Regional Atmospheric Dynamics of Water on Mars

The investigation of water on Mars continues to be a quintessential objective in planetary exploration since water represents a critical link to Mars’ past and present climate, geology, and its potential for habitability. Direct observations of water at the regional scale is limited, and the distribution and behavior of water in the planetary boundary layer remains an outstanding question. The research in this dissertation investigates the radiative and dynamical processes governing the regional water cycle on Mars. Using global and mesoscale atmospheric models, simulations of the regional water circulation revealed a highly non-homogeneous local distribution of water that is strongly modulated by diurnal transport. Terrain-following air parcels forced along the slopes of the Tharsis volcanoes and the steep canyon walls of Valles Marineris significantly impact the local water concentration and the associated conditions for cloud formation in these regions. An investigation of water ice fogs inside Valles Marineris showed significant variability between the local atmospheric environment inside versus outside the canyon. Formation of water ice clouds is possible in Valles Marineris, but their formation is highly influenced by radiative feedbacks forced by the thermal properties of the underlying surface. An evaluation of the potential influences of the atmosphere on recurring slope lineae (RSL) activity revealed an upper limit of ~1 µm per sol for the quantity of water that can be extracted from the atmosphere through deliquescence. Ongoing efforts to understand how regional atmospheric dynamics govern the distribution of water in the planetary boundary layer represent a significant step towards a comprehensive understanding of the water cycle on Mars.Release after 03/15/202

CANCER ASSOCIATED FIBROBLAST DERIVED ANGIOGENIC FACTOR MFAP5 IN OVARIAN CANCER PROGRESSION

Advanced stage ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. No major improvement on patient survival has been achieved in the past decade. Therefore, identification of predictive or prognostic markers and further understanding of the molecular mechanisms in ovarian cancer progression are of paramount importance. While cancer cells have always been the targets for the identification of prognostic and predictive markers, the potential for developing new diagnosis and treatments based on the tumor supporting stromal microenvironment is relatively unexplored. Using transcriptome profiling analysis on microdissected stromal and epithelial components of normal and malignant ovarian tissues, we identified a gene signature in the fibroblastic stromal component of the tumor tissue. Among the differentially expressed genes identified in microdissected cancer associated fibroblasts, microfibrillar associated protein 5 (MFAP5), which showed 10 folds increase in expression showed significant association with poorer overall survival in patients with high grade serous ovarian cancer. In addition, we identified a positive correlation between stromal MFAP5 expression and intratumor microvessel density, suggested a pro-angiogenic role of MFAP5. This study aims at delineating the functional roles and mechanisms by which stromal MFAP5 modulates ovarian tumor progression and angiogenesis and investigating the potential of targeting stromal MFAP5 as therapy for ovarian cancer. Functional studies demonstrated that MFAP5 stimulated motility and invasion potential of ovarian cancer cells and microvascular endothelial cells through the binding of αvβ3 integrin receptor. In vivo, targeting stromal MFAP5 using siRNA incorporated chitosan nanoparticles significantly reduced tumor growth, metastasis and intratumoral microvessel density. Further, pathway analyses and western blot analyses demonstrated that CAF-derived MFAP5 modulates ovarian cancer cell motility and invasion potential through the calcium dependent FAK/CREB/TNNC1 signaling pathway and MFAP5 enhanced endothelial cell motility potential and permeability via focal adhesion and stress fiber formation by activating the calcium dependent FAK/ERK/LPP signaling pathway. Finally, monoclonal anti-MFAP5 antibodies were developed. These antibodies demonstrated inhibitory effects on tumor growth and improved paclitaxel bioavailability via the reduction of intratumoral microvessel leakiness. To conclude, our results demonstrated the important roles of MFAP5 in promoting ovarian tumor progression and the potential of targeting stromal MFAP5 as a novel therapeutic approach for ovarian cancer

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Contraceptive Use in Young Women

Background: Young women have the highest rates of unintended pregnancies among reproductive­ aged women. Black and Latina women are at highest risk. Few studies have examined reasons for these differences. In this study, we examined disparities in contraceptive use and contraceptive counseling by race and ethnicity among young women. Methods: Using the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), a cross-sectional, nationally representative database, our analysis included women aged 15-24 years who had sexual intercourse within the past year, and were not pregnant or seeking pregnancy. The primary outcomes were contraceptive use and receipt of contraceptive services within the past 12 months. Results: Young women who identify as Hispanic (H) or Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) are less likely to report current contraceptive use than their non-Hispanic White (NHW) or Non-Hispanic Other (NHO) counterparts. This finding remains statistically significant among NHB women after controlling for confounders (H: adjusted OR=0.57±0.17, 95% CI [0.32, 1.02]; NHB: adjusted OR=0.51±0.13, 95% CI [0.31-0.82;] NHO: OR=1.91±0.67, 95% CI [0.96, 3.81]). There were no differences in birth control counseling received by race/ethnicity. However, NHW and NHO were more likely to have been issued contraception within the last 12 months (H: 49.6%, NHB: 49.0%, NHW: 60.1%, NHO: 64.8; p=0.047). Conclusions/Implications: Young Black and Latina women are less likely to use contraception than other racial and ethnic groups; this difference persists among young black women after controlling for sociodemographic differences. Future studies should explore reasons for the decreased contraceptive usage rate among young black women

Subjective Outcome Evaluation of the Community-Based P.A.T.H.S. Project: Views of Program Implementers

The present study adopted subjective outcome evaluation to examine program effectiveness from the views of implementers (N=375) who implemented the community-based Tier 2 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong. The results revealed that most of the program implementers were satisfied with the program content, their own performance, and program benefits. In agreement with previous studies, the satisfaction ratings of both program content and implementer performance positively predicted perceived program benefits. Regarding the influences of different program delivery approaches, programs with the “interest-enhancement” (INT) element received a more positive evaluation from implementers than did the programs without that element. For programs with the “work-related” (WORK) element, parental involvement significantly raised implementers’ satisfaction ratings on their own performance. The current findings provided evidence for the effectiveness of the P.A.T.H.S. Tier 2 Program from the perspective of the implementers

Social, Cultural and Behavioral Determinants of Health among Hawaii Filipinos: The Filipino Healthy Communities Project

Background/Purpose: Filipinos are Hawaii’s largest immigrant group and second largest ethnic group. The Hawaii Filipino Health Communities Project was initiated by the Hawaii State Department of Health, because of the high rates of heart disease and stroke mortality, and other behavioral risks seen among Hawaii’s Filipino population (i.e. high smoking rates among Filipino men). The project sought to gather Filipino community members’ perspectives on why such chronic disease health disparities exist for Filipinos, and identify solutions to address them. Methods: The project gathered information from both immigrant and local Filipinos throughout the state, using community engagement methods of interviews with community leaders (n=20) and community-based focus groups (n=20 groups with 130 participants), Results: Filipino community members were aware of, and community leaders well-versed in, the behavioral, cultural, and social determinants of health in their communities. However, being aware of such determinants of health has yet not resulted in changed behavior in the overall Filipino community (i.e. improved diet, increased physical activity, or better access to healthcare). Conclusion: More outreach is needed with Filipinos, along with interventions to combat health disparities in chronic disease, such as increased smoking cessation and creative ways to eat healthier and increase physical activit

Mechanical properties of Graphene Nanoribbons

Herein, we investigate the structural, electronic and mechanical properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbons upon the presence of stress applying Density Functional Theory within the GGA-PBE approximation. The uniaxial stress is applied along the periodic direction, allowing a unitary deformation in the range of +/- 0.02%. The mechanical properties show a linear-response within that range while the non-linear dependence is found for higher strain. The most relevant results indicate that Young's modulus is considerable higher than those determined for graphene and carbon nanotubes. The geometrical reconstruction of the C-C bonds at the edges hardness the nanostructure. Electronic structure features are not sensitive to strain in this linear elastic regime, being an additional promise for the using of carbon nanostructures in nano-electronic devices in the near future.Comment: 30 pages. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter (accepted

Long-term treatment with egg oral immunotherapy enhances sustained unresponsiveness that persists after cessation of therapy

We previously reported results of a randomized, placebo-controlled study of egg oral immunotherapy (eOIT), in which 27.5% of subjects achieved sustained unresponsiveness (SU) after 2 years. Here we report results of treatment through 4 years and long-term follow-up