Publications by authors named "Michael E. Smith"

Sound production capabilities and characteristics in Loricariidae, the largest catfish family, have not been well examined. Sounds produced by three loricariid catfish species, Otocinclus affinis, Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps, and Pterygoplichthys pardalis, were recorded. Each of these species produces pulses via pectoral-fin spine stridulation by rubbing the ridged condyle of the dorsal process of the pectoral-fin spine base against a matching groove-like socket in the pectoral girdle.

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Biotremors are vibrations, usually surface waves along the boundary of a medium, produced by an organism. While substrate-borne vibrations are utilized by different reptile species, true conspecific communication via biotremors has not yet been demonstrated in lizards. Recent research revealed that the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) produces biotremors.

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This study extends recent research demonstrating that the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) can produce and detect biotremors. Chameleons were paired in various social contexts: dominance (male-male; female-female C. calyptratus); courtship (male-female C.

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There is a growing recognition that responding to climate change necessitates urban adaptation. We sketch a transdisciplinary research effort, arguing that actionable research on urban adaptation needs to recognize the nature of cities as social networks embedded in physical space. Given the pace, scale and socioeconomic outcomes of urbanization in the Global South, the specificities and history of its cities must be central to the study of how well-known agglomeration effects can facilitate adaptation.

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Determining worker exposure to hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air at levels exceeding the Permissible Exposure Limits and Recommended Exposure Limits established by the U.S. federal agencies of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), respectively, will continue to be an important part of environmental and occupational health risk assessments.

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Studies of the effects of sounds from underwater explosions on fishes have not included examination of potential effects on the ear. Caged Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus) located at seven distances (between approximately 35 and 800 m) from a single detonation of 4.5 kg of C4 explosives were exposed.

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Influenza vaccines can mitigate illness severity, including reduced risk of ICU admission and death, in people with breakthrough infection. Less is known about vaccine attenuation of mild/moderate influenza illness. We compared subjective severity scores in vaccinated and unvaccinated persons with medically attended illness and laboratory-confirmed influenza.

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Background: Workers critical to emergency response and continuity of essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic are at a disproportionally high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prospective cohort studies are needed for enhancing the understanding of the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, identifying risk factors, assessing clinical outcomes, and determining the effectiveness of vaccination.

Objective: The Research on the Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Essential Response Personnel (RECOVER) prospective cohort study was designed to estimate the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, examine the risk factors for infection and clinical spectrum of illness, and assess the effectiveness of vaccination among essential workers.

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Evaluations of vaccine effectiveness (VE) are important to monitor as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are introduced in the general population. Research staff enrolled symptomatic participants seeking outpatient medical care for COVID-19-like illness or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing from a multisite network. VE was evaluated using the test-negative design.

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Alternative metals such as magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have been recently developed for clinical applications such as temporary implants for bone and tissue repair due to their desirable mechanical properties and ability to biodegrade harmlessly by releasing Mg, OH, and H as biodegradation products. The current methods for monitoring Mg-alloy biodegradation are either invasive and/or costly, complex, or require large equipment and specially trained personnel, thus making real-time and point-of-care monitoring of Mg-alloy implants problematic. Therefore, innovative methods are critically needed.

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Background: Information is limited regarding the effectiveness of the two-dose messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) in preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and in attenuating coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) when administered in real-world conditions.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving 3975 health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers. From December 14, 2020, to April 10, 2021, the participants completed weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing by providing mid-turbinate nasal swabs for qualitative and quantitative reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) analysis.

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The monofunctional platinum(II) complex, phenanthriplatin, acts by blocking transcription, but its regulatory effects on long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have not been elucidated relative to traditional platinum-based chemotherapeutics, e.g., cisplatin.

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We propose a dedicated research effort on the determinants of settlement persistence in the ancient world, with the potential to significantly advance the scientific understanding of urban sustainability today. Settlements (cities, towns, villages) are locations with two key attributes: They frame human interactions and activities in space, and they are where people dwell or live. Sustainability, in this case, focuses on the capacity of structures and functions of a settlement system (geography, demography, institutions) to provide for continuity of safe habitation.

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Messenger RNA (mRNA) BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in randomized placebo-controlled Phase III trials (1,2); however, the benefits of these vaccines for preventing asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection, particularly when administered in real-world conditions, is less well understood. Using prospective cohorts of health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers* in eight U.S.

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We compared symptoms and characteristics of 4961 ambulatory patients with and without laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Findings indicate that clinical symptoms alone would be insufficient to distinguish between coronavirus disease 2019 and other respiratory infections (eg, influenza) and/or to evaluate the effects of preventive interventions (eg, vaccinations).

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Phenanthriplatin is a new monofunctional platinum(II) complex that binds only one strand of DNA and acts by blocking gene transcription, but its effect on gene regulation has not been characterized relative to the traditional platinum-based complex, cisplatin. A549 non-small cell lung cancer and IMR90 lung fibroblast cells were treated with cisplatin, phenanthriplatin, or a control and then their RNA transcripts were subjected to next generation sequencing analysis. DESeq2 and CuffDiff2 were used to identify up- and downregulated genes and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases were used to identify pathways and functions.

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In recent decades researchers in a variety of disciplines have developed a new "urban science," the central goal of which is to build general theory regarding the social processes underlying urbanization. Much work in urban science is animated by the notion that cities are complex systems. What does it mean to make this claim? Here we adopt the view that complex systems entail both variation and structure, and that their properties vary with system size and with respect to where and how they are measured.

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The production of biotremors has been described in veiled chameleons (), but the mechanism by which they are produced is unknown. We gathered muscle activation data via electromyography (EMG), with simultaneous recordings of biotremors using an accelerometer, to test for the role of hyoid muscles in biotremor production. We recorded a mean biotremor frequency of 150.

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Using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy, we have tested the reactivity of various indicator molecules combined with catalytic bimetallic gold-palladium nanoparticles (Au-Pd NPs) in solution for an irreversible and visual response to H. Our aim was to identify the most suitable indicator/Au-Pd NP system for the future development of a thin, wearable, and visual H sensor for noninvasive monitoring of Mg-implant biodegradation in research and clinical settings with fast response time. The indicators studied were bromothymol blue, methyl red, and resazurin, and the reactions of each system with H in the presence of Au-Pd NPs caused visual and irreversible color changes that were concluded to proceed via redox processes.

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Cisplatin is a platinum(II) chemotherapy drug that can cause the side-effect of ototoxicity and hearing loss. The monofunctional platinum(II) complexes, phenanthriplatin and pyriplatin, have recently been investigated as anti-cancer agents but their side-effects are largely unknown. Here, we used the auditory hybridoma cell line, HEI-OC1, to investigate the ototoxicity of cisplatin, phenanthriplatin and pyriplatin.

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Importance: The burden of influenza among young children is high, and influenza vaccination is the primary strategy to prevent the virus and its complications. Less is known about differences in clinical protection following 1 vs 2 doses of initial influenza vaccination.

Objectives: To describe patterns of influenza vaccination among young children who receive outpatient care for acute respiratory tract illness in the US and compare vaccine effectiveness (VE) against medically attended laboratory-confirmed influenza by number of influenza vaccine doses received.

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Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy compound effective against a variety of cancers. However, it can cause increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in auditory and vestibular tissue leading to permanent hearing and balance loss. The amino acid, L-serine, has been shown to reduce ROS in some tissue types.

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Numerous chameleon species possess an out-pocketing of the trachea known as the gular pouch. After surveying more than 250 specimens, representing nine genera and 44 species, we describe two different morphs of the gular pouch. Species of the genera Bradypodion and Chamaeleo, as well as Trioceros goetzei, all possess a single gular pouch (morph one) formed from ventral expansion of soft tissue where the larynx and trachea meet.

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In this study, we investigated whether the curcuminoids, CLEFMA and EF24, improved cisplatin efficacy and reduced cisplatin ototoxicity. We used the lung cancer cell line, A549, to determine the effects of the curcuminoids and cisplatin on cell viability and several apoptotic signaling mechanisms. Cellular viability was measured using the MTT assay.

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