Optimal management of post-traumatic radioulnar synostosis

Post-traumatic radioulnar synostosis is a rare complication after forearm or elbow injury that can result in loss of motion and significant disability. Risk factors include aspects of the initial trauma and of the surgical treatment of that trauma. Surgical intervention for synostosis is the standard of care and is determined based on the location of the bony bridge. Surgical timing is recommended between 6 months and 2 years with recent advocacy for the 6- to 12-month period after radiographs demonstrate bony maturation but early enough to prevent further stiffness and contractures. For most types of synostosis, surgical resection with interposition graft is recommended. The types of materials used include synthetic, allograft, and vascularized and non-vascularized materials, but currently there is no consensus on which is the most preferable. Adjuvant therapy is not considered necessary for all cases but can be beneficial in patients with high risk factors such as recurrence or traumatic brain injury. Postoperative rehabilitation should be performed early to maintain range of motion. © 2017 Osterman and Arief

Design approaches and materials processes for ultrahigh efficiency lattice mismatched multi-junction solar cells

In this study, we report synthesis of large area (>2cm^2), crack-free GaAs and GaInP double heterostructures grown in a multi-junction solar cell-like structure by MOCVD. Initial solar cell data are also reported for GaInP top cells. These samples were grown on Ge/Si templates fabricated using wafer bonding and ion implantation induced layer transfer techniques. The double heterostructures exhibit radiative emission with uniform intensity and wavelength in regions not containing interfacial bubble defects. The minority carrier lifetime of ~1ns was estimated from photoluminescence decay measurements in both double heterostructures. We also report on the structural characteristics of heterostructures, determined via atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and correlate these characteristics to the spatial variation of the minority carrier lifetime

More than teacher directed or child initiated: Preschool curriculum type, parent involvement, and children's outcomes in the child-parent centers.

This study investigated the contributions of curriculum approach and parent involvement to the short- and long-term effects of preschool participation in the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Data came from the complete cohort of 989 low-income children (93% African American) in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, who attended preschool in the 20 Child-Parent Centers in 1983-1985 and kindergarten in 1985-1986. We found that implementation of an instructional approach rated high by Head Teachers in teacher-directed and child-initiated activities was most consistently associated with children’s outcomes, including school readiness at kindergarten entry, reading achievement in third and eighth grades, and avoidance of grade retention. Parent involvement in school activities, as rated by teachers and by parents, was independently associated with child outcomes from school readiness at kindergarten entry to eighth grade reading achievement and grade retention above and beyond the influence of curriculum approach. Findings indicate that instructional approaches that blend a teacher-directed focus with child-initiated activities and parental school involvement are origins of the long-term effects of participation in the Child-Parent Centers

Schwann cell coculture improves the therapeutic effect of bone marrow stromal cells on recovery in spinal cord-injured mice

Studies of bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord-injured rat give mixed results: some groups report improved locomotor recovery while others only demonstrate improved histological appearance of the lesion. These studies show no clear correlation between neurological improvements and MSC survival. We examined whether MSC survival in the injured spinal cord could be enhanced by closely matching donor and recipient mice for genetic background and marker gene expression and whether exposure of MSCs to a neural environment (Schwann cells) prior to transplantation would improve their survival or therapeutic effects. Mice underwent a clip compression spinal cord injury at the fourth thoracic level and cell transplantation 7 days later. Despite genetic matching of donors and recipients, MSC survival in the injured spinal cord was very poor (~1%). However, we noted improved locomotor recovery accompanied by improved histopathological appearance of the lesion in mice receiving MSC grafts. These mice had more white and gray matter sparing, laminin expression, Schwann cell infiltration, and preservation of neurofilament and 5-HT-positive fibers at and below the lesion. There was also decreased collagen and chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan deposition in the scar and macrophage activation in mice that received the MSC grafts. The Schwann cell cocultured MSCs had greater effects than untreated MSCs on all these indices of recovery. Analyses of chemokine and cytokine expression revealed that MSC/Schwann cell cocultures produced far less MCP-1 and IL-6 than MSCs or Schwann cells cultured alone. Thus, transplanted MSCs may improve recovery in spinal cord-injured mice through immunosuppressive effects that can be enhanced by a Schwann cell coculturing step. These results indicate that the temporary presence of MSCs in the injured cord is sufficient to alter the cascade of pathological events that normally occurs after spinal cord injury, generating a microenvironment that favors improved recovery. © 2011 Cognizant Comm. Corp

Photooxidation of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) as a potential source of secondary organic aerosol

2-Methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) is an important biogenic hydrocarbon emitted in large quantities by pine forests. Atmospheric photooxidation of MBO is known to lead to oxygenated compounds, such as glycolaldehyde, which is the precursor to glyoxal. Recent studies have shown that the reactive uptake of glyoxal onto aqueous particles can lead to formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In this work, MBO photooxidation under high- and low-NO_x conditions was performed in dual laboratory chambers to quantify the yield of glyoxal and investigate the potential for SOA formation. The yields of glycolaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanal (HMPR), fragmentation products of MBO photooxidation, were observed to be lower at lower NO_x concentrations. Overall, the glyoxal yield from MBO photooxidation was 25% under high-NO_x and 4% under low-NO_x conditions. In the presence of wet ammonium sulfate seed and under high-NO_x conditions, glyoxal uptake and SOA formation were not observed conclusively, due to relatively low (<30 ppb) glyoxal concentrations. Slight aerosol formation was observed under low-NO_x and dry conditions, with aerosol mass yields on the order of 0.1%. The small amount of SOA was not related to glyoxal uptake, but is likely a result of reactions similar to those that generate isoprene SOA under low-NO_x conditions. The difference in aerosol yields between MBO and isoprene photooxidation under low-NO_x conditions is consistent with the difference in vapor pressures between triols (from MBO) and tetrols (from isoprene). Despite its structural similarity to isoprene, photooxidation of MBO is not expected to make a significant contribution to SOA formation

A TFIIB-like protein is indispensable for spliced leader RNA gene transcription in Trypanosoma brucei

The lack of general class II transcription factors was a hallmark of the genomic sequences of the human parasites Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major. However, the recent identification of TFIIA as part of a protein complex essential for RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription of SLRNA genes, which encode the trans splicing-specific spliced leader RNA, suggests that trypanosomatids assemble a highly divergent set of these factors at the SLRNA promoter. Here we report the identification of a trypanosomatid TFIIB-like (TFIIB(like)) protein which has limited overall sequence homology to eukaryotic TFIIB and archaeal TFB but harbors conserved residues within the N-terminal zinc ribbon domain, the B finger and cyclin repeat I. In accordance with the function of TFIIB, T.brucei TFIIB(like) is encoded by an essential gene, localizes to the nucleus, specifically binds to the SLRNA promoter, interacts with RNA polymerase II, and is absolutely required for SLRNA transcription

A Prototype to Support Business Model Innovation through Crowdsourcing and Artificial Intelligence

The development of new and innovative business models is a central challenge for many companies, particularly for small and medium-sized companies. Information systems could support these companies by actively guiding them through a business model development process. However, the existing business model development tools only provide passive support for their users (e.g., digital whiteboards). Therefore, we set out to develop a prototype that actively supports its users by generating business model ideas. Informed by an existing design theory, we built a prototype relying on hybrid intelligence (i.e., the combination of human and artificial knowledge). The prototype iteratively generates new business model ideas by recombining existing knowledge, posts the ideas to a crowdsourcing platform for evaluation, and learns from the crowds’ evaluation. This demonstration paper presents the prototype, the challenges we faced during its implementation, and directions for future research on machine-supported business model development

PAZ6 Cells Constitute a Representative Model for Human Brown Pre-Adipocytes

The role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in human metabolism and its potential as an anti-obesity target organ have recently received much renewed attention. Following radiological detection of substantial amounts of BAT in adults by several independent research groups, an increasing number of studies are now dedicated to uncover BAT’s genetic, developmental, and environmental determinants. In contrast to murine BAT, human BAT is not present as a single major fat depot in a well-defined location. The distribution of BAT in several areas in the body significantly limits its availability to research. A human brown adipocyte cell line is therefore critical in broadening the options available to researchers in the field. The human BAT-cell line PAZ6 was created to address such a need and has been well characterized by several research groups around the world. In the present review, we discuss their findings and propose potential applications of the PAZ6 cells in addressing the relevant questions in the BAT field, namely for future use in therapeutic applications

Severe outcomes of malaria in children under time-varying exposure

In malaria epidemiology, interpolation frameworks based on available observations are critical for policy decisions and interpreting disease burden. Updating our understanding of the empirical evidence across different populations, settings, and timeframes is crucial to improving inference for supporting public health. Here, via individual-based modeling, we evaluate a large, multicountry, contemporary Plasmodium falciparum severe malaria dataset to better understand the relationship between prevalence and incidence of malaria pediatric hospitalizations - a proxy of malaria severe outcomes- in East-Africa. We find that life-long exposure dynamics, and subsequent protection patterns in children, substantially determine the likelihood of malaria hospitalizations relative to ongoing prevalence at the population level. Unsteady transmission patterns over a lifetime in children -increasing or decreasing- lead to an exponential relationship of hospitalization rates versus prevalence rather than the asymptotic pattern observed under steady transmission. Addressing this increase in the complexity of malaria epidemiology is crucial to update burden assessments via inference models that guide current and future policy decisions