Low-Melt Poly(Amic Acids) and Polyimides and Their Uses

Provided are low-melt polyimides and poly(amic acids) (PAAs) for use as adhesives, and methods of using the materials for attaching two substrates. The methods typically form an adhesive bond that is hermetically sealed to both substrates. Additionally, the method typically forms a cross-linked bonding material that is flexible

Multi-Dimensional Damage Detection

Methods and systems may provide for a structure having a plurality of interconnected panels, wherein each panel has a plurality of detection layers separated from one another by one or more non-detection layers. The plurality of detection layers may form a grid of conductive traces. Additionally, a monitor may be coupled to each grid of conductive traces, wherein the monitor is configured to detect damage to the plurality of interconnected panels in response to an electrical property change with respect to one or more of the conductive traces. In one example, the structure is part of an inflatable space platform such as a spacecraft or habitat

Multi-Dimensional Damage Detection

Methods and systems may provide for a structure having a plurality of interconnected panels, wherein each panel has a plurality of detection layers separated from one another by one or more non-detection layers. The plurality of detection layers may form a grid of conductive traces. Additionally, a monitor may be coupled to each grid of conductive traces, wherein the monitor is configured to detect damage to the plurality of interconnected panels in response to an electrical property change with respect to one or more of the conductive traces. In one example, the structure is part of an inflatable space platform such as a spacecraft or habitat

Multiomics modeling of the immunome, transcriptome, microbiome, proteome and metabolome adaptations during human pregnancy.

MotivationMultiple biological clocks govern a healthy pregnancy. These biological mechanisms produce immunologic, metabolomic, proteomic, genomic and microbiomic adaptations during the course of pregnancy. Modeling the chronology of these adaptations during full-term pregnancy provides the frameworks for future studies examining deviations implicated in pregnancy-related pathologies including preterm birth and preeclampsia.ResultsWe performed a multiomics analysis of 51 samples from 17 pregnant women, delivering at term. The datasets included measurements from the immunome, transcriptome, microbiome, proteome and metabolome of samples obtained simultaneously from the same patients. Multivariate predictive modeling using the Elastic Net (EN) algorithm was used to measure the ability of each dataset to predict gestational age. Using stacked generalization, these datasets were combined into a single model. This model not only significantly increased predictive power by combining all datasets, but also revealed novel interactions between different biological modalities. Future work includes expansion of the cohort to preterm-enriched populations and in vivo analysis of immune-modulating interventions based on the mechanisms identified.Availability and implementationDatasets and scripts for reproduction of results are available through: https://nalab.stanford.edu/multiomics-pregnancy/.Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online

Monitoring health-related quality of life in paediatric practice: development of an innovative web-based application

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) questionnaires are increasingly used in clinical practice. These Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) are provided to the paediatrician to facilitate communication with patients during a consultation. The aim of the current article is to describe the development and introduction of a new web-based application for the use of PROs in daily paediatric clinical practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Currently, the use of PROs in daily clinical practice is very time consuming and often has logistical problems. The use of a web-based programme can overcome these problems and contributes to an improved use of PROs in clinical practice. We therefore developed an easily accessible website (KLIK) for outpatient treatment and a training programme for paediatricians to maximize the effectiveness and the practical use of PROs (KLIK PROfile).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The KLIK study was launched in August 2008 to evaluate the use of the KLIK PROfile in daily clinical practice. The KLIK study evaluates whether feedback from HRQOL data could influence patient satisfaction with the consultation, the advice given, the type of referrals and topics discussed. In this multicentre study, a control group (without the use of the KLIK PROfile) is compared to an intervention group (with the use of the KLIK PROfile). A sequential cohort design is chosen to avoid contamination between the study groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on the positive experiences with the use of the KLIK PROfile acquired during the study we conclude that the KLIK PROfile may contribute to systematically monitor and discuss HRQOL issues during consultations. The next steps will be a comprehensive evaluation of the KLIK study data and the implementation of the KLIK PROfile in daily clinical practice in different patient groups.</p

Rates of age- and amyloid β-associated cortical atrophy in older adults with superior memory performance

Introduction: Superior cognitive performance in older adults may reflect underlying resistance to age-associated neurodegeneration. While elevated amyloid b (Ab) deposition (Ab1) has been associated with increased cortical atrophy, it remains unknown whether “SuperAgers” may be protected from Ab-associated neurodegeneration. Methods: Neuropsychologically defined SuperAgers (n 5 172) and cognitively normal for age (n 5 172) older adults from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study were case matched. Rates of cortical atrophy over 8 years were examined by SuperAger classification and Ab status. Results: Of the case-matched SuperAgers and cognitively normal for age older adults, 40.7% and 40.1%, respectively, were Ab1. Rates of age- and Ab-associated atrophy did not differ between the groups on any measure. Ab2 individuals displayed the slowest rates of atrophy. Discussion: Maintenance of superior memory in late life does not reflect resistance to age- or Abassociated atrophy. However, those individuals who reached old age without cognitive impairment nor elevated Ab deposition (i.e. Ab2) displayed reduced rates of cortical atrophy

From Program to Practice: Purpose, Empowerment, and Persistence in Doctoral Education

The book From Program to Practice: Purpose, Empowerment, and Persistence in Doctoral Education is a collection of graduate student writings from the 2022 summer Education Doctorate Residency at Winona State University. As practitioners in education and adjacent fields embark upon their journeys toward earning a doctorate, they soon realize the importance of this collection’s theme: the intersection of purpose, empowerment, and persistence (PEP). These concepts prove critical to a student’s success at all stages of the doctoral process, from program admission, to topic exploration, to graduation. The essays in this collection explore how students define, identify, and leverage “PEP” as novice researchers and as emerging practitioner-scholars who are preparing to re-enter the workforce with new skills, knowledge, and an evolved sense of agency. - A. Brooke Boultonhttps://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddbooks/1003/thumbnail.jp

Explaining lifelong loyalty: The role of identity fusion and self-shaping group events

Pledging lifelong loyalty to an ingroup can have far-reaching behavioural effects, ranging from ordinary acts of ingroup kindness to extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice. What motivates this important form of group commitment? Here, we propose one especially potent answer to this question–the experience of a visceral sense of oneness with a group (i.e., identity fusion). In a sample of British football fans, a population in which high levels of lifelong loyalty are thought to be common, we first examined the hypothesised relationship between fusion and perceptions of lifelong loyalty to one’s club. We further explored the hypothesis that fusion and lifelong loyalty are not merely a reflection of past time investment in a group, but also reflect a deeper, memory-based process of feeling personally shaped by key group events, both euphoric and dysphoric. We found broad support for these hypotheses. Results suggest that feeling personally self-shaped by club events (e.g., crucial wins and losses), rather than time invested in the club, leads to greater identity fusion to one’s club. In turn, fusion engenders a sense of lifelong club loyalty. We discuss our findings in relation to the growing literature on the experiential origins of intense social cohesion

Restricting Dosage Compensation Complex Binding to the X Chromosomes by H2A.Z/HTZ-1

Dosage compensation ensures similar levels of X-linked gene products in males (XY or XO) and females (XX), despite their different numbers of X chromosomes. In mammals, flies, and worms, dosage compensation is mediated by a specialized machinery that localizes to one or both of the X chromosomes in one sex resulting in a change in gene expression from the affected X chromosome(s). In mammals and flies, dosage compensation is associated with specific histone posttranslational modifications and replacement with variant histones. Until now, no specific histone modifications or histone variants have been implicated in Caenorhabditis elegans dosage compensation. Taking a candidate approach, we have looked at specific histone modifications and variants on the C. elegans dosage compensated X chromosomes. Using RNAi-based assays, we show that reducing levels of the histone H2A variant, H2A.Z (HTZ-1 in C. elegans), leads to partial disruption of dosage compensation. By immunofluorescence, we have observed that HTZ-1 is under-represented on the dosage compensated X chromosomes, but not on the non-dosage compensated male X chromosome. We find that reduction of HTZ-1 levels by RNA interference (RNAi) and mutation results in only a very modest change in dosage compensation complex protein levels. However, in these animals, the X chromosome–specific localization of the complex is partially disrupted, with some nuclei displaying DCC localization beyond the X chromosome territory. We propose a model in which HTZ-1, directly or indirectly, serves to restrict the dosage compensation complex to the X chromosome by acting as or regulating the activity of an autosomal repellant