Publications by authors named "Jacob Ray"
Factors clinicians consider when providing pediatric wheelchair skills training: a modified think aloud study.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol
July 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how clinicians perceive and address factors influencing wheelchair skills training for children who use manual or power wheelchairs.
- Data were collected through audio-recorded Zoom sessions where clinicians analyzed videos of children performing wheelchair skills, discussing the factors they observed and considered.
- Results showed that clinicians identified over 1,200 distinct factors related to skills training, with most factors relating to the Activities and Participation domain of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework, indicating complexity in training that involves more than just motor skills.
The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations recognize the importance of making progress in the eradication and treatment of sexually transmitted deceases (STD). STD are among the most widespread diseases in the world and have the highest prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current study explored the associations between the allocation of the development assistance for health (DAH) in 54 African countries and key development indicators - STD incidence, Gross Domestic Product per capita, health expenditure, and life expectancy at birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA facile synthetic pathway for preparing block copolymers with pH-responsive L-glutamic acid segments for membrane disruption is reported. Aqueous reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (aRAFT) polymerization was first used to prepare biocompatible, nonimmunogenic poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide]. This macro chain transfer agent (CTA) was then converted into a macroinitiator via simultaneous aminolysis and thiol-ene Michael addition using the primary amine substituted N-(3-aminopropyl)methacrylamide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study focuses on creating and analyzing poly(L-lysine)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(L-lysine) (KPK) triblock copolymers with a high proportion of lysine, over 75 wt%.
- Unlike PK diblock copolymers, the KPK triblock copolymers show changes in shape based on the pH levels, transitioning between spherical micelles, vesicles, and disk micelles.
- The researchers explain these shape shifts by examining the energy costs of the core P block folding into spherical micelles, which relates to the charge conditions of the K block and its effect on surface curvature.
Macromolecular stars containing reversible boronic ester linkages were prepared by an arm-first approach by reacting well-defined boronic acid-containing block copolymers with multifunctional 1,2/1,3-diols. Homopolymers of 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (APBA) formed macroscopic dynamic-covalent networks when cross-linked with multifunctional diols. On the other hand, adding the diol cross-linkers to block copolymers of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PDMA))-b-poly(APBA) led to nanosized multiarm stars with boronic ester cores and PDMA coronas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A series of poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(L-lysine) (PPO-PK) block copolymers were created using a specific chemical reaction, and their behavior when dissolved in solution was analyzed using various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques.
- The PPO-PK copolymers showed a notable difference in pH behavior compared to previous poly(lysine) studies, which may be linked to changes in the hydrophobic properties of the PPO core.
- The study also explored how the unique properties of these copolymers could lead to self-assembly that responds to both pH and temperature, and assessed their potential for drug delivery through vesicle formation.
We describe the synthesis of homo-, block, and clickable copolypeptide brushes from low surface area substrates using nickel-mediated surface-initiated polymerization of α-amino N-carboxyanhydrides.
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