Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Carbon Dots into High-Aspect-Ratio Nanowires.

We report a spontaneous and hierarchical self-assembly mechanism of carbon dots prepared from citric acid and urea into nanowire structures with large aspect ratios (>50). Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) with broadly tunable mid-IR excitation was used to interrogate details of the self-assembly process by generating nanoscopic chemical maps of local wire morphology and composition. s-SNOM images capture the evolution of wire formation and the complex interplay between different chemical constituents directing assembly over the nano- to microscopic length scales. We propose that residual citrate promotes tautomerization of melamine surface functionalities to produce supramolecular shape synthons comprised of melamine-cyanurate adducts capable of forming long-range and highly directional hydrogen-bonding networks. This intrinsic, heterogeneity-driven self-assembly mechanism reflects synergistic combinations of high chemical specificity and long-range cooperativity that may be harnessed to reproducibly fabricate functional structures on arbitrary surfaces.

ARIA treatment benefits are related to severity of dichotic listening deficits in children.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between dichotic listening (DL) benefits from treatment with Auditory Rehabilitation for Interaural Asymmetry (ARIA) and the severity of DL deficits quantified prior to the onset of treatment. We hypothesized that children with more severe DL deficits would demonstrate greater benefits following ARIA. METHOD: A scale that quantifies deficit severity was applied to dichotic listening scores obtained before and after training with ARIA at multiple clinical sites (n = 92). Using multiple regression analyses, we evaluated the predictive effects of deficit severity on DL outcomes. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that deficit severity can predict benefits from ARIA, as measured by improvements in DL scores in both ears. CONCLUSION: ARIA is an adaptive training paradigm for improving binaural integration abilities in children with DL deficits. The results from this study suggest that children with more severe DL deficits achieve greater benefits from ARIA and that a severity scale may provide important clinical information for recommending intervention.

Supporting Equity and Inclusion of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals in Professional Organizations.

Disability is an important and often overlooked component of diversity. Individuals with disabilities bring a rare perspective to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) because of their unique experiences approaching complex issues related to health and disability, navigating the healthcare system, creatively solving problems unfamiliar to many individuals without disabilities, managing time and resources that are limited by physical or mental constraints, and advocating for themselves and others in the disabled community. Yet, individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in STEMM. Professional organizations can address this underrepresentation by recruiting individuals with disabilities for leadership opportunities, easing financial burdens, providing equal access, fostering peer-mentor groups, and establishing a culture of equity and inclusion spanning all facets of diversity. We are a group of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) engineers, scientists, and clinicians, most of whom are active in clinical practice and/or auditory research. We have worked within our professional societies to improve access and inclusion for D/HH individuals and others with disabilities. We describe how different models of disability inform our understanding of disability as a form of diversity. We address heterogeneity within disabled communities, including intersectionality between disability and other forms of diversity. We highlight how the Association for Research in Otolaryngology has supported our efforts to reduce ableism and promote access and inclusion for D/HH individuals. We also discuss future directions and challenges. The tools and approaches discussed here can be applied by other professional organizations to include individuals with all forms of diversity in STEMM.

Reducing prolonged sedentary time using a treadmill desk acutely improves cardiometabolic risk markers in male and female adults.

This study evaluated the acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with an accumulated 2 h of light-intensity walking on postprandial cardiometabolic risk markers. In this randomised crossover trial, 24 participants (twelve males) aged 18-55 years took part in two, 6.5 h conditions: 1) prolonged sitting (SIT) and 2) sitting interrupted hourly with 20 min light-intensity treadmill desk walking at between 1.2-3.5 km/h-1 (INT-SIT). Standardized meals were provided at 0 h and 3 h. Blood samples and blood pressure measures were taken hourly. Statistical analyses were completed using linear mixed models. Postprandial incremental area under the curve responses (mmol/L∙6.5 h) for glucose (4.52 [3.47, 5.56] and 6.66 [5.62, 7.71] for INT-SIT and SIT, respectively) and triglycerides (1.96 [0.96, 2.96] and 2.71 [1.70, 3.71] for INT-SIT and SIT, respectively) were significantly lower in INT-SIT than SIT. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses were lower by 3% and 4%, respectively, in INT-SIT than SIT (P < 0.05). There was no significant condition x sex interaction effect for any outcomes (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that interrupting sitting with an accumulated 2 h of light-intensity walking acutely improves cardiometabolic risk levels in males and females compared with prolonged sitting.

A comparison of gravid and under-house CO2-baited CDC light traps for mosquito species of public health importance in Houston, Texas.

The relative efficacy of gravid and under-house CO2 traps for monitoring mosquito species of public health importance within the Houston metroplex area was assessed. Gravid and under-house traps were colocated at 10 sites and monitored weekly between 1 March to 31 May 2007. The most numerous species caught was Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say. Other species of public health importance caught in gravid and under-house traps included Culex restuans Theobald, Aedes aegypti (L.), and Aedes albopictus Skuse. Adjusting for the week of collection, gravid traps caught significantly more mosquitoes (mean 23.1 per trap) in the study area than under-house traps (mean 3.6 per trap). However, under-house traps caught a greater variety of mosquito species (13) than gravid traps (11). Gravid and under-house traps only caught nine of 15 of the same mosquito species during the study period. In this study area, gravid traps should be used as the primary method of surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases of public health importance during the early part of the season, because of greater catch numbers of mosquitoes that pose a public health risk.

Macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha promotes pancreatic cancer cell invasion.

BACKGROUND: Human CC chemokine Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-3alpha (MIP-3alpha) directs inflammatory cell migration through its binding to the transmembrane receptor CCR6. MIP-3alpha has recently been shown to promote tumor cell migration in pancreatic adenocarcinoma by up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We hypothesized that MIP-3alpha promotes pancreatic cancer invasion through the up-regulation of MMP-9, a Type 4 collagenase. MATERIALS, METHODS, AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR confirmed the presence of MIP-3alpha in PANC-1 cells, a human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line. MIP-3alpha stimulated the production of both latent and active forms of MMP-9 in PANC-1 by Western analysis. Tumor cell invasion was then evaluated using a modified Boyden chamber invasion assay. MIP-3alpha promoted a dose-dependent increase in pancreatic cancer cell invasion (P < 0.05) at 100 ng/ml. The activity at the putative MIP-3alpha receptor, CCR6, was demonstrated by receptor blockade. Anti-CCR6 antibody and anti-MMP-9 antibody inhibited MIP-3alpha-stimulated PANC-1 cell invasion of collagen to 37% and 35% of control, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MIP-3alpha, through its CCR6 receptor, promotes tumor cell invasion by the up-regulation of MMP-9. Molecular based therapy aimed at the inhibition of MIP-3alpha activity through the CCR6 receptor may serve as a future target to prevent tumor cell invasion in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.