Smith Normal Form of a Multivariate Matrix Associated with Partitions

Consideration of a question of E. R. Berlekamp led Carlitz, Roselle, and Scoville to give a combinatorial interpretation of the entries of certain matrices of determinant~1 in terms of lattice paths. Here we generalize this result by refining the matrix entries to be multivariate polynomials, and by determining not only the determinant but also the Smith normal form of these matrices. A priori the Smith form need not exist but its existence follows from the explicit computation. It will be more convenient for us to state our results in terms of partitions rather than lattice paths.Comment: 12 pages; revised version (minor changes on first version); to appear in J. Algebraic Combinatoric

Chronic Stress, Depressive Symptoms and Peripheral Vascular Dysfunction: Fundamentals, Mechanisms, Sex Disparities, and Determinants of Integrated Outcomes

Chronic, irresolvable psychological stress, a major contributor of depressive disorders, has been identified as a key factor involved in the tightly linked association between the prevalence/severity of depressive symptoms and the concurrent development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, there are marked differences in the incidence and pathology of these diseases between males and females, although the underlying mechanisms involved are unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of chronic stress/depression on behavioral and vascular function in rodents in order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms linking depression symptom severity with cardiovascular development/outcome. The unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) model is well recognized in behavioral studies as a translationally appropriate animal model for generating depressive symptoms in rodents that accurately reflects human clinical characteristics, including learned helplessness and anhedonia (Willner et al., 1997; Yalcin et al., 2008). This model is based on the fundamental concept that chronic exposure to uncontrollable mild exogenous stressors will ultimately lead to depressive disorders (Mineur et al., 2003). This model will be used to compare functional outcomes between males and females, as well as the effects of this chronic stress regimen in animals with pre-existing cardiovascular risk.;Initial experiments to investigate sex-specific differences in stress susceptibility and vascular dysfunction were performed using the BALB/cJ mouse. Experiments conducted for the rest of this dissertation utilized lean and obese Zucker rats (LZR and OZR) to allow for the use of a comorbid model of metabolic syndrome (MetS), as well as for female ovariectomy (OVX). The OZR is a model of MetS via a genetic mutation of a recessive leptin receptor; this mutation causes loss of satiety signaling in the hypothalamus, leading to chronic hyperphagia and the subsequent onset of obesity, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and moderate hypertension. MetS, which affects almost 25% of the US population and over 44% of adults 50 years or older, is generally defined by the presence of a constellation of comorbid factors (abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, pro-inflammatory/pro-thrombotic state) that are significantly associated with increased CVD risk.;The OZR will also develop non-atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease in addition to severe vascular impairments as it ages, and therefore represents a relevant model of underlying CVD risk. Research regarding the pathophysiological differences in clinical disease profiles between sexes has reported that women may have a greater endothelium-dependent vasodilatory capacity compared to men (Casey et al., 2013). There is extensive evidence for the vasoprotective actions of estrogen against oxidative and inflammatory stressors that reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby increase nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. This dissertation will address the effects of chronic stress on depressive-like behavioral outcomes and plasma levels of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis stress hormone, corticosterone, in male and female rodents. Additionally, sex-specific differences in the severity of impaired vascular reactivity to endothelial dependent vasodilator stimuli following exposure to chronic stress, as well as the specific mechanisms underlying stress- induced vascular dysfunction, will be investigated in both male and female rodents. Finally, these functional outcomes will be interrogated in OZR to determine the consequences of chronic stress/depressive symptoms on rodents with MetS, and the role of estrogen will be tested in both OVX obese and lean female animals subjected to conditions of UCMS.;Specific Aims:.;Aim 1: To determine the impact of UCMS on vascular reactivity in mice of both sexes. It is hypothesized that UCMS will result in a more severe development of depressive symptoms in female mice (vs. males), but vascular function will be superior to that of males.;Aim 2: To determine if the protective effect against UCMS-induced vasculopathy in females is altered in rats with pre-existing cardiovascular disease risk factors and/or following OVX. It is hypothesized that vascular function in female animals will no longer be protected from UCMS-induced impairments in animals with comorbid CVD risk factors or in animals having undergone OVX.;Aim 3: To determine the impact of pharmacological interventions on chronic stress/depressive symptoms and vascular function in male animals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease risk factors. It is predicted that improving CVD risk and vascular function with drugs will improve behavioral symptoms/corticosterone levels

Mucosal immunisation using the ovine nasopharyngeal route

The mucosal surfaces are a major site of pathogen entry and methods that stimulate the local immune response to provide a barrier to infection are highly desirable. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel intra-nasal vaccination strategy in sheep specifically targeting the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) in the nasopharyngeal tract. Initial studies demonstrated the location and composition of ovine nasal-associated lymphoid tissue, which was shown to be characteristic of an immune inductive site of MALT. Specialised epithelial cells with sparse irregular microvilli were revealed by electron microscopy within the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE). These cells were closely associated with lymphocytes in the underlying tissue and were characteristic of M cells, shown to be involved in the uptake of particulate antigenic material. Attempts to mark these M cells using lectins, alkaline phosphatase activity and antibodies against vimentin and cytokeratins proved unsuccessful. However, uptake of fluorescent microparticles into the epithelium could be demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that these M cells were functionally active. These initial studies suggested there was potential to stimulate an effective mucosal immune response by targeting ovine NALT with particulate antigen. A particulate delivery system using poly(D,L-lactide-coglycolide) (PLG), a biodegradable polymer, was then developed to deliver antigen to MALT through the M cells. Firstly, microparticles within the appropriate size range were produced, and protein encapsulation into these microparticles was optimised using BSA as a model protein. Protein encapsulation and release studies were performed on microparticles made from low and high molecular weight PLG polymers, and finally the stability and functionality of encapsulated proteins from Listeria monocytogenes were determined. These results allowed the optimal methods for particle preparation to be chosen.An intra-nasal vaccination trial against Toxoplasma gondii was then performed in sheep. Proteins were extracted from toxoplasma tachyzoites and incorporated into PLG microparticles using the methods developed above. Sheep were vaccinated intranasally with soluble or particulate toxoplasma antigen, with blank particles as a negative control, or were infected with toxoplasma oocysts as a ii positive control. The potential for the use of cholera toxin as a mucosal adjuvant was also investigated. All sheep were challenged with an oral infection of toxoplasma oocysts at the end of the experiment. Sheep immunised with particulate toxoplasma antigen produced enhanced levels of both local and systemic antigen-specific IgA antibody. Some increase in systemic antigen-specific IgG antibody levels were measured in sheep immunised with particulate toxoplasma antigen and cholera toxin. After challenge with toxoplasma oocysts increased levels of both local and systemic IgG were measured more rapidly in all animals immunised with toxoplasma antigen, suggesting a secondary-type IgG response. Increased cellular immune responses and a corresponding increase in interferon gamma production were measured in sheep immunised with particulate toxoplasma antigens. A slight modification of the febrile response to toxoplasma infection could be observed in animals immunised with particulate toxoplasma antigen and cholera toxin, although none of the immunised animals were protected against the challenge infection. These studies have shown that the intra-nasal route stimulates both local and systemic immune responses, and shows promise as an effective route for mucosal immunisation

Inter-personal Violence and Abuse in Adolescent Intimate Relationships: Mental Health Impact and Implications for Practice

This paper provides a narrative review of the knowledge on interpersonal violence and abuse (IPVA) in adolescents’ intimate relationships. It draws on the authors’ own research, published reviews and a rapid review on IPVA victimisation and mental health outcomes for adolescents. The research reviewed identified associations between adolescent IPVA and substance misuse, depressive symptoms and PTSD, eating disorders and suicidal thinking and behaviour in young people. Generally, girls appeared more likely to report severemental health outcomes than boys. Adolescents rarely disclose IPVA to adults and delivering preventative programmes that promote knowledge and help seeking may offer a means of building on young people’s tendency to seek help from friends. These preventative interventions, usually delivered in schools, need to be closely linked to support services for adolescents who disclose abuse. While there are some practice examples of emerging interventions for both victims and perpetrators of adolescent IPVA, there is as yet little robust evidence regarding their effectiveness

What Have We Learned from Critical Qualitative Inquiry about Race Equity and Social Justice? An Interview with Pioneering Scholar Yvonna Lincoln

In this article, two Black women scholars in higher education share a conversation with our distinguished senior colleague, Yvonna Lincoln, a pioneering scholar of qualitative research methodology about what we have learned from her, and more specifically, how this research paradigm has been used to advance racial equity and social justice in higher education. The readers will learn, through her lens, about issues that emerged over the years and what she envisions for the future of higher education and qualitative research. This article presents implications for higher education, including faculty, students, and administrators working in higher education institutions

Smith normal form of a multivariate matrix associated with partitions

Consideration of a question of E. R. Berlekamp led Carlitz, Roselle, and Scoville to give a combinatorial interpretation of the entries of certain matrices of determinant 1 in terms of lattice paths. Here we generalize this result by refining the matrix entries to be multivariate polynomials, and by determining not only the determinant but also the Smith normal form of these matrices. A priori the Smith form need not exist but its existence follows from the explicit computation. It will be more convenient for us to state our results in terms of partitions rather than lattice paths.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant DMS-1068625

Cost effectiveness analysis of Year 2 of an elementary school-located influenza vaccination program-Results from a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundSchool-located vaccination against influenza (SLV-I) has the potential to improve current suboptimal influenza immunization coverage for U.S. school-aged children. However, little is known about SLV-I's cost-effectiveness. The objective of this study is to establish the cost-effectiveness of SLV-I based on a two-year community-based randomized controlled trial (Year 1: 2009-2010 vaccination season, an unusual H1N1 pandemic influenza season, and Year 2: 2010-2011, a more typical influenza season).MethodsWe performed a cost-effectiveness analysis on a two-year randomized controlled trial of a Western New York SLV-I program. SLV-I clinics were offered in 21 intervention elementary schools (Year 1 n = 9,027; Year 2 n = 9,145 children) with standard-of-care (no SLV-I) in control schools (Year 1 n = 4,534 (10 schools); Year 2 n = 4,796 children (11 schools)). We estimated the cost-per-vaccinated child, by dividing the incremental cost of the intervention by the incremental effectiveness (i.e., the number of additionally vaccinated students in intervention schools compared to control schools).ResultsIn Years 1 and 2, respectively, the effectiveness measure (proportion of children vaccinated) was 11.2 and 12.0 percentage points higher in intervention (40.7 % and 40.4 %) than control schools. In year 2, the cost-per-vaccinated child excluding vaccine purchase ($59.88 in 2010 US$) consisted of three component costs: (A) the school costs ($8.25); (B) the project coordination costs ($32.33); and (C) the vendor costs excluding vaccine purchase ($16.68), summed through Monte Carlo simulation. Compared to Year 1, the two component costs (A) and (C) decreased, while the component cost (B) increased in Year 2. The cost-per-vaccinated child, excluding vaccine purchase, was$59.73 (Year 1) and $59.88 (Year 2, statistically indistinguishable from Year 1), higher than the published cost of providing influenza vaccination in medical practices ($39.54). However, taking indirect costs (e.g., averted parental costs to visit medical practices) into account, vaccination was less costly in SLV-I ($23.96 in Year 1,$24.07 in Year 2) than in medical practices.ConclusionsOur two-year trial's findings reinforced the evidence to support SLV-I as a potentially favorable system to increase childhood influenza vaccination rates in a cost-efficient way. Increased efficiencies in SLV-I are needed for a sustainable and scalable SLV-I program

Optimization of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA-4EU) in Support of the International Space System and Advanced Exploration Systems

The Life Support Systems Project (LSSP) under the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program builds upon the work performed under the AES Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) project focusing on the numerous technology development areas. The Carbon Dioxide (CO2) removal and associated air drying development efforts are focused on improving the current state-of-the-art system on the International Space Station (ISS) utilizing fixed beds of sorbent pellets by seeking more robust pelletized sorbents, evaluating structured sorbents, and examining alternate bed configurations to improve system efficiency and reliability. A component of the CO2 removal effort utilizes a virtual Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly, revision 4 (CDRA-4) test bed to test a large number of potential operational configurations with independent variations in flow rate, cycle time, heater ramp rate, and set point. Initial ground testing will provide prerequisite source data and provide baseline data in support of the virtual CDRA. Once the configurations with the highest performance and lowest power requirements are determined by the virtual CDRA, the results will be confirmed by testing these configurations with the CDRA-4EU ground test hardware. This paper describes the initial ground testing of select configurations. The development of the virtual CDRA under the AES-LSS Project will be discussed in a companion paper

Trends and predictors of appropriate complementary feeding practices in Nepal: An analysis of national household survey data collected between 2001 and 2014.

There is evidence that suboptimal complementary feeding contributes to poor child growth. However, little is known about time trends and determinants of complementary feeding in Nepal, where the prevalence of child undernutrition remains unacceptably high. The objective of the study was to examine the trends and predictors of suboptimal complementary feeding in Nepali children aged 6-23 months using nationally representative data collected from 2001 to 2014. Data from the 2001, 2006, and 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys and the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey were used to estimate the prevalence, trends and predictors of four WHO-UNICEF complementary feeding indicators: timely introduction of complementary foods (INTRO), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). We used multilevel logistic regression models to identify independent factors associated with these indicators at the individual, household and community levels. In 2014, the weighted proportion of children meeting INTRO, MMF, MDD, and MAD criteria were 72%, 82%, 36% and 35%, respectively, with modest average annual rate of increase ranging from 1% to 2%. Increasing child age, maternal education, antenatal visits, and community-level access to health care services independently predicted increasing odds of achieving MMF, MDD, and MAD. Practices also varied by ecological zone and sociocultural group. Complementary feeding practices in Nepal have improved slowly in the past 15 years. Inequities in the risk of inappropriate complementary feeding are evident, calling for programme design and implementation to address poor feeding and malnutrition among the most vulnerable Nepali children

Evolving Maturation of the Series-Bosch System

Human exploration missions to Mars and other destinations beyond low Earth orbit require highly robust, reliable, and maintainable life support systems that maximize recycling of water and oxygen. In order to meet this requirement, NASA has continued the development of a Series-Bosch System, a two stage reactor process that reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) with hydrogen (H2) to produce water and solid carbon. Theoretically, the Bosch process can recover 100% of the oxygen (O2) from CO2 in the form of water, making it an attractive option for long duration missions. The Series Bosch system includes a reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reactor, a carbon formation reactor (CFR), an H2 extraction membrane, and a CO2 extraction membrane. In 2016, the results of integrated testing of the Series Bosch system showed great promise and resulted in design modifications to the CFR to further improve performance. This year, integrated testing was conducted with the modified reactor to evaluate its performance and compare it with the performance of the previous configuration. Additionally, a CFR with the capability to load new catalyst and remove spent catalyst in-situ was built. Flow demonstrations were performed to evaluate both the catalyst loading and removal process and the hardware performance. The results of the integrated testing with the modified CFR as well as the flow demonstrations are discussed in this paper