Infinity-harmonic maps and morphisms

We propose a new notion called \emph{infinity-harmonic maps}between Riemannain manifolds. These are natural generalizations of the well known notion of infinity harmonic functions and are also the limiting case of $p$% -harmonic maps as $p\to \infty$. Infinity harmoncity appears in many familiar contexts. For example, metric projection onto the orbit of an isometric group action from a tubular neighborhood is infinity harmonic. Unfortunately, infinity-harmonicity is not preserved under composition. Those infinity harmonic maps that always preserve infinity harmonicity under pull back are called infinity harmonic morphisms. We show that infinity harmonic morphisms are precisely horizontally homothetic mas. Many example of infinity-harmonic maps are given, including some very important and well-known classes of maps between Riemannian manifolds

A.W.A.R.E. the assessment of autism spectrum disorders: a resource manual for parents with young children (ages 0-3 years)

Autism spectrum disorder is the most common pervasive developmental disorder affecting young children. It results in significant impairments in the acquisition of language, social, and adaptive behaviors. In recent years, participation in intensive early intervention has resulted in significant improvements in communication skills and a more positive prognosis. While the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, such as impaired social reciprocal interactions, can be identified in the first months of a child\u27s life, parents often encounter difficulty in obtaining appropriate diagnostic assessments. Delays in the assessment process result in a later involvement in critical early intervention and a poorer outcome. To date there is a lack of information educating parents on the need for and the nature of the assessment process. This dissertation sought to develop a resource manual to help parents understand and recognize early warning signs of autism spectrum disorder, increase their awareness about the assessment process, and the importance and impact of early identification and early intervention. A review of the research and literature were conducted and graphs, tables, and checklists were developed to create a parent-friendly resource manual. A survey was emailed to 25 experts in the field of autism and their feedback was incorporated into the manual. The goal of the manual was to empower parents to become effective advocates for their child and to follow through on having their child assessed in order to access early intervention. A potential plan for future evaluation, revision, and dissemination of the resource manual was also discussed

Developing a Three-Dimensional Microenvironment to Investigate Metastatic Cancer Invasion

Significant progress has been achieved towards understanding the biochemical aspects of cancer metastasis; yet, less is known about the mechanical processes that govern cancer cell invasion. These mechanical processes include: 1) changes in the elastic properties of cells and 2) changes in the motility of cells triggered by physical properties of the microenvironment. This thesis aims to understand the latter; in particular is the traction behavior of cancer cells as they navigate through different pore sizes. Cells were seeded on 3D hydrogel scaffolds with a structure and dimensionality that mimic the physiological conditions encountered by metastatic cells in vivo. Migratory behavior of these cells were determined by traction force microscopy, a technique used to determine the forces generated by cells on their substrata. Data on cell tractions allowed analysis on the mechanical interplay between cells and their environments. Understanding this interplay can have profound implications on cancer therapy, such as reducing or preventing the migration of these cells

Isolation and Characterization of Microbial Community Associated with Diadumene Lineata, the Orange-Striped Sea Anemone

The orange-striped sea anemone, Diadumene lineata, is a marine invertebrate that can be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Distribution of Diadumene lineata ranges from Japan to the Gulf of Argentina. This invasive anemone originated from the Pacific Coast of Asia and serves as a host for a diverse microbial community including a photosynthetic alga. The epiphytic bacteria adhere to the outer surface as well as to the gastrovascular cavity of the host. The microbial community associated with Diadumene lineata is relatively unknown. This study attempted to isolate and identify bacteria commonly associated with this invasive marine invertebrate. Diadumene lineata was collected from rocks on Rye Beach, New York and was maintained in the laboratory. Isolation of bacteria on modified marine LB revealed consistently associated phylotypes that were identified by amplifying 16s rRNA via colony PCR. A phylogeny was constructed from 16s rRNA sequences. Bacterial isolates included Vibrio harveyi, Pseudoalteromonas shioyasakiensis, Vibrio neocaledonicus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. These findings suggest that Diadumene lineata harbors a diverse microbial community. S. saprophyticus and B. thuringiensis are both in the phylum Firmicutes, displaying a characteristic of gram-positive bacteria. V. harveyi, V. neocaledonicus, and P. shioyasakiensis are in the phylum Proteobacteria and the class Gammaproteobacteria

British and American Chinese children's negotiation of popular cultural texts in bilingual and bicultural contexts

This PhD thesis presents an investigation of how British Chinese and American Chinese children, situated in bilingual and bi-cultural context, negotiate the meaning of a popular culture text, Yugioh within their sociocultural practices. The research draws on two theoretical frameworks, reception analysis and New Literacy Studies. Data were collected from surveys, diaries, participant observations and semi-structured interviews with children and parents in the UK and US, over a sixteen-month period from October, 2002 and February, 2004. It is argued that the children’s appropriation of popular culture texts in cross-cultural context is subject to the interwoven effects of a variety of and interconnected situational factors and follows the pattern of product life cycle. In each phase of product life cycle, the children draw on textual and symbolic meanings of Yugioh texts to represent their understandings and interactions with their social world. The analysis shows the textual meanings are used to facilitate the practice of Yugioh activities and literacy learning while the symbolic meanings are to serve different purposes in the children’s socialisation, identity formation and childhood development

Effects of Scleral-lens Tear Clearance on Corneal Edema and Post-lens Tear Dynamics: A Pilot Study.

SignificanceThe present study with small-diameter scleral lenses (SLs) revealed that post-lens tear thickness (PoLTT) was significantly associated with post-lens tear mixing, but not with central corneal edema, after short-term SL wear.PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the influence of SL tear clearance (PoLTT) on central corneal thickness and post-lens tear dynamics during 5-hour lens wear.MethodsNeophytes with no active ocular disease were fitted bilaterally with SLs (hofocon A; 15.6-mm diameter; ~438-μm thickness; 97 Dk; 1.44 refractive index) with various initial PoLTT values ranging from 74 to 543 μm. Central corneal thickness and PoLTT were measured using optical coherence tomography during lens wear. Tear mixing was assessed using fluorogram and "out-in" method.ResultsThe mean central corneal edema after 5-hour lens wear was 1.51% (95% confidence interval, 1.26 to 1.76%; P < .001), reached its peak at 2-hour post-lens insertion (1.65% [95% confidence interval, 1.45 to 1.85%]), and was independent of PoLTT. The fastest fluorescence decay of the post-lens tear film was observed superiorly. The fluorescence decay rate increased from center to periphery in all quadrants except superiorly. An inverse relationship was found between PoLTT and fluorescence decay rate at both 20-minute and 5-hour wear after lens insertion (P < .05). Excluding observations with out-in time exceeding 5 minutes, we found a direct relationship between PoLTT at 20 minutes after lens insertion and out-in time (P = .047). The % change in the PoLTT after 5-hour wear was greater with a thinner initial tear clearance than those with a thicker one (P = .034).ConclusionsWithin our study parameters, a thinner PoLTT under a small-diameter SL was associated with faster PoLTT mixing. However, there was no relationship between PoLTT and central corneal thickness during 5-hour SL wear

Biochemical and Genetic Conservation of Fission Yeast DSK1 and Human SRPK1

Arginine/serine-rich (RS) domain-containing proteins and their phosphorylation by specific protein kinases constitute control circuits to regulate pre-mRNA splicing and coordinate splicing with transcription in mammalian cells. We present here the finding that similar SR networks exist in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We previously showed that Dsk1 protein, originally described as a mitotic regulator, displays high activity in phosphorylating S. pombe Prp2 protein (spU2AF59), a homologue of human U2AF65. We now demonstrate that Dsk1 also phosphorylates two recently identified fission yeast proteins with RS repeats, Srp1 and Srp2, in vitro. The phosphorylated proteins bear the same phosphoepitope found in mammalian SR proteins. Consistent with its substrate specificity, Dsk1 forms kinase-competent complexes with those proteins. Furthermore, dsk1+ gene determines the phenotype of prp2+ overexpression, providing in vivo evidence that Prp2 is a target for Dsk1. The dsk1-null mutant strain became severely sick with the additional deletion of a related kinase gene. Significantly, human SR protein-specific kinase 1 (SRPK1) complements the growth defect of the double-deletion mutant. In conjunction with the resemblance of dsk1+ and SRPK1 in sequence homology, biochemical properties, and overexpression phenotypes, the complementation result indicates that SRPK1 is a functional homologue of Dsk1. Collectively, our studies illustrate the conserved SR networks in S. pombe consisting of RS domain-containing proteins and SR protein-specific kinases and thus establish the importance of the networks in eucaryotic organisms