Functional Architecture of the Human Hypothalamus: Cortical Coupling and Subregional Organization Using 7-Tesla fMRI.

The hypothalamus plays an important role in the regulation of the body's metabolic state and behaviors related to survival. Despite its importance however, many questions exist regarding the intrinsic and extrinsic connections of the hypothalamus in humans, especially its relationship with the cerebral cortex. As a heterogeneous structure, it is possible that the hypothalamus is composed of different subregions, which have their own distinct relationships with the cerebral cortex.

Design of Efficient Artificial Enzymes Using Crystallographically Enhanced Conformational Sampling.

The ability to create efficient artificial enzymes for any chemical reaction is of great interest. Here, we describe a computational design method for increasing the catalytic efficiency of de novo enzymes by several orders of magnitude without relying on directed evolution and high-throughput screening. Using structural ensembles generated from dynamics-based refinement against X-ray diffraction data collected from crystals of Kemp eliminases HG3 (/ 125 M s) and KE70 (/ 57 M s), we design from each enzyme ≤10 sequences predicted to catalyze this reaction more efficiently.

Design of efficient artificial enzymes using crystallographically-enhanced conformational sampling.

The ability to create efficient artificial enzymes for any chemical reaction is of great interest. Here, we describe a computational design method for increasing catalytic efficiency of enzymes to a level comparable to their natural counterparts without relying on directed evolution. Using structural ensembles generated from dynamics-based refinement against X-ray diffraction data collected from crystals of Kemp eliminases HG3 (/ 125 M s) and KE70 (/ 57 M s), we design from each enzyme ≤10 sequences predicted to catalyze this reaction more efficiently.

Computational remodeling of an enzyme conformational landscape for altered substrate selectivity.

Structural plasticity of enzymes dictates their function. Yet, our ability to rationally remodel enzyme conformational landscapes to tailor catalytic properties remains limited. Here, we report a computational procedure for tuning conformational landscapes that is based on multistate design of hinge-mediated domain motions.

Performance of the adaptive optics system for Laser Communications Relay Demonstration's Ground Station 1.

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration is NASA's multi-year demonstration of laser communication from the Earth to a geosynchronous satellite. The mission currently has two optical ground stations (OGSs), with one in California (OGS1) and one in Hawaii (OGS2). Each ground terminal optical system consists of a high-order adaptive optics (AO) system, a laser transmit system, and a camera for target acquisition.

All-MEMS Lidar Using Hybrid Optical Architecture with Digital Micromirror Devices and a 2D-MEMS Mirror.

In a lidar system, replacing moving components with solid-state devices is highly anticipated to make a reliable and compact lidar system, provided that a substantially large beam area with a large angular extent as well as high angular resolution is assured for the lidar transmitter and receiver. A new quasi-solid-state lidar optical architecture employs a transmitter with a two-dimensional MEMS mirror for fine beam steering at a fraction of the degree of the angular resolution and is combined with a digital micromirror device for wide FOV scanning over 37 degree while sustaining a large aperture area of 140 mm squared. In the receiver, a second digital micromirror device is synchronized to the transmitter DMD, which enables a large FOV receiver.

Single-chip holographic beam steering for lidar by a digital micromirror device with angular and spatial hybrid multiplexing.

A digital micromirror device (DMD) based holographic beam steering technique is reported that multiplexes fine-steering binary amplitude gratings with a coarse-steering programmable blazed grating. The angular spatial light modulation (ASLM) technique encodes the spatial pattern of the binary amplitude grating at the same plane as the angular modulation set by a phase map of the DMD-based beam steering technique. The beam steering technique is demonstrated at 532 nm and implemented into a 905 nm lidar system.

Fast laser beam steering into multiple diffraction orders with a single digital micromirror device for time-of-flight lidar.

The sampling rate and angular resolution of diffraction-based beam steering employing a digital micromirror device (DMD) can be simultaneously enhanced by at least an order of magnitude by synchronizing multiple nanosecond laser sources and pulses during each DMD actuation. A time-of-flight single-chip DMD lidar with three sources measures a range at a 3.34 kHz sampling rate and a 3.

Retrospective Analysis of HER2+ Breast Cancer Outcomes at a County Hospital: Do Published Outcomes Hold up in the Real World?

Introduction: Landmark trials repeatedly demonstrate that pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus standard chemotherapy have the best outcomes in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and metastatic setting. However, many of these multicenter landmark trials lack diversity and studied largely Caucasian populations. Our goal is to address this under-representation of minorities, and compare pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in our predominantly Hispanic population with HER2 positive breast cancer receiving the same neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center (OVMC) to that of pCR rates observed in the TRYPHAENA trial.

Prostate Cancer Metastatic to the Peritoneum: A Road Less Traveled by a Common Malignancy.

A 70-year-old Indian male with a history of a Gleason 7 (3+4) prostate cancer presented with abdominal ascites. Imaging was remarkable for peritoneal carcinomatosis as well as possible metastases to the bladder and seminal vesicle. Given the atypical pattern of presentation, further investigation was performed with studies of the ascites fluid.

Brachytherapy in pelvic malignancies: a review for radiologists.

Brachytherapy, also known as sealed source or internal radiation therapy, involves placement of a radioactive source immediately adjacent to or within tumor, thus enabling delivery of a localized high dose of radiation. Compared with external beam radiation which must first pass through non-target tissues, brachytherapy results in less radiation dose to normal tissues. In the past decade, brachytherapy use has markedly increased, thus radiologists are encountering brachytherapy devices and their associated post-treatment changes to increasing degree.

Engineering alginate as bioink for bioprinting.

Recent advances in three-dimensional (3-D) printing offer an excellent opportunity to address critical challenges faced by current tissue engineering approaches. Alginate hydrogels have been used extensively as bioinks for 3-D bioprinting. However, most previous research has focused on native alginates with limited degradation.

Rapid discontinuation of corticosteroids in pediatric renal transplantation.

Corticosteroid immunosuppression has permitted the development of successful allotransplantation; however, corticosteroids are associated significant post-transplant complications. To circumvent these problems, we implemented a protocol of rapid discontinuation of corticosteroids in 19 consecutive pediatric primary kidney transplant recipients. Mean age at time of transplant was 13.

The role of actin cytoskeleton in oscillatory fluid flow-induced signaling in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts.

Fluid flow due to loading in bone is a potent mechanical signal that may play an important role in bone adaptation to its mechanical environment. Previous in vitro studies of osteoblastic cells revealed that the upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and c-fos induced by steady fluid flow depends on a change in actin polymerization dynamics and the formation of actin stress fibers. Exposing cells to dynamic oscillatory fluid flow, the temporal flow pattern that results from normal physical activity, is also known to result in increased COX-2 expression and PGE(2) release.