Comorbidity and Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Topics: Co-Occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Achondroplasia

This Research Topic in Frontiers aims to overcome the sparsity of studies regarding comorbidity in ASD. It asks potential participants to explore; question; and when necessary; challenge conventional knowledge regarding ASD. Are standard screening instruments capable of delineating the full range of impairment in ASD in the presence of comorbidities? Given the difficulties in communication for many autistic patients; what red flags point towards the presence of comorbidities and what should constitute appropriate medical screening? How do comorbid conditions relate to maladaptive behaviors? This Research Topic will seek answers to these and other questions while raising awareness of how comorbid conditions increase both mortality and morbidity in ASD. Appropriate contributions will include research articles; case reports as well as population-based studies; information for healthcare providers; assessments for clinical management; and position statements from relevant policy making organizations

Ubiquitination and proteosome-dependent degradation of the activated form of human liver-enriched transcription factor CREB-H regulated by protein kinase A

Poster Presentation - Theme 1: Cell biologyCREB-H is a membrane-bound bZIP transcription factor which is mainly expressed in liver and small intestine. CREB-H plays important roles in the regulation of lipid metabolism, iron metabolism, gluconeogenesis and acute phase response. CREB-H is proteolytically activated by regulated intramembrane proteolysis to generate a C-terminal truncated form known as ...postprin

Gain-guided solitons in dispersion-managed fiber lasers with large net cavity dispersion

Author name used in this publication: C. Lu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Cognitively-inspired Agent-based Service Composition for Mobile & Pervasive Computing

Automatic service composition in mobile and pervasive computing faces many challenges due to the complex and highly dynamic nature of the environment. Common approaches consider service composition as a decision problem whose solution is usually addressed from optimization perspectives which are not feasible in practice due to the intractability of the problem, limited computational resources of smart devices, service host's mobility, and time constraints to tailor composition plans. Thus, our main contribution is the development of a cognitively-inspired agent-based service composition model focused on bounded rationality rather than optimality, which allows the system to compensate for limited resources by selectively filtering out continuous streams of data. Our approach exhibits features such as distributedness, modularity, emergent global functionality, and robustness, which endow it with capabilities to perform decentralized service composition by orchestrating manifold service providers and conflicting goals from multiple users. The evaluation of our approach shows promising results when compared against state-of-the-art service composition models.Comment: This paper will appear on AIMS'19 (International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Services) on June 2

The antioxidative effect of propofol on angiotesin II-induced apoptosis in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

Theme: New Horizons on Cardiovascular DiseasesPosterOrganizer: International Academy of CardiologyPropofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol), an intravenous sedative Vhypnotic agent popular for sedation, has been found to be effective in protecting against pathological states characterized by an increase in basal rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in hearts, but the cardioprotective mechanism is not well established. Angiotensin-II (Ang-II), an important neurohormonal factor during heart failure, can induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis which has an important role in the transition from compensatory cardiac remodeling to heart failure. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of propofol on Ang-II-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Cultured cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats were stimulated with Ang-II. Apoptosis was evaluated by measuring caspase 3 activity and by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. It was found that incubation with Ang-II (0.1 micromolar) for 48 h increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Administration of propofol ...postprin

Multi-stakeholder perspectives regarding preferred modalities for mental health intervention delivered in the orthopedic clinic: A qualitative analysis

BACKGROUND: Although depressive and anxious symptoms negatively impact musculoskeletal health and orthopedic outcomes, a gap remains in identifying modalities through which mental health intervention can realistically be delivered during orthopedic care. The purpose of this study was to understand orthopedic stakeholders\u27 perceptions regarding the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of digital, printed, and in-person intervention modalities to address mental health as part of orthopedic care. METHODS: This single-center, qualitative study was conducted within a tertiary care orthopedic department. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and May 2022. Two stakeholder groups were interviewed using a purposive sampling approach until thematic saturation was reached. The first group included adult orthopedic patients who presented for management of ≥ 3 months of neck or back pain. The second group included early, mid, and late career orthopedic clinicians and support staff members. Stakeholders\u27 interview responses were analyzed using deductive and inductive coding approaches followed by thematic analysis. Patients also performed usability testing of one digital and one printed mental health intervention. RESULTS: Patients included 30 adults out of 85 approached (mean (SD) age 59 [14] years, 21 (70%) women, 12 (40%) non-White). Clinical team stakeholders included 22 orthopedic clinicians and support staff members out of 25 approached (11 (50%) women, 6 (27%) non-White). Clinical team members perceived a digital mental health intervention to be feasible and scalable to implement, and many patients appreciated that the digital modality offered privacy, immediate access to resources, and the ability to engage during non-business hours. However, stakeholders also expressed that a printed mental health resource is still necessary to meet the needs of patients who prefer and/or can only engage with tangible, rather than digital, mental health resources. Many clinical team members expressed skepticism regarding the current feasibility of scalably incorporating in-person support from a mental health specialist into orthopedic care. CONCLUSIONS: Although digital intervention offers implementation-related advantages over printed and in-person mental health interventions, a subset of often underserved patients will not currently be reached using exclusively digital intervention. Future research should work to identify combinations of effective mental health interventions that provide equitable access for orthopedic patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable

Oriented porous LLZO 3D structures obtained by freeze casting for battery applications

All solid-state lithium batteries are, potentially, higher energy density and safer alternatives to conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). These are particularly attractive characteristics for large-scale applications such as electric vehicles and grid energy storage systems. However, the thin film deposition techniques used to make current devices are not readily scalable, and result in low areal capacities, which translate to low practical energy densities. To overcome these deficiencies, it is necessary to design thicker electrodes similar to what are used in LIBs (30-100 μm), in which the active material is composited with an ionic conductor and an electronically conducting additive, to overcome transport limitations. In this paper, we propose a method for making such an electrode, starting with a porous scaffold, i.e. Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO), made by freeze casting, which is then infiltrated with the active material LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (NMC-622) and other components. The freeze casting technique results in the formation of oriented channels with low tortuosity, which run roughly parallel to the direction of the current. The scaffolds were characterized with synchrotron X-ray micro-tomography for structural analysis, as well as synchrotron X-ray fluorescence to map the elemental distribution in the infiltrated composite. A hybrid half-cell was constructed and cycled as proof of principle, and it showed good stability. In addition, a bilayer structure consisting of a porous layer combined with a dense LLZO film was successfully made as a prototype of an all solid-state battery. A mathematical model was established to propose optimized scaffold structures for battery performance

Generation of multiple gain-guided solitons in a fiber laser

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. Lu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Bound states of dispersion-managed solitons in a fiber laser at near zero dispersion

Author name used in this publication: H. Y. TamAuthor name used in this publication: C. Lu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

The anti-oxidative effect of propofol on angiotensin-II induced apoptosis in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

Poster Session: P-401 Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, Basic Research: no. 2Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol), an intravenous sedative Vhypnotic agent popular for sedation, has been found to be effective in protecting against pathological states characterized by an increase in basal rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in hearts, but the cardioprotective mechanism is not well established. Angiotensin-II (Ang-II), an important neurohormonal factor during heart failure, can induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis which has an important role in the transition from compensatory cardiac remodeling to heart failure. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of propofol on Ang-II-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Cultured cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats were stimulated with Ang-II. Apoptosis was evaluated by measuring caspase 3 activity and by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. It was found that incubation with Ang-II (0.1 micromolar) for 48 h increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Administration of propofol (3-10 micromolar) significantly decreased this Ang-II-induced apoptosis. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms, the quantity of cleaved caspase-3, cytosol cytochrome c release, BcL-xL expression, and ROS generation were examined. These results suggest that propofol abates cardiomyocytes from Ang II-induced apoptosis possibly via reduced the quantity of cleaved caspase-3, and cytosol cytochrome c, and increased BcL-xL expression, and inhibiting the increased ROS generation. In addition, propofol was found to increase the Akt phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes. The siRNA transfection for Akt significantly reduced propofol-induced Akt phosphorylation and propofol¡¦s protective effect. Our data provide the first evidence that propofol prevents Ang-II-induced apoptosis, suggesting that propofol may provide a new therapeutic target for the prevention of the cardiac remodeling process.postprintThe International Academy of Cardiology 15th World Congress on Heart Disease, Annual Scientific Sessions 2010, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, 24-27 July 2010