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A physical, noninvasive, and reversible means of controlling the nanoscale presentation of bioactive ligands is highly desirable for regulating and investigating the time-dependent responses of cells, including stem cells. Herein we report a magnetically actuated dynamic cell culture platform consisting of a soft hydrogel substrate conjugated with RGD-bearing magnetic nanoparticle (RGD-MNP). The downward/upward magnetic attraction conceals/promotes the presentation of the RGD-MNP in/on the soft hydrogel matrix, thereby inhibiting/enhancing the cell adhesion and mechanosensing-dependent differentiation. Meanwhile, the lateral magnetic attraction promotes the unidirectional migration of cells in the opposite direction on the hydrogel. Furthermore, cyclic switching between the "Exposed" and "Hidden" conditions induces the repeated cycles of differentiation/dedifferentiation of hMSCs which significantly enhances the differentiation potential of hMSCs. Our design approach capitalizes on the bulk biomaterial matrix as the macroscopic caging structure to enable dynamic regulation of cell-matrix interactions reversibly, which is hard to achieve by using conventional cell culture systems.

The mechanism of extracellular ligand nano-geometry in ex vivo T cell activation for immunotherapy remains elusive. Herein, the authors demonstrate large aspect ratio (AR) of gold nanorods (AuNRs) conjugated on cell culture substrate enhancing both murine and human T cell activation through the nanoscale anisotropic presentation of stimulatory ligands (anti-CD3(αCD3) and anti-CD28(αCD28) antibodies). AuNRs with large AR bearing αCD3 and αCD28 antibodies significantly promote T cell expansion and key cytokine secretion including interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). High membrane tension observed in large AR AuNRs regulates actin filament and focal adhesion assembly and develops maturation-related morphological features in T cells such as membrane ruffle formation, cell spreading, and large T cell receptor (TCR) cluster formation. Anisotropic stimulatory ligand presentation promotes differentiation of naïve CD8

Developing strategies for efficient expansion of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) in vitro will help investigate the mechanism underlying tumorigenesis and cancer recurrence. Herein, we report a dynamic culture substrate tethered with integrin ligand-bearing magnetic nanoparticles via a flexible polymeric linker to enable magnetic manipulation of the nanoscale ligand tether mobility. The cancer cells cultured on the substrate with high ligand tether mobility develop into large semispherical colonies with CSCs features, which can be abrogated by magnetically restricting the ligand tether mobility. Mechanistically, the substrate with high ligand tether mobility suppresses integrin-mediated mechanotransduction and histone-related methylation, thereby enhancing cancer cell stemness. The culture-derived high-stemness cells can generate tumors both locally and at the distant lung and uterus much more efficiently than the low-stemness cells. We believe that this magnetic nanoplatform provides a promising strategy for investigating the dynamic interaction between CSCs and the microenvironment and establishing a cost-effective tumor spheroid model.

Mutation in SP7, encoding the osteoblast-specific transcription factor SP7 (also known as osterix), has been described to cause osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type XII. However, the exact dental phenotype has not been well described. We report the detailed dental manifestation of a boy known to have OI type XII, presented with impacted dentition, necessitating combined oral and maxillofacial surgical and orthodontic treatment. This case also highlighted the need of multidisciplinary team assessment in this group of children.

Zika virus has rapidly spread through the World Health Organization's Region of the Americas since being identified in Brazil in early 2015. Transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes species mosquitoes, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause spontaneous abortion and birth defects, including microcephaly (1,2). New York City (NYC) is home to a large number of persons who travel frequently to areas with active Zika virus transmission, including immigrants from these areas. In November 2015, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) began developing and implementing plans for managing Zika virus and on February 1, 2016, activated its Incident Command System. During January 1-June 17, 2016, DOHMH coordinated diagnostic laboratory testing for 3,605 persons with travel-associated exposure, 182 (5.0%) of whom had confirmed Zika virus infection. Twenty (11.0%) confirmed patients were pregnant at the time of diagnosis. In addition, two cases of Zika virus-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome were diagnosed. DOHMH's response has focused on 1) identifying and diagnosing suspected cases; 2) educating the public and medical providers about Zika virus risks, transmission, and prevention strategies, particularly in areas with large populations of immigrants from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission; 3) monitoring pregnant women with Zika virus infection and their fetuses and infants; 4) detecting local mosquito-borne transmission through both human and mosquito surveillance; and 5) modifying existing Culex mosquito control measures by targeting Aedes species of mosquitoes through the use of larvicides and adulticides.

Diphenylamino- and triazole-endcapped fluorene derivatives which show a wide energy band gap, a high fluorescence quantum yield and high stability have been synthesized and characterized. Single-layer electroluminescent devices of these fluorene derivatives exhibited efficient deep blue to greenish blue emission at low driving voltage. The single-layer OLED of PhN-OF(1)-TAZ shows a maximum current efficiency of 1.54 cd/A at 20 mA cm−2 with external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.0% and CIE coordinates of (0.153, 0.088) in deep blue region, while the single-layer device of oligothienylfluorene PhN-OFOT-TAZ shows a maximum brightness of 7524 cd/m2 and a maximum current efficiency of 2.9 cd/A with CIE coordinates of (0.20, 0.40) in greenish blue.

A series of 5,6-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)naphtho[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene and 4,7-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)-2,1,3-benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole alternating copolymers, PNB-Cn, with different alkyl chains, varying from 8-carbon (C8, 2-ethylhexyl) to 16-carbon (C16, hexadecyl) chains attached onto thienyl moieties were designed and synthesized. The effect of the conjugated copolymer side chain on the photovoltaic and charge mobility properties of organic solar cells (OSCs) and polymer field-effect transistors (PFETs) was investigated. It is found that the short alkyl side chains on PNB-Cn copolymers are favourable for the efficient operation of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) OSCs, while the long alkyl side chains enhance the charge mobility of PFETs. As a result, the BHJ OSCs fabricated from the blend of PNB-C2,6 and PC71BM, using diiodooctane as a solvent additive, yielded a power conversion efficiency of 4.8% and the solution-processed bottom gate bottom contact type PFETs fabricated from PNB-C16 exhibited a hole mobility of 3.4 × 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1 with an on/off current ratio of 106. Our results suggest that copolymers constructed from 5,6-bis(2-ethylhexyloxy)naphtho[2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene and 4,7-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)-2,1,3-benzo[c][1,2,5]-thiadiazole are very stable, and solution-processable organic semiconductors for application in organic electronics.

Two series of quadrupolar diphenylamino-endcapped oligofluorenes, PhN-OF(n)-NPh (n=2-5) and PhN-OF(n)-TAZ-OF(n)-NPh (n=1-4), which have an electron-withdrawing 1,2,4-triazole (TAZ) moiety as central core, with D-π-A-π-D structural motif (D=donor, A=acceptor), have been synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of 9,9-dibutyl-7-(diphenylamino)-2-fluorenylboronic acid and the corresponding (1,2,4-triazole-based) aryl halide as key step. On pumping with infrared femtosecond lasers, these oligomers showed very strong multiphoton-excited blue photoluminescence. These D-π-D and D-π-A-π-D quadrupolar oligofluorenes exhibit superior three-photon absorption properties compared to the respective D-π-A counterparts with a highest three-photon absorption cross-section (σ(3)) of up to 2.72×10(-77) cm(6) s(2) . Despite the comparable linear and multiphoton absorption properties of the two types of quadrupolar oligomers PhN-OF(n)-NPh and PhN-OF(n)-TAZ-OF(n)-NPh, only the former exhibit remarkably intense and highly efficient multiphoton-excited frequency-upconverted deep blue lasing, which gives rise to record high lasing efficiency of 0.097% and very narrow of full width at half-maximum of the lasing spectra. Our findings suggest that quadrupolar-type molecules/oligomers are superior for multiphoton excited frequency upconverted lasing to their dipolar counterparts and also provide important guidelines to design highly efficient three-photon absorption molecules for photoluminescence and lasing applications.

A novel series of diphenyl-amino- and 1,2,4-triazole-end-capped, fluorene-based, π-conjugated oligomers that includes extended oligofluorenes and oligothienylfluorenes has been synthesized by means of the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of 9,9-dibutyl-7-(diphenylamino)-2-fluorenyl-boronic acid and the corresponding 1,2,4,-triazole-based aryl halide as a key step. It was demonstrated that efficient two- and three-photon excited photoluminescence and lasing in the blue region are obtained by pumping near-infrared femtosecond lasers on these materials. Although the absorption and emission maxima of the highly fluorescent and extended oligofluorenes reach a saturation limit, there exists an effective conjugation length for an optimum three-photon absorption cross section in the homologous oligofluorene series. On the other hand, the multiphoton excited emission spectrum and lasing wavelength can easily be modified or tuned by an incorporation of thienyl unit(s) into the fluorene-based π-conjugated core with which exceptionally large three-photon absorption cross sections up to 3.59× 10 ―77 cm 6 s 2 in the femtosecond regime have been obtained, thereby highlighting the potential of this series of photonic materials. The optimized full width at half-maximum of the cavity-less three-photon upconverted blue lasing spectra are sharply narrowed to approximately 6 nm with an efficiency of up to 0.013 %.

Two novel p-phenylenediamine-substituted fluorenes have been designed and synthesized. Their applications as hole injection materials in organic electroluminescent devices were investigated. These materials show a high glass transition temperature and a good hole-transporting ability. It has been demonstrated that the 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) doped p-phenylene-diamine-substituted fluorenes, in which F4-TCNQ acts as p-type dopant, are highly conducting with a good hole-transporting property. The organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) utilizing these F4-TCNQ-doped materials as a hole injection layer were fabricated and investigated. The pure Alq3-based OLED device shows a current efficiency of 5.2 cd/A at the current density of 20 mA/cm2 and the operation lifetime is 1500 h with driving voltage increasing only about 0.7 mV/h. The device performance and stability of this hole injection material meet the benchmarks for the commercial requirements for OLED materials.

[*] Dr. Z. Q. Gao Centre for Advanced Luminescence Materials Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong, SAR (PR China) E-mail: iamzqgao@njupt.edu.cn Prof. M. S. Wong, Dr. M. Luo, Dr. X. H. Sun, P. F. Xia Centre for Advanced Luminescence Materials and Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong SAR (PR China) E-mail: mswong@hkbu.edu.hk Dr. H. L. Tam, Prof. K. W. Cheah Centre for Advanced Luminescence Materials and Department of Physics Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong SAR (PR China)

The proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase ROS was originally discovered through the identification of oncogenic variants isolated from tumors. These discoveries spearheaded a body of work aimed at elucidating the function of this evolutionarily conserved receptor in development and cancer. Through genetic and biochemical approaches, progress in the characterization of ROS points to distinctive roles in the program of epithelial cell differentiation during the development of a variety of organs. Although substantial, these advances remain hampered by the absence of an identified ligand, making ROS one of the last two remaining orphan receptor tyrosine kinases. Recent studies on the oncogenic activation of ROS as a result of different chromosomal rearrangements found in brain and lung cancers have shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying ROS transforming activities. ROS and its oncogenic variants therefore constitute clinically relevant targets for cancer therapeutic intervention. This review highlights the various roles that this receptor plays in multiple system networks in normalcy and disease and points to future directions towards the elucidation of ROS function in the context of ligand identification, signaling pathways and clinical applications.

Empirical debate on Initial public offering (IPO) underpricing has never laid to rest. Motivated by the IPO underpricing phenomenon across various market, this paper examines the anomalous market behaviors of IPO in an emerging market setting such as Malaysia. The primary purpose of this paper is to analyze the existence and magnitude of the underpricing phenomenon and post listing performance of IPOs listed in Bursa Malaysia from 2008 to 2016. Moreover, this study aims to provide an insight primarily into the relationship between IPO initial and long-term stock performance and the four main determinants influencing underpricing, namely IPO size, market volatility, underwriter status and the reciprocal of IPO price. By analyzing a sample of 313 IPOs, the average market adjusted initial return is 9.4%. The regression-based analysis indicates positive relationship between underpricing and the explanatory variables, namely IPO size, market volatility, underwriter status and the reciprocal of IPO price. In addition, the findings of the present study lend support to the evidence of a fads hypothesis as the sample IPO was found to underperform the market over a 36-month period after listing and a univariate regression analysis further reveals that there is a negative relationship between initial market adjusted returns and returns over the 36-month period.

Heightened social and environmental concerns of the civil society have compelled present day managers to deviate away from the traditional viewpoints of business strategising that merely focuses on shareholder wealth maximisation. While they are primarily tasked with ensuring sound returns on capital and long term economic growth of the firm, the demands of a wider society to be socially and environmentally responsible are exerting enormous pressure on them and cannot be ignored. While many argue that trying to satisfy the divergent stakeholder expectations might cause a dent in the financial performance of the business, the authors portray the case of a company which created added value for the stakeholders by incorporating responsible economic, environmental and social behaviour into organisations' strategies. Their proactive moves have helped them to create a reputational advantage in a highly competitive industry and in turn contributed positively to the financial performance by skilfully exploiting the reputational advantage.

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is an architecture that provides the ability to assign priority for Quality of Service (QoS) allowing network operators to configure a network to provide maximum performance compared to conventional non-priority systems. In this paper, we address the demand for bandwidth by data-hungry multimedia devices by utilizing WiMAX's ability to schedule priority for network traffic. We present the results of application testing and implementation using WiMAX protocol where the main focus is to carry out and demonstrate how utilizing a priority scheduling system can benefit streaming real time multimedia. The results also validate how WiMAX technology is valuable to multimedia applications.

Mesh connectivity is part of the 802.11 wireless standards, and many commercial and community wireless networks use meshing as part of their internetwork backhaul. Typically, these networks use L2 or L3 meshing mechanisms to route user traffic along a unique path out of the mesh. Their designs are driven by coverage and wireless capacity concerns, with wired backhaul links assumed to be high capacity. In this work we consider networks in which the wireless mesh links have comparable data-rates to the wired backhaul and ask how users can achieve high data-rates in practice. For these networks, we develop an opportunistic backhaul aggregation technique based on MPTCP and demonstrate it on Linux gateways.

WiMAX technology provides a Quality of Service (QoS) system that allows system operators to configure a network to provide maximum performance compared to conventional Best Effort (BE) systems. In this paper, we address the increase in number of data rich mobile devices and the performance issues associated with Video On Demand (VOD) multimedia traffic over a WiMAX network. We present the results of application testing using WiMAX protocol where the main focus is to show how utilizing a QoS system can benefit streaming real time multimedia. The results show how WiMAX technology is beneficial to multimedia applications.

Star-shaped ladder-type ter(p-phenylene)s exhibit remarkably efficient multiphoton absorption properties with 2PA cross-section up to 2579 GM at 700 nm and 3PA cross-section up to 3.35 × 10(-76) cm(6) s(2) in the femtosecond regime for a blue-emissive molecule despite having such a short π-conjugated framework.

The Yang-Mills gradient flow in finite volume is used to define a running coupling scheme. As our main result the discrete β -function, or step scaling function, is calculated for scale change s = 3/2 at several lattice spacings for SU(3) gauge theory coupled to N f = 4 fundamental massless fermions. The continuum extrapolation is performed and agreement is found with the continuum perturbative results for small renormalized coupling. The case of SU(2) gauge group is briefly commented on.

Remarkably strong multiphoton, from two- to five-photon, upconverted violet fluorescence is first observed on a calix[4]arene-based multi-dipolar assembly which is strongly enhanced as compared to that of the corresponding dipolar counterparts.

To compare 2 groups of mature patients treated with the Herbst appliance and present a new protocol based on tissue responses to enhance skeletal response.Lateral cephalograms taken before and after treatment for 2 groups of patients--the first treated with the Herbst appliance with maximum jumping and the second with the Herbst appliance with stepwise advancement--were examined with conventional cephalometric analysis and the sagittal-occlusal analysis of Pancherz to assess the dental, skeletal, and soft tissue changes.The mode of correction of the Class II malocclusion was through skeletal and dental changes. However, in the stepwise sample, the amount of correction due to skeletal changes was higher. In both groups, the soft tissue profile convexity was reduced significantly.Herbst appliance therapy can be considered a modality for the correction of skeletal Class II malocclusions in mature patients and should be added to orthodontia's armamentarium.

To review the currently available treatment options of anterior open bite.Search all major dental journals and literature on treatment and management of anterior open bite. Medline search (1960-2006). Literature and data on treatment and management of anterior open bite with keywords 'open bite', 'anterior open bite', 'orthodontic treatment', 'long face', 'vertical dentoalveolar problem' and 'vertical skeletal problem'.Over 50 articles were found and relevant information and data were reviewed by the authors. It was found that the multifactorial nature of anterior open bite makes its management difficult and various treatment modalities are being used. Clinicians must be able to diagnose the problem and choose the best treatment.Successful treatment of anterior open bite greatly relies on both diagnosis and therapeutics. Although there are many different treatment modalities available, stability after treatment is still a critical issue as evidence on long term stability of various treatment options is lacking. Thus, clinicians should pay more attention during retention phase and long-term studies on post-treatment changes and stability should be encouraged.

A novel homologues series of diphenylamino and 1,2,4-triazole endcapped pi-conjugated oligofluorenes has been synthesized using palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of 9,9-dibutyl-7-(diphenylamino)-2-fluorenylboronic acid, and 1,2,4,-triazole-substituted oligofluorenyl halide was used as a key step. Efficient two- and three-photon excited photoluminescence and lasing were obtained by pumping with near-infrared femto-second lasers. The three-photon absorption cross-section enhances significantly up to 2.48 x 10(-78) cm(6) s(2) in the femtosecond regime with the length of the conjugation system. The emission is in the deep blue region and the best full width half-maximum (fwhm) of the three-photon lasing is narrower than 6 nm which is the narrowest ever reported. It was also shown that the nonlinear optics (NLO) effect increased parabolically with the conjugation length but without changing the emission wavelength. This demonstrates that varying the conjugation length is a very effective way to tailor an OF-based NLO device for deep blue application. Our findings open a new avenue to design highly efficient multiphoton absorption molecules for photoluminescence and lasing as well as provide a novel series of organic molecules that can be used in NLO applications and fundamental study.

Recent results in computing excited-state energies and meson-meson scattering phase shifts in lattice QCD are presented. A stochastic method of treating the low-lying modes of quark propagation that exploits Laplacian Heaviside quark-field smearing makes such studies possible now on large 32^3 x 256 and 48^3 x 128 lattices at near physical pion masses. Levels are identified using a variety of probe interpolating operators, which include both single-hadron and a large number of two-hadron operators., Talk presented at CIPANP2015, 15 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1410.8839, arXiv:1310.7887, arXiv:1410.8843