to
the Debye frequency omega_D in the phonon interaction. In case (a), it is found
that the nonphonon interaction does not change the condition for the inverse
isotope effect, i.e., mu^* > lambda_ph/2, but it modifies the magnitude of
alpha markedly. In particular, it is found that a giant isotope shift occurs
when the phonon and nonphonon interactions cancel each other largely. For
instance, strong critical spin fluctuations may give rise to the giant isotope
effect. In case (b), it is found that the inverse isotope effect occurs only
when the nonphonon interaction and the repulsive Coulomb interaction, in total
effect, work as repulsive interactions against the superconductivity. We
discuss the relevance of the present result to some organic superconductors,
such as kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2 and Sr2RuO4 superconductors, in which inverse
isotope effects have been observed, and briefly to high-Tc cuprates, in which
giant isotope effects have been observed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, (with jpsj2.cls, ver.1.2), v2:linguistic
correction
Macrophage subsets exhibit distinct E. coli-LPS tolerisable cytokines associated with the negative regulators, IRAK-M and Tollip
<div><p>Macrophages (Mϕs) play a central role in mucosal immunity by pathogen sensing and instruction of adaptive immune responses. Prior challenge to endotoxin can render Mφs refractory to secondary exposure, suppressing the inflammatory response. Previous studies demonstrated a differential subset-specific sensitivity to endotoxin tolerance (ET), mediated by LPS from the oral pathogen, <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i> (PG). The aim of this study was to investigate ET mechanisms associated with Mφ subsets responding to entropathogenic <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> K12-LPS. M1- and M2-like Mφs were generated <i>in vitro</i> from the THP-1 cell line by differentiation with PMA and Vitamin D<sub>3</sub>, respectively. This study investigated ET mechanisms induced in M1 and M2 Mφ subsets, by measuring modulation of expression by RT-PCR, secretion of cytokines by sandwich ELISA, LPS receptor, TLR4, as well as endogenous TLR inhibitors, IRAK-M and Tollip by Western blotting. In contrast to PG-LPS tolerisation, <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> K12-LPS induced ET failed to exhibit a subset-specific response with respect to the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNFα, whereas exhibited a differential response for IL-10 and IL-6. TNFα expression and secretion was significantly suppressed in both M1- and M2-like Mφs. IL-10 and IL-6, on the other hand, were suppressed in M1s and refractory to suppression in M2s. ET suppressed TLR4 mRNA, but not TLR4 protein, yet induced differential augmentation of the negative regulatory molecules, Tollip in M1 and IRAK-M in M2 Mφs. In conclusion, <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> K12-LPS differentially tolerises Mφ subsets at the level of anti-inflammatory cytokines, associated with a subset-specific divergence in negative regulators and independent of TLR4 down-regulation.</p></div
Indirect Exchange Interaction between two Quantum Dots in an Aharonov-Bohm Ring
We investigate the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between
two spins located at two quantum dots embedded in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) ring.
In such a system the RKKY interaction, which oscillates as a function of the
distance between two local spins, is affected by the flux. For the case of the
ferromagnetic RKKY interaction, we find that the amplitude of AB oscillations
is enhanced by the Kondo correlations and an additional maximum appears at half
flux, where the interaction is switched off. For the case of the
antiferromagnetic RKKY interaction, we find that the phase of AB oscillations
is shifted by pi, which is attributed to the formation of a singlet state
between two spins for the flux value close to integer value of flux.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Electric Field Effects on Graphene Materials
Understanding the effect of electric fields on the physical and chemical
properties of two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures is instrumental in the design
of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. Several of those properties are
characterized in terms of the dielectric constant which play an important role
on capacitance, conductivity, screening, dielectric losses and refractive
index. Here we review our recent theoretical studies using density functional
calculations including van der Waals interactions on two types of layered
materials of similar two-dimensional molecular geometry but remarkably
different electronic structures, that is, graphene and molybdenum disulphide
(MoS). We focus on such two-dimensional crystals because of they
complementary physical and chemical properties, and the appealing interest to
incorporate them in the next generation of electronic and optoelectronic
devices. We predict that the effective dielectric constant () of
few-layer graphene and MoS is tunable by external electric fields (). We show that at low fields ( V/\AA)
assumes a nearly constant value 4 for both materials, but increases at
higher fields to values that depend on the layer thickness. The thicker the
structure the stronger is the modulation of with the electric
field. Increasing of the external field perpendicular to the layer surface
above a critical value can drive the systems to an unstable state where the
layers are weakly coupled and can be easily separated. The observed dependence
of on the external field is due to charge polarization driven by
the bias, which show several similar characteristics despite of the layer
considered.Comment: Invited book chapter on Exotic Properties of Carbon Nanomatter:
Advances in Physics and Chemistry, Springer Series on Carbon Materials.
Editors: Mihai V. Putz and Ottorino Ori (11 pages, 4 figures, 30 references
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