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Describes the preparation of carbon nanotube sheet electrodes and their performance as active materials in electrochemical capacitors. Factors determining the power and frequency response of an electrochemical capacitor; Effectiveness of acid treatment in deassembling nanotube aggregates; Influence of nitric acid oxidation conditions on electrode density.

To explore gene therapy strategies for amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), a human ameloblast-like cell population was established from third molars of an AI-affected patient. These cells were characterized by expression of cytokeratin 14, major enamel proteins and alkaline phosphatase staining. Suboptimal transduction of the ameloblast-like cells by an adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) vector was consistent with lower levels of the coxsackie-and-adenovirus receptor (CAR) on those cells relative to CAR-positive A549 cells. To overcome CAR -deficiency, we evaluated capsid-modified Ad5 vectors with various genetic capsid modifications including "pK7" and/or "RGD" motif-containing short peptides incorporated in the capsid protein fiber as well as fiber chimera with the Ad serotype 3 (Ad3) fiber "knob" domain. All fiber modifications provided an augmented transduction of AI-ameloblasts, revealed following vector dose normalization in A549 cells with a superior effect (up to 404-fold) of pK7/RGD double modification. This robust infectivity enhancement occurred through vector binding to both α(v)β3/α(v)β5 integrins and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) highly expressed by AI-ameloblasts as revealed by gene transfer blocking experiments. This work thus not only pioneers establishment of human AI ameloblast-like cell population as a model for in vitro studies but also reveals an optimal infectivity-enhancement strategy for a potential Ad5 vector-mediated gene therapy for AI.

The Science Bibliographers’ Group of Boston College first proposed the creation of a paid science librarian internship position in Summer 2008. Since then, the three interns hired over time have gained exposure to a wide variety of activities undertaken by science librarians, and, at the same time, have significantly furthered the Library’s understanding of, and participation in, eScience. In addition to important contributions in reference and collection development activities, intern contributions have included an environmental scan/best practices review of relevant eScience initiatives, design of an eScience brochure, development of a faculty survey to gauge interest in library data management, and a capstone presentation on eScience for all library staff. Building upon that work, the Science Bibliographers’ Group developed a Vision Statement and Action Plans for eScience. Our current intern is working closely with members of the group on the creation of a LibGuide focused on data management and, concurrently, develop-ment of curricular materials for data management workshops to be implemented during the 2011/12 academic year. Ideally, these increased efforts in eScience-related work will result in an enhanced profile for eScience on the Boston College campus, and, ultimately, creation of a new, eScience-focused position in the Boston College Libraries. An internship program can provide current knowledge and skills to educate and support a university research library through the early learning stage of developing an eSciences program, while simultaneously providing a valuable hands-on learning experience for a potential science librarian.

Objective: To explore participants' shared experience attending a pilot mindfulness-based retreat (MBR) intervention supporting the psychological well-being of mothers of pediatric heart transplant (HTx) recipients., Methods: A qualitative description approach was used within a larger hybrid mixed-methods pilot study evaluating the implementation-effectiveness of a 2-day MBR tailored specifically for a pediatric HTx population. A purposive sample of mothers was recruited from a leading Canadian pediatric HTx center, and each represented a primary, female-identifying caregiver, sharing residence with a pediatric HTx recipient of at least 4 months post-transplant. Two focus groups were conducted after and 16 individual interviews 3 months after the MBR to elicit participants' in-depth experience attending the MBR. Reflexive thematic data analysis led to theme development through an iterative process with consensus among team members., Results: Sixteen mothers of pediatric HTx recipients (mean patient age 9.8 years; mean time post-transplant 8.2 years) participated in the MBR held in Ontario, Canada. Qualitative findings illuminated mothers' shared experience attending the MBR, reflecting three themes that describe key intervention elements beyond those affiliated with mindfulness practice alone: "respite," "readiness," and "relationships." Findings highlight acceptability and appropriateness as distinct yet interrelated implementation outcomes., Conclusions: Elements of "respite," "readiness," and "relationships" are key components of the MBR experience that offer valuable intervention and clinical considerations related to mothers' psychological well-being. Aligning intervention acceptability and appropriateness through tailored strategies may aid implementation. Future research considering maternal readiness relative to support intervention participation is warranted., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) are standardized digital instruments integrated into clinical care to collect subjective data regarding patients' health-related quality of life, functional status, and symptoms. In documenting patient-reported progress, ePROMs can guide treatment decisions and encourage measurement-based care practices. Voxe is a pediatric and user-centered ePROM platform for patients with chronic health conditions., Objective: We aimed to describe the user-centered design approach involving feedback from end users and usability testing of Voxe's platform features to support implementation in a pediatric health care setting., Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit patients aged 8-17 years from 2 chronic illness populations in 2 pediatric hospitals in Canada. Patients' health care team members were also purposively recruited. One-on-one iterative testing sessions were conducted digitally by research team members with participants to obtain feedback on the appearance and functionalities of the Voxe platform prototype. Patients and health care providers (HCPs) completed Voxe-related task-based activities. International Organization for Standardization key performance indicators were tracked during HCP task-based activities. HCPs also completed the System Usability Scale. To test platform usability, the think-aloud technique was used by participants during the completion of structured tasks. After completing all task-based activities, patient participants selected 5 words from the Microsoft Desirability Toolkit to describe their overall impression and experience with the Voxe platform. Qualitative data about likes, dislikes, and ease of use were collected through semistructured interviews. Feedback testing sessions were conducted with patients and HCPs until Voxe was acceptable to participating end users, with no further refinements identified. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis were completed using descriptive statistics and content analysis., Results: A total of 49 patients and 38 HCPs were recruited. Patients were positive about Voxe's child-centered design characteristics and notification settings. HCPs rated Voxe as user-friendly and efficient, with the time to complete tasks decreasing over time. HCPs were satisfied with the Voxe platform functionalities and identified the value of Voxe's system notifications, summarized display of ePROM results, and its capacity to integrate with electronic medical records. Patients' and HCPs' high satisfaction rates with the Voxe prototype highlight the importance of being responsive to user suggestions from the inception of eHealth platform developments to ensure their efficient and effective design., Conclusions: This paper describes the user-centered creation and usability testing of Voxe as an ePROM platform for implementation into clinical care for pediatric patients with chronic health conditions. As a patient-facing platform that can be integrated into electronic medical records, Voxe aligns with measurement-based care practices to foster quality patient-centered approaches to care. End users' positive feedback and evaluation of the platform's user-friendliness and efficiency suggest that Voxe represents a valuable and promising solution to systematically integrate patient-related outcome (PRO) data into complex and dynamic clinical health care settings., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053119., (©Samantha J Anthony, Sarah J Pol, Enid K Selkirk, Amarens Matthiesen, Robert J Klaassen, Dorin Manase, Amanda Silva, Melanie Barwick, Jennifer N Stinson, Alameen Damer, Mowa Ayibiowu, Selina X Dong, Stephan Oreskovich, Michael Brudno. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (https://humanfactors.jmir.org), 19.09.2024.)

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume crop worldwide. The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and its national partners in Africa aim to overcome production constraints of common bean and address the food, nutrition needs and market demands through development of multitrait bean varieties. Breeding is guided by principles of market-driven approaches to develop client-demanded varieties. Germplasm accessions from especially two sister species, P. coccineus and P. acutifolius, have been utilized as sources of resistance to major production constraints and interspecific lines deployed. Elucidation of plant mechanisms governing pest and disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and grain nutritional quality guides the selection methods used by the breeders. Molecular markers are used to select for resistance to key diseases and insect pests. Efforts have been made to utilize modern genomic tools to increase scale, efficiency, accuracy and speed of breeding. Through gender-responsive participatory variety selection, market-demanded varieties have been released in several African countries. These new bean varieties are a key component of sustainable food systems in the tropics., Competing Interests: This paper is a review of the major outputs of the Tropical legume (TL) project Common bean breeding, genomics and genetics. It includes findings of the project but also highlights findings of other researchers on specific topics. As such, there is no conflict of interest., (© 2018 The Authors Plant Breeding Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Background: A number of complex factors contribute to pregnant and parenting women's alcohol and substance use. To date, little research has focused on the implications, meaning and experiences of father involvement on mothers with substance use problems., Objective: The current study explores the experiences of mothers with substance use problems with respect to the role, impact and meaning of father involvement., Methods: This study conducted two focus groups utilizing a phenomenological approach. Mothers receiving clinical services at a comprehensive, community based program serving pregnant and parenting women with substance use problems were recruited to participate in this research., Results: The meaning of father involvement among this group of women centered on four dimensions: emotional support, financial contributions to the family, amount and quality of time spent with the children and the family, and was dependent upon the particular expectations of the mother involved. Barriers and influences of father involvement were identified. The nature of father involvement had negative and positive impacts on participants., Discussion: Maternal use of alcohol is a complex issue, one factor often ignored in father involvement. For mothers with substance use problems father involvement has a number of implications, both positive and negative.