Plasmonic couplings in Ag-Au heterodimers.

The plasmonic coupling between silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) under four polarization modes was examined: a longitudinal mode (L-mode), where the electric field of a linearly polarized incident light parallels the dimer axis, and three transverse modes (T-modes), where the electric field of the light is perpendicular to the dimer axis. The coupling was studied using the discrete dipole approximation followed by an in-house postprocessing code that determines the extinction (Qext), absorption (Qabs), and near-field (Qnf) spectra from the individual NPs as well as the whole system. In agreement with the literature results, the extinction/absorption spectra of the whole dimer have two peaks, one near the Ag localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) region and the other at the Au LSPR region, with the peak at Ag LSPR being reduced in all modes and the peak at Au LSPR being red-shifted and increased in the L-mode but not in the T-modes.

Multiplexed Surface Protein Detection and Cancer Classification Using Gap-Enhanced Magnetic-Plasmonic Core-Shell Raman Nanotags and Machine Learning Algorithm.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death attributed to disease worldwide. Current standard detection methods often rely on a single cancer marker, which can lead to inaccurate results, including false negatives, and an inability to detect multiple cancers simultaneously. Here, we developed a multiplex method that can effectively detect and classify surface proteins associated with three distinct types of breast cancer by utilizing gap-enhanced Raman scattering nanotags and machine learning algorithm.

An Investigation on the Use of Au@SiO@Au Nanomatryoshkas as Gap-Enhanced Raman Tags.

Gap-enhanced Raman tags are a new type of optical probe that have wide applications in sensing and detection. A gap-enhanced Raman tag is prepared by embedding Raman molecules inside a gap between two plasmonic metals such as an Au core and Au shell. Even though placing Raman molecules beneath an Au shell seems counter-intuitive, it has been shown that such systems produce a stronger surface-enhanced Raman scattering response due to the strong electric field inside the gap.

Circadian regulation of metabolism across photosynthetic organisms.

Circadian regulation produces a biological measure of time within cells. The daily cycle in the availability of light for photosynthesis causes dramatic changes in biochemical processes in photosynthetic organisms, with the circadian clock having crucial roles in adaptation to these fluctuating conditions. Correct alignment between the circadian clock and environmental day-night cycles maximizes plant productivity through its regulation of metabolism.

Web-based physical activity promotion in young people with CF: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Physical activity levels are known to decline following hospitalisation for people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). However, optimal physical activity promotion strategies are unclear. This study investigated the effect of a web-based application (ActivOnline) in promoting physical activity in young pwCF.

Construct Validity of the Revised High-Level Mobility Assessment Tool for Children Who Are Developing Typically.

Objective: The aim of this project was to evaluate the construct validity of the high-level mobility assessment tool (HiMAT) for children who are developing typically with no underlying condition that may affect mobility.

Methods: The HiMAT is a revised 8-item measure of high-level mobility. Rasch analysis was used to assess fit to the Rasch model indicating unidimensionality, person separation index local dependency, targeting of items, and differential item functioning.

A Centrifuge-Based Method for Identifying Novel Genetic Traits That Affect Root-Substrate Adhesion in .

The physical presence of roots and the compounds they release affect the cohesion between roots and their environment. However, the plant traits that are important for these interactions are unknown and most methods that quantify the contributions of these traits are time-intensive and require specialist equipment and complex substrates. Our lab developed an inexpensive, high-throughput phenotyping assay that quantifies root-substrate adhesion in .

Getting to the roots of aeroponic indoor farming.

Vertical farming is a type of indoor agriculture where plants are cultivated in stacked systems. It forms a rapidly growing sector with new emerging technologies. Indoor farms often use soil-free techniques such as hydroponics and aeroponics.

Micro-scale interactions between Arabidopsis root hairs and soil particles influence soil erosion.

Soil is essential for sustaining life on land. Plant roots play a crucial role in stabilising soil and minimising erosion, although these mechanisms are still not completely understood. Consequently, identifying and breeding for plant traits to enhance erosion resistance is challenging.

Recommendations for management of neonatal brachial plexus palsy: Based on clinical review.

Study Design: Descriptive report.

Introduction: Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) involves a partial or total injury of the nerves that originate from spinal roots C5-C8 and T1. The reported incidence of NBPP is between 0.

A web-based intervention to promote physical activity in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Regular participation in physical activity by people with cystic fibrosis (CF) promotes positive clinical and health outcomes including reduced rate of decline in lung function, fewer hospitalizations and greater wellbeing. However adherence to exercise and activity programs is low, in part due to the substantial daily therapy burden for young people with CF. Strict infection control requirements limit the role of group exercise programs that are commonly used in other clinical groups.

High-Level Mobility Assessment Tool Normative Values for Children.

Background: Physical therapists need to be able to evaluate high-level gross motor skills of children to determine their capacity to engage in activities such as running, jumping, hopping, and stair climbing. The High-Level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) has excellent interrater and retest reliability and is less susceptible to a ceiling effect than existing mobility scales in children who are 6 to 17 years old and have traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to develop normative HiMAT score ranges for Australian children and to investigate the relationship between children's HiMAT scores and their age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI).

P-Glycoprotein-Targeted Photothermal Therapy of Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells Using Antibody-Conjugated Carbon Nanotubes.

P-Glycoprotein (Pgp)-medicated multidrug resistance (MDR) remains a formidable challenge to cancer therapy. As conventional approaches using small-molecule inhibitors failed in clinical development because of the lack of cancer specificity, we develop Pgp-targeted carbon nanotubes to achieve highly cancer-specific therapy through combining antibody-based cancer targeting and locoregional tumor ablation with photothermal therapy. Through a dense coating with phospholipid-poly(ethylene glycol), we have engineered multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) which show minimum nonspecific cell interactions and maximum intercellular diffusion.

Evaluation of multiwalled carbon nanotube cytotoxicity in cultures of human brain microvascular endothelial cells grown on plastic or basement membrane.

There is a growing interest in the use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to treat diseases of the brain. Little is known about the effects of MWCNTs on human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), which make up the blood vessels in the brain. In our studies, we evaluate the cytotoxicity of MWCNTs and acid oxidized MWNCTs, with or without a phospholipid-polyethylene glycol coating.

Photothermal therapy of glioblastoma multiforme using multiwalled carbon nanotubes optimized for diffusion in extracellular space.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most lethal primary brain tumor with a 5 year overall survival rate of approximately 5%. Currently, no therapy is curative and all have significant side effects. Focal thermal ablative therapies are being investigated as a new therapeutic approach.

A Cohesin-Based Partitioning Mechanism Revealed upon Transcriptional Inactivation of Centromere.

Transcriptional inactivation of the budding yeast centromere has been a widely used tool in studies of chromosome segregation and aneuploidy. In haploid cells when an essential chromosome contains a single conditionally inactivated centromere (GAL-CEN), cell growth rate is slowed and segregation fidelity is reduced; but colony formation is nearly 100%. Pedigree analysis revealed that only 30% of the time both mother and daughter cell inherit the GAL-CEN chromosome.

High-level mobility skills in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury.

Aim: To evaluate the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the High-level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT) in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to compare the mobility skills of children with TBI to those of healthy peers.

Method: The mobility skills of 52 children with moderate and severe TBI (36 males; mean age = 12 years, range = 6-17) were assessed using the HiMAT and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Inter-rater reliability, re-test reliability and responsiveness of the HiMAT were evaluated in sub-groups by comparing results scored at several time-points.

Motor skills of 5-year-old children who underwent early cardiac surgery.

Unlabelled: Aims To describe the motor proficiency of 5-year-old children who underwent early infant cardiac surgery and had atypical infant gross motor development. To identify risk factors for motor dysfunction at 5 years of age.

Methods: A total of 33 children (80.

Linking uninsured patients treated in the emergency department to primary care shows some promise in Maryland.

Use of the emergency department (ED) has increased significantly over the past twenty years, especially among people who lack access to regular care, such as from a primary care provider. Not only are many ED visits avoidable, but receiving care through the ED also may disrupt continuity of care and result in increased overall health care costs. This article analyzes one of the twenty-nine local projects funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: the Emergency Department-Primary Care Connect initiative of the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Prolonged phototherapy needed for a neonate with four mutations in genes involved in bilirubin production and metabolism.

We cared for a neonate with hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy during the birth-hospitalization, at home, and during two subsequent hospital readmissions. Abnormal red blood cell forms including elliptocytes were seen on his blood film but this failed to explain, to our satisfaction, why his jaundice required such prolonged treatment. Next-generation sequencing, using a panel of 27 genes involved in neonatal jaundice and hemolytic anemia revealed four previously described heterozygous variations, which we postulate resulted in increased bilirubin production from hemolysis, plus retarded bilirubin uptake and conjugation.

Challenges in trying to implement an early intervention program for infants with congenital heart disease.

Purpose: To describe challenges in trying to implement a physical therapy-based early intervention program for infants with congenital heart disease.

Methods: Neonates with cyanotic congenital heart disease who had elective or emergency cardiac surgery at age 28 days or less participated in the study. Families were offered hospital-based physical therapy intervention from infant age of 3 months.

Emergency Department Referral Process and Subsequent Use of Safety-Net Clinics.

We analyzed data on 10,761 low-income emergency department (ED) patients participating in the Emergency Department-Primary Care Connect program to identify successful methods of disseminating information on availability of primary care clinics. Data were obtained from all five hospitals in Montgomery County, Maryland, four participating county clinics, and from patient navigators. A two-part negative binomial model estimated factors associated with the probability of a clinic visit following a referral, and factors associated with the frequency of subsequent clinic visits.