Synthesis and Characterization of pH and Thermal-sensitive Injectable Hydrogels

Acute myocardial infarction is a common cause for the significant reduction in delivery of nutrients and oxygen to cardiomyocytes, and with prolonged nutritional absence subsequently propagates chronic heart failure following cardiomyocyte cell death. Biomaterials research retains particular interest to redress chronic heart failure by emphasizing the regeneration of lost functional cardiac tissue via implantation of cardiac stem cells, specifically cardiosphere-derived stem cells (CDCs). While previous research has attempted to elucidate the capacity of novel thermosensitive polymeric hydrogels to sustain CDC survival in the construct, the physical properties of these gels are not well understood. Thus, this study sought to develop and characterize the physical properties of a thermo- and pH-sensitive hydrogel that would be forwarded towards studying encapsulated CDC survival. This gel was characterized by composition by nuclear magnetic resonance and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, lower critical solution temperature by differential scanning calorimetry, elastic modulus by uniaxial tensile testing, biodegradability in water, and catheter injectability. A series of pH- and thermal responsive hydrogels were developed by free radical polymerization of n(isopropylacrylamide), propylacrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-trimethylene carbonate.A three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Biolog

Information for inspiration: understanding information-seeking behaviour and library usage of students at the Hong Kong Design Institute

The process of information- and inspiration-seeking behaviour amongst artists and designers often involve direct observation, note-taking, collecting materials and image samples, recognising styles, analysing movements, patterns, textures, as well as experimenting with different materials and techniques. They also rely heavily on having access to a variety of visual resources, both physical and digital, during the process of inspiration-seeking. However, there have been few studies on how art and design students look for and use information in the digital age, especially in the context of the library. This paper reports on an empirical study of the inspiration-seeking process and other information-related behaviour of students at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). An online questionnaire was created to ask the HKDI students specific questions: the types of library preferred; students\u27 comfort level with the HKDI Library; student respondents\u27 information needs; and their preferred sources for inspiration. They were also asked which media and venues they looked to for information that was important to their creative process. A total of 327 current students at the HKDI completed the survey. The research findings suggest that information-seeking behaviour of the art and design students was reflective of the fluid and creative nature of the art and design domain. They were regular users of traditional printed resources as well as the physical libraries. They also placed heavy reliance on the Internet and a variety of social networks when it came to inspiration-seeking. Inspiration was found from a very diverse and ‘idiosyncratic’ set of sources; often via accidental discovery. The students\u27 status as emergent practitioners also suggested a strong need for career advice and interactions with peers practicing in the art and design field

Effectiveness of a Federal Healthy Start Program in Reducing Infant Mortality

Objective: Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health status of a community. In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate temporal changes in infant mortality rates (IMR) in the Central Hillsborough Healthy Start (CHHS) program service area in Tampa, Florida compared to rates in the rest of Hillsborough County and the state. Method: We conducted a five-year (2010-2014) trends analysis using birth and infant death data extracted from the Florida Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set (CHARTS). The number of infant deaths and live births were used to calculate and compare IMRs in the CHHS catchment area to those in the rest of Hillsborough County, and the state of Florida. Three-year centered moving averages were directly adjusted to account for differences in the racial/ethnic distribution of mothers across geographic areas. Results: Between 2010 and 2014, the IMR decreased 42.8% in the CHHS service area (from 14.5 to 8.3 per 1,000 live births) compared to decreases of 10.1% and 7.7% in the rest of Hillsborough County and the state of Florida, respectively. Additionally, the infant mortality gap in the CHHS catchment area narrowed from 72% in 2010 to 14% in 2014 compared to the rest of the state, and was eliminated when compared to the rest of Hillsborough County. Discussion: The absolute and relative decreases in IMR in the CHHS catchment area reflect the program’s effectiveness in decreasing disparity in infant mortality. The quality services provided by the CHHS program have had a significant positive impact on the families served

Modeling your college library after a commercial bookstore? the Hong Kong Design Institute Library experience

The Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) is a leading design education institute in Hong Kong under the Vocational Training Council (VTC) group. Opened in September 2010, the HKDI Learning Resources Centre is a specialist library for the study of art and design. The mission of the HKDI Library is to support and promote the academic goals of the Institute, i.e., to prepare the students for professional careers; emphasize learning through a creative and interactive environment; meanwhile uphold a positively relaxing, and yet inviting environment that is very much similar to a commercial bookstore. In order to accomplish this, the HKDI Library aims to serve as a user-centered library for creative learning--by providing an important place for both students and faculty to actively engage in study, research, as well as socializing. Through a series of small focus group interviews with both students and faculty staff at the HKDI, the study investigates how influential the library environment could be in fostering students\u27 learning and other social activities under a creative environment

37 GHz methanol masers : Horsemen of the Apocalypse for the class II methanol maser phase?

We report the results of a search for class II methanol masers at 37.7, 38.3 and 38.5 GHz towards a sample of 70 high-mass star formation regions. We primarily searched towards regions known to show emission either from the 107 GHz class II methanol maser transition, or from the 6.035 GHz excited OH transition. We detected maser emission from 13 sources in the 37.7 GHz transition, eight of these being new detections. We detected maser emission from three sources in the 38 GHz transitions, one of which is a new detection. We find that 37.7 GHz methanol masers are only associated with the most luminous 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol maser sources, which in turn are hypothesised to be the oldest class II methanol sources. We suggest that the 37.7 GHz methanol masers are associated with a brief evolutionary phase (of 1000-4000 years) prior to the cessation of class II methanol maser activity in the associated high-mass star formation region.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Optimal control for halo orbit missions

This paper addresses the computation of the required trajectory correction maneuvers (TCM) for a halo orbit space mission to compensate for the launch velocity errors introduced by inaccuracies of the launch vehicle. By combiningdynamical systems theory with optimal control techniques, we produce a portrait of the complex landscape of the trajectory design space. This approach enables parametric studies not available to mission designers a few years ago, such as how the magnitude of the errors and the timingof the first TCM affect the correction ΔV. The impetus for combiningdynamical systems theory and optimal control in this problem arises from design issues for the Genesis Discovery mission being developed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Transportation Brokerage Services and Medicaid Beneficiaries' Access to Care

To examine the effect of capitated transportation brokerage services on Medicaid beneficiaries' access to care and expenditures. Data Sources/Study Setting . The study period from 1996 to 1999 corresponds to the period of a natural experiment during which Georgia and Kentucky implemented transportation brokerage services. Effects were estimated for asthmatic children and diabetic adults. Study Design . We used difference-in-differences models to assess the effects of transportation brokerage services on access to care, measured by Medicaid expenditures and health services use. The study design is strengthened by the staggered implementation dates between states and within each state. Principal Findings . For asthmatic children, transportation brokerage services increased nonemergency transportation expenditures and the likelihood of using any services; reductions in monthly expenditures more than offsetting the increased transportation costs. For diabetic adults, nonemergency transportation costs decreased despite increased monthly use of health services; average monthly medical expenditures and the likelihood of hospital admission for an ambulatory care-sensitive condition (ACSC) also decreased. Conclusions . The shift to transportation brokerage services improved access to care among Medicaid beneficiaries and decreased the expenditures. The increase in access combined with reduced hospitalizations for asthmatic children and ACSC admissions for diabetic adults are suggestive of improvements in health outcomes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73049/1/j.1475-6773.2008.00907.x.pd

Anyonic order parameters for discrete gauge theories on the lattice

We present a new family of gauge invariant non-local order parameters for (non-abelian) discrete gauge theories on a Euclidean lattice, which are in one-to-one correspondence with the excitation spectrum that follows from the representation theory of the quantum double D(H) of the finite group H. These combine magnetic flux-sector labeled by a conjugacy class with an electric representation of the centralizer subgroup that commutes with the flux. In particular cases like the trivial class for magnetic flux, or the trivial irrep for electric charge, these order parameters reduce to the familiar Wilson and the 't Hooft operators respectively. It is pointed out that these novel operators are crucial for probing the phase structure of a class of discrete lattice models we define, using Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

Critical behavior in colloid-polymer mixtures: theory and simulation

We extensively investigated the critical behavior of mixtures of colloids and polymers via the two-component Asakura-Oosawa model and its reduction to a one-component colloidal fluid using accurate theoretical and simulation techniques. In particular the theoretical approach, hierarchical reference theory [Adv. Phys. 44, 211 (1995)], incorporates realistically the effects of long-range fluctuations on phase separation giving exponents which differ strongly from their mean-field values, and are in good agreement with those of the three-dimensional Ising model. Computer simulations combined with finite-size scaling analysis confirm the Ising universality and the accuracy of the theory, although some discrepancy in the location of the critical point between one-component and full-mixture description remains. To assess the limit of the pair-interaction description, we compare one-component and two-component results.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.