The Rochester Institute of Technology: An Interactive computer disk

The nature of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of interactive animation. An animated, interactive program which shows various activities and programs of the Rochester Institute of Technology, (R.I.T.), is the finished product. R.I.T\u27s history, upstate New York location, and academic philosophies are incorporated. The interactive disk contains information about the various programs the college offers, as well as, many examples of actual student work. It also shows these students creating their projects. In their own words, they tell about their lives at R.I.T., both in and out of the classroom. Faculty and staff also offer their views, lending another perspective of R.I.T\u27s philosophies and beliefs. Because R.I.T. offers a various array of programs, highlighted are only some of the programs available at R.I.T. The shown in detail are the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. Cooperative experiences offered at R.I.T. , and the financial aid available to students are also described. The video images include interviews and discussions with many of the departmental leaders of the campus, as well as, interviews with students of different cultures, backgrounds, and programs. This interactive program was created by using numerous computer software packages which is the actual heart of the thesis. The program has been built around Macromind Director, VideoFusion, Specular Logo Motion and Morph and Adobe Premiere. Any retouching has been completed by using the Photoshop program. The combining of all these programs results in the end product : an interactive disk

Educational Inequalities in Self-Rated Health in Europe and South Korea

While numerous comparative works on the magnitude of health inequalities in Europe have been conducted, there is a paucity of research that encompasses non-European nations such as Asian countries. This study was conducted to compare Europe and Korea in terms of educational health inequalities, with poor self-rated health (SRH) as the outcome variable. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions and the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2017 were used (31 countries). Adult men and women aged 20+ years were included (207,245 men and 238,007 women). The age-standardized, sex-specific prevalence of poor SRH by educational level was computed. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated. The prevalence of poor SRH was higher in Korea than in other countries for both low/middle- and highly educated individuals. Among highly educated Koreans, the proportion of less healthy women was higher than that of less healthy men. Korea’s SII was the highest for men (15.7%) and the ninth-highest for women (10.4%). In contrast, Korea’s RII was the third-lowest for men (3.27), and the lowest among women (1.98). This high-SII–low-RII mix seems to have been generated by the high level of baseline poor SRH

Functional and structural characteristics of anticancer peptide Pep27 analogues

BACKGROUND: A secreted peptide Pep27 initiates the cell death program in S. pneumoniae through signal transduction. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relation between the structure and cytotoxic activity of Pep27 and its analogues on cancer cells. RESULTS: Pep27anal2 characterized substituting ((2)R→W), ((4)E→W), ((11)S→W) and ((13)Q→W) in native Pep27, exhibited greater hydrophobicity and anticancer activity than Pep27 and other analogues. The IC(50 )values of Pep27anal2 were approximately 10 – 30 μM in a number of cell lines (AML-2, HL-60, Jurkat, MCF-7 and SNU-601). Confocal microscopy showed that Pep27anal2-FITC was localized in the plasma membrane, and then moving from the membrane to subcellular compartments with the initiation of membrane blebbing. Flow cytometric analysis using propidium iodide and Annexin V also revealed that Pep27anal2 induced apoptosis with minor membrane damage. Electron microscopy revealed that Pep27 induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells. The anticancer activity of Pep27anal2 was neither abrogated by pan-caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-fmk) nor related to cytochrome c release from mitochondria. The 3D solution structures of these two Pep27 peptides revealed that both form a random coil conformation in water; however, they adopted stable α-helical conformations in solutions. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that Pep27anal2 can penetrate the plasma membrane, and then induce apoptosis in both caspase-and cytochrome c-independent manner. The hydrophobicity of Pep27anal2 appears to play an important role in membrane permeabilization and/or anticancer properties. The structure-functional relationships of these peptides are also discussed. It is proposed that Pep27anal2 is a potential candidate for anticancer therapeutic agents

Evaluation of the brain activation induced by functional electrical stimulation and voluntary contraction using functional magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND: To observe brain activation induced by functional electrical stimulation, voluntary contraction, and the combination of both using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: Nineteen healthy young men were enrolled in the study. We employed a typical block design that consisted of three sessions: voluntary contraction only, functional electrical stimulation (FES)-induced wrist extension, and finally simultaneous voluntary and FES-induced movement. MRI acquisition was performed on a 3.0 T MR system. To investigate activation in each session, one-sample t-tests were performed after correcting for false discovery rate (FDR; p < 0.05). To compare FES-induced movement and combined contraction, a two-sample t-test was performed using a contrast map (p < 0.01). RESULTS: In the voluntary contraction alone condition, brain activation was observed in the contralateral primary motor cortex (MI), thalamus, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), primary sensory cortex (SI), secondary somatosensory motor cortex (SII), caudate, and cerebellum (mainly ipsilateral). During FES-induced wrist movement, brain activation was observed in the contralateral MI, SI, SMA, thalamus, ipsilateral SII, and cerebellum. During FES-induced movement combined with voluntary contraction, brain activation was found in the contralateral MI, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), SMA, ipsilateral cerebellum, bilateral SII, and SI. The activated brain regions (number of voxels) of the MI, SI, cerebellum, and SMA were largest during voluntary contraction alone and smallest during FES alone. SII-activated brain regions were largest during voluntary contraction combined with FES and smallest during FES contraction alone. The brain activation extent (maximum t score) of the MI, SI, and SII was largest during voluntary contraction alone and smallest during FES alone. The brain activation extent of the cerebellum and SMA during voluntary contraction alone was similar during FES combined with voluntary contraction; however, cerebellum and SMA activation during FES movement alone was smaller than that of voluntary contraction alone or voluntary contraction combined with FES. Between FES movement alone and combined contraction, activated regions and extent due to combined contraction was significantly higher than that of FES movement alone in the ipsilateral cerebellum and the contralateral MI and SI. CONCLUSIONS: Voluntary contraction combined with FES may be more effective for brain activation than FES-only movements for rehabilitation therapy. In addition, voluntary effort is the most important factor in the therapeutic process

Comparison of three small-area mortality metrics according to urbanity in Korea: the standardized mortality ratio, comparative mortality figure, and life expectancy

Abstract Background This study aimed to compare three small-area level mortality metrics according to urbanity in Korea: the standardized mortality ratio (SMR), comparative mortality figure (CMF), and life expectancy (LE) by urbanity. Methods We utilized the National Health Information Database to obtain annual small-area level age-specific numbers of population and deaths in Korea between 2013 and 2017. First, differences in the SMR by urbanity were examined, assuming the same age-specific mortality rates in all small areas. Second, we explored the differences in ranking obtained using the three metrics (SMR, CMF, and LE). Third, the ratio of CMF to SMR by population was analyzed according to urbanity. Results We found that the age-specific population distributions in urbanized areas were similar, but rural areas had a relatively old population structure. The age-specific mortality ratio also differed by urbanity. Assuming the same rate of age-specific mortality across all small areas, we found that comparable median values in all areas. However, areas with a high SMR showed a strong predominance of metropolitan areas. The ranking by SMR differed markedly from the rankings by CMF and LE, especially in areas of high mortality, while the latter two metrics did not differ notably. The ratio of CMF to SMR showed larger variations in small areas in rural areas, particularly in those with small populations, than in metropolitan and urban areas. Conclusions In a comparison of multiple SMRs, bias could exist if the study areas have large differences in population structure. The use of CMF or LE should be considered for comparisons if it is possible to acquire age-specific mortality data for each small area

Prognostic factors for aorta remodeling after thoracic endovascular aortic repair of complicated chronic DeBakey IIIb aneurysms

ObjectivesThe use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for chronic DeBakey III type b (CDIIIb) aneurysms is controversial. We analyzed the potential prognostic factors affecting aorta remodeling after this procedure.MethodsA total of 20 patients with CDIIIb aneurysms underwent TEVAR, with full coverage of reentry tears at the descending thoracic aorta. The potential factors affecting false lumen (FL) remodeling were analyzed, including reentry tears (communicating channels visible on the computed tomography angiogram), large intimal tears below the stent graft (≥2 consecutive axial cuts on the computed tomography angiogram), visceral branches arising from the FL, and intercostal arteries (ICAs) arising from the FL.ResultsAll the patients had uneventful in-hospital courses; 2 patients (10%) required reintervention during the follow-up period. Thirteen patients (65%) had complete thrombosis of the FL at stent graft segment. Compared with the complete thrombosis group, the partial thrombosis group had more reentry tears (1.8 vs 2.3, P = .48), large intimal tears (0.8 vs 1.7, P < .05), visceral branches arising from the FL (1.2 vs 2.3, P < .05), and ICAs arising from the FL (3.8 vs 5.1, P = .35). Reentry tears, visceral branches, and ICAs from the FL were significant negative prognostic factors for FL shrinkage (P < .05).ConclusionsAlthough reentry tears above the celiac trunk were fully covered, the visceral branches and ICAs from the FL and all communicating channels below the celiac trunk kept the FL pressurized and were unfavorable prognostic factors for aorta remodeling after TEVAR for CDIIIb aneurysms

Effects of physical activity participation on cognitive impairment in older adults population with disabilities

BackgroundExisting research on the association between cognitive function and physical activity in the older adults population with disabilities is limited. Additionally, there is a need to explore avenues for enhancing the longevity and quality of life among these individuals.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the independent and joint associations between cognitive function and levels of physical activity in the older adults population with disabilities.MethodsA total of 315 older adults adults (men = 182, women = 133), identified with disabilities based on medical evaluation, were recruited from the first survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Participants underwent assessments for cognitive function, physical activity (PA), activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and grip strength.ResultsADLs (p &lt; 0.001) and IADLs (p &lt; 0.001) scores were significantly higher in the male normal cognitive group compared to both the male and female cognitive impairment groups. In an unadjusted model, disabled older adults individuals who did not meet the recommended PA guidelines showed an increased odds ratio for cognitive dysfunction (OR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.32–3.97). Those participating in PA at least 1 day per week also demonstrated an elevated odds ratio (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.08–1.38) for cognitive dysfunction compared to those who engaged in regular PA. A negative correlation was observed between K-MMSE scores and grip strength (r = 0.448, p &lt; 0.001).ConclusionThis study provides robust evidence that disabled older adults individuals who do not meet the recommended guidelines for PA or who do not participate in PA at least once a week have an increased likelihood of cognitive impairment compared to those who are regularly active

Crystal Structures of the Tetratricopeptide Repeat Domains of Kinesin Light Chains: Insight into Cargo Recognition Mechanisms

Kinesin-1 transports various cargos along the axon by interacting with the cargos through its light chain subunit. Kinesin light chains (KLC) utilize its tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain to interact with over 10 different cargos. Despite a high sequence identity between their TPR domains (87%), KLC1 and KLC2 isoforms exhibit differential binding properties towards some cargos. We determined the structures of human KLC1 and KLC2 tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains using X-ray crystallography and investigated the different mechanisms by which KLCs interact with their cargos. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we attributed the specific interaction between KLC1 and JNK-interacting protein 1 (JIP1) cargo to residue N343 in the fourth TRP repeat. Structurally, the N343 residue is adjacent to other asparagines and lysines, creating a positively charged polar patch within the groove of the TPR domain. Whereas, KLC2 with the corresponding residue S328 did not interact with JIP1. Based on these finding, we propose that N343 of KLC1 can form “a carboxylate clamp” with its neighboring asparagine to interact with JIP1, similar to that of HSP70/HSP90 organizing protein-1's (HOP1) interaction with heat shock proteins. For the binding of cargos shared by KLC1 and KLC2, we propose a different site located within the groove but not involving N343. We further propose a third binding site on KLC1 which involves a stretch of polar residues along the inter-TPR loops that may form a network of hydrogen bonds to JIP3 and JIP4. Together, these results provide structural insights into possible mechanisms of interaction between KLC TPR domains and various cargo proteins

KITENIN increases invasion and migration of mouse squamous cancer cells and promotes pulmonary metastasis in a mouse squamous tumor model

AbstractKAI1 C-terminal interacting tetraspanin (KITENIN) is reported to promote metastasis in mouse colon cancer models. We investigated the role of KITENIN on the progression of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In a preliminary clinical study using resected tissues from head and neck SCC patients, KITENIN was highly expressed in tumors and metastatic lymph nodes, while KAI1 was more increased in adjacent mucosa than in tumor. KITENIN-transfected mouse squamous cancer (SCC VII/KITENIN) cells showed significantly higher invasion, migration, and proliferation than empty vector-transfected cells. In syngeneic mouse squamous tumor models, more increased tumor volume and enhanced lung metastasis were found in SCC VII/KITENIN cells-injected mice. Thus, KITENIN increases invasion and migration of squamous cancer cells and thereby promotes distant metastasis in mouse squamous tumor models