cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Waldenström macroglobulinemia at 70

SUMMARY Over the last seven decades, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) has changed from a clinical observation by an astute clinician to an uncommon, but well-defined clinical–pathologic entity. Similarly, therapeutic advances have evolved and now parallel our increasing understanding of the biology of WM. Very recently, the discovery of a highly prevalent somatic gene mutation has provided new understanding that challenges us to further individualize management of this disease. This article is intended to chronicle the 70-year development of our knowledge, treatment options and limitations that bring us to our current approach to WM, as well as the challenge for international collaboration in order to enable us to develop the most efficient path to optimal patient care.
Analytical Hierarchy Process and Brain Limbic System combined strategy for mobile robot navigation

In this paper, a fusion of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Brain Limbic System (BLS) control strategy is suggested to achieve mobile robot navigation in unknown environments. As a multi-objective decision making method, AHP is employed to obtain the optimal gap among the obstacles that the robot encounters. To implement the suggested method, the weighting among objectives are defined and the relative importance matrix of each objective is generated. The robot is thus enabled to move to the desired position via a brain limbic system based controller. The simulation results demonstrate the performance of fused method.
Examination of binary alloy free dendritic growth theories with a phase-field model

Two-dimensional phase-field simulations are used to test standard theories for free dendritic growth of alloys. While the transport of heat and solute in the melt is predicted well by the theories, the selection criterion for the operating state of the dendrite tip is found to break down in several respects. The selection parameter, σ*, computed from the phase-field simulations varies strongly with alloy composition, Lewis number, and imposed undercooling, whereas the theories assume σ* to be independent of these parameters. While the computed σ* is the same for purely thermal and solutal dendrites, it experiences a minimum at a small but finite solute concentration where thermal and solutal effects are both important. A pronounced growth velocity maximum at this composition is therefore not found in the simulations. The high Peclet number corrections of the LKT theory are found to be ineffective for the present range of undercoolings.
DO INCREASES IN PREFERENCE SIMILARITY (ACROSS COUNTRIES) INDUCE INCREASES IN TRADE? An affirmative example

Abstract We construct a simple model of trade in differentiated products, produced by a non-convex technology, where the volume and value of trade are increasing in the degree of similarity of preferences between the trading economies.
Strategic thinking—Dealing with uncertainty

Abstract Frameworks for strategic planning provide questions, but the answers depend on executives' strategic thinking. Three methods of strategic thinking are delineated. Assessment involves classification and modelling of the situation; problem identification and analysis involve goal formulation and strategy design; and synthesis involves inferences about assumptions, dialectical analysis and reframing. The methods provide executives with different ways of dealing with uncertainty. Either problem analysis of synthesis is used when objectives and the appropriate corrective action are certain. Problem identification is used when there is ambiguity about strategic direction, and assessment is a style adapted to ambiguity about both objectives and corrective action.
Electronic packaging for microwave multichip modules

Summary form only given. Modern radio frequency (RF) systems including radar/electronically scanned arrays are electronic systems in which MCMs are beginning to be applied. Conventional radars/RF systems generally have been operated at frequencies of about 220 MHz to 94 GHz, a spread of over eight octaves. The development of monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) semiconductor technology has given rise to wider spread usage of analog and mixed mode (analog and digital) MCM designs within the major segments of the RF system. The challenge to MCM design is the incorporation of passive and active RF and DC components within a single MCM and the relationship between the materials, mechanical design and electrical performance of the MCM. As microwave semiconductor technology continues to evolve, so shall the demand on all aspects of analog and mixed mode MCMs.
Chemoarchitectonics and corticocortical terminations within the superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey: evidence for subdivisions of superior temporal polysensory cortex.

Cortex of the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (STS) in macaque monkeys, termed the superior temporal polysensory (STP) region, corresponds largely to architectonic area TPO and is connectionally distinct from adjacent visual areas. To investigate whether or not the STP region contains separate subdivisions, immunostaining for parvalbumin and neurofilament protein (using the SMI-32 antibody) was compared with patterns of corticocortical terminations in the STS. Chemoarchitectonic results provided evidence for three caudal-to rostral subdivisions: TPOc, TPOi, and TPOr. Area TPOc was characterized by patchy staining for parvalbumin and SMI-32 in cortical layers IV/III and III, respectively. Area TPOi had more uniform chemoarchitectonic staining, whereas area TPOr had a thicker layer IV than TPOi. The connectional results showed prefrontal cortex in the location of the frontal eye fields (area8) and dorsal area 46 projected in a columnar pattern to all cortical layers of area TPOc, to layer IV of TPOi, and in a columanr fashion, with a moderate increase in density in layer IV, to TPOr. In TPOc, columns of frontal connections showed a peridicity similar to that of the SMI-32 staining. The caudal inferior parietal lobule (area 7a) and superior temporal gyrus projected to each subdivision of area TPO, displaying either panlaminar or fourth-layer terminations. In addition to STP cortex, parvalbumin and SMI-32 immunostaining allowed identification of caudal visual areas of the STS, including MT, MST, FST, and V4t. These areas received first and sixth-layer projections from prefrontal cortex and area 7a. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Post-Industrial Imaginaries: Nature, Representation and Ruin in Detroit, Michigan

With plans underway for large-scale urban agriculture and a proliferation of representations made of the city's vacant lots, Detroit, Michigan is increasingly understood as a particularly hybrid metropolis that complicates conceptual divisions between city and nature. This article looks at representations of urban nature found in Detroit, focusing primarily on the work by photographers and journalists over the past 5 years as part of a broader discourse on Detroit's decline. By drawing from urban political ecology and critical work on nature, this article argues that representations of the city suggest an ambivalence, both popular and scholarly, about the emergent ecologies found in cities like Detroit. But, ultimately, journalists and commentators see nature in the city as a reflection of the city's absence, rather than its materiality, and so representations of Detroit reflect dominant conceptual divisions between the city and the non-human world. This article builds on work in urban political ecology and environmental history to argue that representations and discourses about nature are important in the production of just urban environments.
Cybernetics and the Mangle: Ashby, Beer and Pask

This paper aims to enrich our understanding of the history and substance of cybernetics. It reviews the work of three British cyberneticians - W. Ross Ashby, Stafford Beer and Gordon Pask - paying attention particularly to the materiality of their practice - the strange and fascinating devices and systems that were at the heart of their work - and to the worldly projects they pursued - scientific, technological, artistic, organizational, political and spiritual. Connections are drawn between cybernetics and recent theoretical work in science and technology studies, in the hope of illuminating key features of both. The paper concludes by suggesting that the antidisciplinary impulse of contemporary science studies might find inspiration in the work of cyberneticians - that theory does not have to remain confined to the realm of theory.
Design of a new subretinal implant for prosthetic vision

This paper describes the efforts of MIT and the Massachussetts Eye Infirmary over the past 15 years to develop a chronically implantable retinal prosthesis. The goal is to restore some useful level of vision to patients suffering from outer retinal diseases, primarily retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. We initially planned to build an intraocular implant, wirelessly supplied with signal and power, to stimulate the surviving cells of the retina. In this design, electrical stimulation is applied. A series of six acute surgical trial is carried out on human volunteers to asses the electrical thresholds and the perceptions resulting from epiretinal retinal stimulation.
Visual results following vitreous loss and primary lens implantation

Implantation of an intraocular lens following vitreous loss at cataract surgery is a controversial decision. To address this issue, we retrospectively identified all cases performed at the University of Minnesota in the last three years that had either a posterior or an anterior chamber lens placed following anterior vitrectomy. Twenty patients had a posterior chamber lens implant; 14 had follow-up longer than six months. All these patients achieved 20/40 or better visual acuity, although one patient had a retinal detachment. Of the six patients with an anterior chamber lens implant, four achieved 20/40 or better acuity and two achieved 20/50 acuity with follow-up of six months; one patient had a retinal detachment. This review demonstrates that with a meticulous anterior vitrectomy, good visual results can be achieved, although the risk of retinal detachment is higher than in uncomplicated cases.
Effect of semen sampling frequency on seminal antiretroviral drug concentration

Study of male genital tract (MGT) pharmacology is relevant to the treatment of prostatitis, prostate cancer, infertility, and seminal human immunodeficiency virus transmission. However, the time course of drug concentrations in the MGT is largely unknown. To determine the feasibility of frequent semen sampling in assessing the pharmacokinetics of the MGT, we administered efavirenz, indinavir, and zidovudine to subjects to achieve steady-state levels and then collected semen samples at sequentially decreasing ejaculation intervals. The volume of seminal plasma decreased from 4.0 (1.2-5.1) ml (median with range) at 48 h after the baseline ejaculation to 0.72 (0.45-1.6) ml 1 h after a previous ejaculation, which was still adequate for drug concentration assessment. The seminal fructose concentration also decreased. However, the concentration of prostate-specific antigen and all three drugs did not decrease, even if the ejaculation intervals decreased to 1 h. Thus, semi-intensive semen sampling can be used to assess MGT pharmacokinetics.
The making of a Darwinian left

Book reviews: Dickens, Peter, Social Darwinism (reviewed by Howard L. Kaye); Lewontin, Richard, The Triple Helix: Gene, Organism, and Environment (reviewed by Howard L. Kaye); Singer, Peter, A Darwinian Left: Politics, Evolution and Cooperation (reviewed by Howard L. Kaye)
Active Oxygen Species in Plant Defense against Pathogens.

Plant disease resistance to pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses often depends on whether the plant is able to recognize the pathogen early in the infection process. The recognition event leads to a rapid tissue necrosis at the site of infection, which is called the HR. The HR deprives the pathogen of nutrients and/or releases toxic molecules, thereby confining pathogen growth to a small region of the plant. This response provides resistance to the great majority of potential pathogens (nonhost or species resistance). For a given plant species, a much more limited number of true pathogens exhibit the ability to evade the host recognition system and grow extensively within the plant without evoking host necrosis at a11 or only after considerable delay. In this case, the plant exhibits susceptibility and the extensive growth of the successful pathogen can cause varying degrees of damage. However, certain races within pathogenic bacteria1 or funga1 species are recognized by certain cultivars or genotypes of the host plant species and the HR is triggered. These observations indicate that there is an ongqing evolution of the host plant's ability to recognize pathogen races that were previously unrecognized while the pathogen evolves to avoid recognition by a previously resistant host. Recognition of pathogens triggers a large range of inducible defense mechanisms that are believed to contribute to overall resistance in the plant. The mechanisms induced at the site of infection and associated with the HR include synthesis of antimicrobial compounds called phytoalexins, synthesis of hydrolytic enzymes that attack fungi and bacteria, and alterations in the synthesis of cell-wall structural proteins (for
HERBICIDE TOLERANCE IN IMIDAZOLINONE-RESISTANT WHEAT FOR WEED MANAGEMENT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST U.S.A.

Winter wheat ranks high in importance as an agricultural crop in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Winter annual grass weeds such as jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica), downy brome (Bromus tectorum), feral rye (Secale cereale), wild oat (Avena fatua) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) have the same life-cycle as winter wheat and are difficult to control in conventional wheat production systems. These weeds annually account for millions of dollars of lost wheat production and reduced quality (i.e. discount by impurities). There has been only moderate success in controlling winter annual grasses in wheat by utilizing multiple-year crop rotations with spring crops and fallow periods, and with chemical control. Selective herbicides have been available for chemical control of downy brome, Italian ryegrass, and wild oat. However, before use of imazamox herbicide with imidazolinone-resistant (CLEARFIELD*) wheat, there was no herbicide that could selectively control jointed goatgrass, feral rye, or volunteer cereals in winter wheat. The first commercial release of an imidazolinone-resistant winter wheat variety in the Pacific Northwest was made during the 2003 growing season. Plant breeders in the Pacific Northwest are continuing to develop imidazolinone-resistant winter wheat varieties adapted to a range of Pacific Northwest production regions One issue of concern for wheat varietal development is that single-gene tolerance to imazamox in CLEARFIELD* varieties can sometimes show visible crop injury, and possibly, yield reductions in response to herbicide applications. Crop tolerance can vary with time of herbicide application relative to wheat stage of growth, environmental conditions that reduce the wheat plant’s ability to metabolize imazamox and, possibly, with specific wheat varieties. A multiple year and location study was conducted to evaluate imazamox tolerance in CLEARFIELD* wheat lines being developed for Pacific Northwest production regions. Results indicate that during specific years and locations, single-gene CLEARFIELD* varieties differed slightly in their relative tolerance to imazamox. The most important determinant of crop tolerance was related to herbicide application rate and timing
Antipsychotic drugs increase N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells.

N-Acetylaspartate (NAA) and N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) are related neuronal metabolites associated with the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. NAA is a valuable marker of neuronal viability in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a technique which has consistently shown NAA levels to be modestly decreased in the brains of schizophrenia patients. However, there are conflicting reports on the changes in brain NAA levels after treatment with antipsychotic drugs, which exert their therapeutic effects in part by blocking dopamine D2 receptors. NAAG is reported to be an agonist of the metabotropic glutamate 2/3 receptor, which is linked to neurotransmitter release modulation, including glutamate release. Alterations in NAAG metabolism have been implicated in the development of schizophrenia possibly via dysregulation of glutamate neurotransmission. In the present study we have used high performance liquid chromatography to determine the effects of the antipsychotic drugs haloperidol and clozapine on NAA and NAAG levels in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, a model system used to test the responses of dopaminergic neurons in vitro. The results indicate that the antipsychotic drugs haloperidol and clozapine increase both NAA and NAAG levels in SH-SY5Y cells in a dose and time dependant manner, providing evidence that NAA and NAAG metabolism in neurons is responsive to antipsychotic drug treatment.
Improving measurement of workplace sexual identity management

The purpose of this study was to advance measurement of sexual identity management for lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers. Psychometric properties of a revised version of the Workplace Sexual Identity Management Measure (WSIMM; Anderson, Croteau, Chung, & DiStefano, 2001) were examined on a sample of 64 predominantly White K-12 teachers. Reliability and validity data support the usefulness of the revised WSIMM for measuring sexual identity management. Additional research is needed to improve measurement of passing strategies and to further examine dimensionality of sexual identity management.
Language identification using a combined articulatory prosody framework

This study presents new advancements in our articulatory-based language identification (LID) system. Our LID system automatically identifies language-features (LFs) from a phonological features (PFs) based representation of speech. While our baseline system uses a static PF-representation for extracting LFs, the new system is based on a dynamic PF representation for feature extraction. Interestingly, the new LFs outperform our baseline system by 11.8% absolute in a difficult 5-way classification task of South Indian Languages. Additionally, we incorporate pitch and energy based features in our new system to leverage prosody in classification. In particular, we employ a Legendre polynomial based contour-estimation to capture shape parameters which are used in classification. Additionally, the fusion of PF and prosody-based LFs further improves the overall classification result by 16.5% absolute over the baseline system. Finally, the proposed articulatory language ID system is combined with a PPRLM (parallel phone recognition language model) system to obtain an overall classification accuracy of 86.6%.
Abstract 258: A Novel Process to Reduce Mortality Associated with In-Hospital STEMI

Background: According to recently published data mortality due to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurring in hospitalized patients (pts) can be as high as 40%. Reasons for the high mortality are not completely understood, but delays in diagnosis and treatment, as depicted by prolonged (129 minutes) diagnostic ECG to first intra-coronary balloon inflation (E2B) time, may play a major role. The hospitals of the academic health center (AHC) of Indiana University Health put in place a process for the early identification and treatment of in-hospital ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (i-STEMI). The process went into place in August of 2009 and consisted of three simple steps: 1) bedside nurses were empowered to obtain a 12 lead ECG on any patient with signs or symptoms of acute coronary syndrome, 2) Providers from the hospital rapid response team (RRT) interpreted the ECG within 10 minutes of acquisition, 3) The rapid responders were empowered to activate the cardiac catheterization laboratory as a Level 1 STEMI emergency. Prior to launch of the i-STEMI process, multiple approaches were employed in order to ensure nurses were adequately educated. We report on the mortality results from the first 40 months of the novel process. Methods: The emergent cardiac catheterization database was queried to identify 141 hospitalized pts for whom cardiac catheterization laboratory was activated emergently between August 2009 and 2013. Electronic health records were reviewed to record demographics, admission diagnosis, comorbidities, current cardiac medications, indication for obtaining diagnostic ECG, time of diagnostic ECG, time of first intra-coronary balloon inflation, post i-STEMI ejection fraction, and discharge disposition for each patient. Results: We found 52 confirmed cases of i-STEMI out of total 141 pts. Out of 52 i-STEMI pts 49 (94%) underwent emergent coronary angiography. The reason for not performing angiography in remaining pts was increased risk of bleeding and altered mental status. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed in 29 (56%) pts. Reasons for not performing PCI in remaining pts included: occlusion of saphenous vein graft and absence of critical stenosis in infarct-related coronary artery as predicted by diagnostic ECG. E2B time for i-STEMI pts at our AHC was 81 minutes. Overall in-hospital mortality was 17%. In-hospital mortality in pts who received PCI was 6.6%. Our E2B time and hospital mortality were much lower when compared with recently reported data i.e. 81 minutes vs. 129 minutes and 17% vs. 40% respectively. Conclusion: A simple protocol that empowers adequately trained bedside medical personnel can significantly reduce time to optimal treatment and in-hospital mortality associated with i-STEMI. For patients who receive timely intervention, i-STEMI can be managed with survival rates very similar to pts presenting to hospital with STEMI.
Corneal Topography as a Predictor of Refractive Change in the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) Study

The first operated eyes of 435 patients undergoing radial keratotomy in the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) study were evaluated by photokeratography to document the preoperative and postoperative corneal shape. We determined by regression analysis and analysis of variance that the corneal shape preoperatively improved the prediction of the corneal shape 6 months postoperatively in the 3-mm-clear-zone population. The reduction of myopia in all 435 eyes ranged from 1.25 to 9.75 diopters. We studied the effect of the preoperative corneal shape on this variability in the outcome of the surgery using rings 2 and 7 on photokeratography and corneal diameter. In the 3-mm-clear-zone group, eyes with flat prolate corneas had a greater reduction in myopia (4.65 D); those with steeper, more spherical corneas had less reduction in myopia (3.48 D). In addition, eyes with a 3-mm clear zone and flat central corneas alone (8.0 mm = 42.19 D) flattened approximately 0.75 D more than those with steep central corneas (7.0 mm = 48.21 D). In the 3.5-mm and 4.0-mm clear zone groups, the change in corneal curvature was not related to the preoperative curvature. A stepwise regression analysis of the 151 eyes in the 3.0-mm-clear-zone population demonstrated the following predictive equation for radial keratotomy; change in cycloplegic refraction = -14.55 + [-2.097 x average ring-2 radius] + [3.605 x average ring-7 radius] + [0.69 x horizontal corneal diameter] + [0.079 x age] + [-0.379 x spherical equivalent cycloplegic refraction]. There was a 1.17-D observed difference in the effect of radial keratotomy between those eyes with a steep/steep corneal topography (7.2% of the 3.0-mm-clear-zone population) and the flat/flat topography (29% of the 3.0-mm-clear-zone PERK population). A knowledge of corneal topography provides an additional tool for understanding the operative variability of radial keratotomy.
(Whatever Happened to) The ADA's Record of Disability Prong(?)

The ADA's record of disability prong is the prong least likely to be used by ADA plaintiffs in claiming protection under the Act. Between the years 2000 and 2004, ADA and Rehabilitation Act plaintiffs in federal court who alleged employment discrimination relied upon the record of disability prong less than one-third as often as the actual and perceived disability prongs in claiming disability status. Nor have ADA plaintiffs enjoyed any greater success when asserting coverage under the record of disability prong during that time period. Congress, the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the federal courts bear much of the blame for the record of disability prong's diminished stature. The requirement of some federal courts that a record of disability plaintiff must actually produce a tangible record documenting the existence of disability has limited the scope of the second prong. The Supreme Court's restrictive interpretations of the actual and perceived disability prongs have likewise limited the reach of the record of disability prong. The record of disability prong was specifically intended to address those situations in which an individual has recovered from a once-substantially limiting impairment; yet, because of the Supreme Court's conclusion that an individual's use of mitigating measures must be taken into account when assessing the existence of disability, even this use of the record of disability prong is in doubt. However, in at least some instances, the limited role played by the record of disability prong can be attributed to the failure of plaintiffs' attorneys to fully understand and utilize the prong. This Article argues that the only way that the record of disability prong can play a meaningful role in the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities is if attorneys take a fresh look at this forgotten portion of the ADA.
A direct scanning densitometer to measure density profiles in wood composite products.

The intent of this work was to establish a procedure for collecting and analyzing profile data from the scanning densitometer, and to compare the procedure and results for the densitometer to the conventional gravimetric method. Density profiles for four types of wood composite panel products were studied using a conventional gravimetric technique and a direct scanning gamma densitometer. Presented is a description of the densitometry system and the results of the two techniques. The gravimetric method is time consuming, destructive, and prone to error in measurements. The gamma densitometer is fast and nondestructive, with increased precision and accuracy. The gamma densitometer may become the standard technique for laboratory density profile analysis. -- AATA
Are the Models of the Triply Charged Gallium Vacancy and Doubly Charged Gallium Interstitial Alive or Dead

We have found that the measured diffusivity can be quite different than predicted by recent models of multiply-charged defects. Key problems dealing with the measurement and the interpretation of diffusion mechanisms are discussed. Using a few common variations in GaAs epilayer growth, we have obtained diffusivities which range over several orders of magnitude at the same temperature. Making use of the relatively weak In-As bond, we have used In as a marker to measure group III interdiffusion, DIII. DIII is consistent with the results of others using Al as a marker in n-type GaAs, but orders of magnitude smaller than predicted by the triply charged Ga vacancy, V3−Ga, model of Tan and Gosele. Although diffusion can be attributed to a negatively charged vacancy in n-type GaAs, In is found to often move by a kick-out mechanism in p-type GaAs. It appears likely that many early experiments with n- and p-type GaAs-AlAs interdiffusion were affected by large concentrations of Ga interstitials, IGa, caused by Fermi energy pinning at the growing surface. We present the first direct experimental evidence for the existence of a positively charged Ga interstitial. Our results, combined with those of others, suggest that VGa has a single negative charge associated with it. Because epilayer growth conditions appear to cause the point defect concentrations to deviate substantially from equilibrium, we conclude that the exact charge states of VGa and IGa still remain to be determined.
Solving Euclidean Distance Multifacility Location Problems Using Conjugate Subgradient and Line-Search Methods

Subgradient methods are popular for solving nondifferentiable optimization problems because of their relative ease in implementation, but are not always robust and require a careful design of strategies in order to yield an effective procedure for any given class of problems. In this paper, we present an approach for solving the Euclidean distance multifacility location problem (EMFLP) using conjugate or deflected subgradient based algorithms along with suitable line-search strategies. The subgradient deflection method considered is the Average Direction Strategy (ADS) imbedded within the Variable Target Value Method (VTVM). We also investigate the generation of two types of subgradients to be employed in conjunction with ADS. The first type is a simple valid subgradient that assigns zero values to contributions corresponding to the nondifferentiable terms in the objective function, and so, the subgradient is composed by summing the contributions corresponding to the differentiable terms alone. The second type expends more effort to derive a low-norm member of the subdifferential in order to enhance the prospect of obtaining a descent direction. Furthermore, a special Newton-based line-search that exploits the nondifferentiability of the problem is also designed to be implemented in the developed algorithm in order to study its impact on the convergence behavior. Various combinations of the above strategies are composed and evaluated on a set of test problems. The results show that a modification of the VTVM method along with the first or a certain combination of the two subgradient generation strategies, and the use of a suitable line-search technique, provides promising results. An alternative block-halving step-size strategy used within VTVM in conjunction with the proposed line-search method yields a competitive second choice performance.
Genotyping of hepatitis B virus among Han and Mongolian populations in Keyouzhong banner of Inner Mongolia

Objective To investigate the distribution of hepatitis B virus( HBV) genotype among Han and Mongolian in Keyouzhong banner of Inner Mongolia. Methods We used sequencing and phylogenetic analysis to determine the distribution of genotypes,subtypes and S mutations of HBV. HBV serologic markers were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA). Results For 105 Mongolian,93 were sequenced successfully,with 26 genotype B2( 27. 96%),47 genotype C2( 50. 53%),and 20 genotype D1( 21. 51%). For 60 samples from Han,51 were sequenced successfully,with 10 genotype B2( 19. 61%),32 genotype C2( 62. 74%),and 9 genotype D1( 17. 65%). All genotyping results based on Basic Local Aligment Search Tool( BLAST) of National Center for Biotechnology Information( NCBI) were identical to those based on phylogenetic tree. Conclusion The genotypes of HBV are genotype B,C and D among Han and Mongolia populations in Keyouzhong banner of Inner Mongolia,with dominant genotypes of band D in Mongolia and C in Han population.
238 METALLOPORPHYRIN INHIBITION OF IN VITRO MOUSE HEME OXYGENASE ISOZYME ACTIVITY.

Most of the CO excreted by mammals is a byproduct of the degradation of heme to form bilirubin. The rate-limiting enzyme in this catabolic pathway is heme oxygenase (HO), which can be inhibited by synthetic metalloporphyrin derivatives of heme (Mps). Therefore, Mps are being studied for use in the suppression of hyperbilirubinemia. There are two forms of HO which are present in differing amounts and proportions in various tissues. In the mouse brain, the predominant isozyme is the constitutive HO-2, whereas, in the mouse spleen, it is the inducible HO-1. We studied the effects of 4 Mps [tin mesoporphyrin (SnMP), chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP), zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), and zinc deuteroporphyrin bis glycol (ZnBG)] on these isozymes using the spleen and brain as sources of HO-1 and HO-2, respectively. HO activity was determined by measuring CO produced in the vial headspace by gas chromatography after tissue sonicates were incubated in the dark with varying concentrations of each porphyrin ( n ≥ 5). The concentration of each porphyrin needed to inhibit CO production by 50% (I50) was then determined. Statistical significance was calculated using a two-tailed unpaired t-test ( p ≤ .05). All 4 Mps showed greater inhibitory potency (lower I50) towards HO-2 (brain) versus HO-1 (spleen). Both SnMP and ZnPP were found to exhibit the greatest specificity between isozymes (≈2x). The same order of potency was observed in both isozymes with SnMP showing the highest and ZnPP the lowest. CrMP lacked significant differentiation in I50 between isozymes (*) and when compared to ZnBG for HO-1 (†). All other comparisons were significant. Of note, the I509s of CrMP and ZnPP for both isozymes were significantly different from that previously found in the rat. We conclude that there is a wide spectrum of inhibitory potency and a fair level of selectivity among Mps with the constitutive HO-2 being more susceptible to inhibition than HO-1. These findings should be considered when comparing studies of Mps performed in rat and mouse models and in developing selective inhibitors of HO-1 for therapeutic purposes.
EPIFLOW: Adaptive Analytical Design Framework for Resilient Urban Water Systems

In a time when digital tools outpace design methods, we see an increasing obligation to provide empirical support for a historically qualitatively-oriented design profession. This condition necessitates a research framework that facilitates a more comprehensive assessment of both context condition and design effect; one that integrates a comprehensive predictive system that allows us to test various scenarios against systemic performance criteria. Motivated by extensive discourse on health and environmental stability surrounding urban hydrologic systems, and the implication of uninformed design in the propagation of health and environmental stability, EpiFlow tooling proposes a new way of incorporating consequences of hydrological processes into the early stages of design process. By utilizing computation and visual scripting as a means of embedding information into the modeling environment, EpiFlow integrates storm water runoff and water management models directly into the 3d modeling test-bed. The intention is to assimilate direct visual and quantitative feedback on water flow behavior within a single interface, and to provide rapid design feedback that would enable integration of natural systems into holistic design thinking while engaging larger systemic issues of the site. Currently, the algorithms utilized within EpiFlow mainly address urban storm water runoff and household waste water systems. These two systems, already addressed within the architectural discipline by standardized metrics, are essential for such analysis, and historically have been central to issues of pollution, health dangers, resource waste, and environmental degradation. This paper explains the EpiFlow tool and workflow, as well as explores its implications on design process within an academic setting.
11 – Songbird Song Repertoires: An Ethological Approach to Studying Cognition

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on songbird song repertoires. It discusses the singing behavior of song birds to understand song repertoires at as many levels of explanation as possible. It goes on to explore how a bird acquires its songs (ontogeny), how the neural and endocrine systems enable a bird to learn and produce those songs (mechanism), how repertoires are used to influence fitness (function, or current utility), and how repertoires have been modified to match particular life histories (evolution). Research has revealed that birds can remember, categorize, discriminate, and even recognize numbers. In the form of different song bird species, literally thousands of cognitive, evolutionary designs await discovery. Tremendous opportunities lie in the ethological and ecological approach of studying cognition. Using this approach, this study focuses on a particular group that illustrates particularly well the complex vocal communication systems that have evolved among song birds. Male Marsh Wrens, especially in western North America, have repertoires of 100–200 different songs, all of which are learned from other males. Neighbors race through their song repertoires, interacting with each other in fascinating ways.
LMS and Backpropagation are Minimax Filters

An important problem that arises in many applications is the following adaptive problem: given a sequence of n × 1 input column vectors {h i }, and a corresponding sequence of desired scalar responses {d i }, find an estimate of an n × 1 column vector of weights w such that the sum of squared errors, \(\sum\nolimits_{i = 0}^N {{{\left| {{d_i} - h_i^Tw} \right|}^2}}\), is minimized. The {h i ,d i } are most often presented sequentially, and one is therefore required to find an adaptive scheme that recursively updates the estimate of w. The least-mean-squares (LMS) algorithm was originally conceived as an approximate solution to the above adaptive problem. It recursively updates the estimates of the weight vector along the direction of the instantaneous gradient of the sum squared error [1]. The introduction of the LMS adaptive filter in 1960 came as a significant development for a broad range of engineering applications since the LMS adaptive linear-estimation procedure requires essentially no advance knowledge of the signal statistics. The LMS, however, has been long thought to be an approximate minimizing solution to the above squared error criterion, and a rigorous minimization criterion has been missing.
Intermittent Surface Water Connectivity: Fill and Spill Vs. Fill and Merge Dynamics

Intermittent surface connectivity can influence aquatic systems, since chemical and biotic movements are often associated with water flow. Although often referred to as fill and spill, wetlands also fill and merge. We examined the effects of these connection types on water levels, ion concentrations, and biotic communities of eight prairie pothole wetlands between 1979 and 2015. Fill and spill caused pulsed surface water connections that were limited to periods following spring snow melt. In contrast, two wetlands connected through fill and merge experienced a nearly continuous, 20-year surface water connection and had completely coincident water levels. Fill and spill led to minimal convergence in dissolved ions and macroinvertebrate composition, while these constituents converged under fill and merge. The primary factor determining differences in response was duration of the surface water connection between wetland pairs. Our findings suggest that investigations into the effects of intermittent surface water connections should not consider these connections generically, but need to address the specific types of connections. In particular, fill and spill promotes external water exports while fill and merge favors internal storage. The behaviors of such intermittent connections will likely be accentuated under a future with more frequent and severe climate extremes.
Synthesis and characterization of low viscosity hexafluoroacetylacetonate-based hydrophobic magnetic ionic liquids

Magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) are distinguished from traditional ionic liquids (ILs) by the incorporation of a paramagnetic component within their chemical structure. Hydrophobic MILs are novel solvents that can be used in many applications, including liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and catalysis. Low viscosity and low water solubility are essential features that determine their feasibility in LLE. In this study, extremely hydrophobic MILs were synthesized by using transition and rare earth metal hexafluoroacetylacetonate chelated anions paired with the trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium ([P66614+]) cation. Hydrophobic MILs exhibiting water solubilities less than 0.01% (v/v) were synthesized in a rapid two-step procedure. Furthermore, the viscosities of the MILs are among some of the lowest ever reported for hydrophobic MILs (276.5–927.9 centipoise (cP) at 23.7 °C) dramatically improving the ease of handling these liquids. For the first time, the magnetic properties of MILs possessing hexafluoroacetylacetonate chelated metal anions synthesized in this study are reported using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Effective magnetic moments (μeff) as high as 9.7 and 7.7 Bohr magnetons (μB) were achieved by incorporating high spin dysprosium and gadolinium ions, respectively, into the anion component of the MIL. The low viscosity, high hydrophobicity, and large magnetic susceptibility of these MILs make them highly attractive and promising solvents for separations and purification, liquid electrochromic materials, catalytic studies, as well as microfluidic applications.
Repeated Applications of Mesotrione and Napropamide on New Cranberry Plantings

To evaluate the weed control provided by various combinations of PRE applications of napropamide (Nap) and POST applications of mesotrione (Mes) in newly planted and 1-yr-old cranberry vines, six 2-yr experiments were conducted during 2009-2012. Three sites were treated in the year of planting plus the subsequent year (called “new plantings”) and three sites were treated in their second year of growth plus the subsequent year (called “second-year plantings”). Ten treatments, delivered in 3,735 L ha-1 water, were administered each year: Nap at 3.36 kg ai ha-1 applied once, twice, thrice or once followed by (fb) one application of Mes at 210 g ai ha-1; Nap at 5.04 kg ha-1applied once, twice or once fb one application of Mes at 210 g ha-1; Mes at 210 g ha-1 applied once or twice; and nontreated. At new planting sites, plots receiving treatments other than a single Nap application had less total weed biomass compared to nontreated plots. At second-year plantings, all herbicide-treated plots had less total weed biomass than nontreated plots; in addition, plots receiving Mes-only treatments had less total weed biomass than Nap-only treatments. Correlation analysis indicated that monocot biomass production was the primary positive predictor for total weed biomass. Herbicides did not adversely affect cranberry biomass production but overall vine colonization was poor for four of the six sites indicating that other factors, including cultivar choice, planting method, and water management, may play a larger role in rapid cranberry vine colonization than the suppression of initial weed biomass. Given the complementary range of efficacy for Nap and Mes, a combination PRE-POST herbicide program of a low rate of Nap fb Mes may be the most cost-beneficial program in many instances. If cost is a limiting factor, applying a single application of Mes to a new planting should be included as a component of cranberry bed establishment since this practice consistently resulted in significantly less initial weed biomass compared to areas left nontreated.Nomenclature: Mesotrione; napropamide; cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton.
TRANSIENT CORTICAL BLINDNESS DUE TO CONTRAST-INDUCED NEUROTOXICITY AFTER CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION

Cortical blindness is a rare complication of cardiac catheterization and may be due to contrast-induced neurotoxicity (CIN). Risk factors include high doses of contrast media and impaired renal function. A 45-year-old female with hypertension, chronic kidney disease and diabetes presented with
Compound Transgenics: Recombinase-Mediated Gene Stacking

Genetic engineering technologies have advanced to a point where imagination and resources are the only limitations. As genetic engineering projects have become more elaborate, a need to genetically link multiple transgenes has become apparent. In other words, it has become logistically and economically important to ensure that multiple transgenes are inherited together. This chapter describes strategies and methods to facilitate sequential stacking of transgenes within a single locus, using swine as the target model. In the described strategy, transgenes are sequentially linked to a gene-targeting event. This strategy requires the use of a bacterial recombination signal sequence that resides in the target genome. In this example, the recombination signal is positioned within a locus that has been disrupted by homologous recombination. Additional transgenes can be added to the same genomic location through the use of a site-specific phage integrase. This strategy can be easily adapted to random insertion sites or randomly trapped loci.
Case Study Approach

In this chapter, the discussion shifts from EBED’s foundations, definition, process, policies, and evaluations toward a practice-based setting to offer the reader a more detailed account of EBED through examples. Chapter 6 sets the stage for the case studies described in the following three chapters. This chapter reviews the criteria used to select the case studies and presents the range of case locations, approaches, energy types, economic development strategies, and policies.
Pursuit of Psychological Well-Being ( Ikigai ) and the Evolution of Self-Understanding in the Context of Caregiving in Japan

Using the Japanese concept of ikigai, which describes a certain state ofpsychological well-being, this study exploreshow Japanese family caregivers of elderlyparents with dementia pursue, maintain, orattempt to regain their psychologicalwell-being in the face of the hardship ofcaregiving. Using constant comparativemethodology, twenty-six Japanese women who werecaring for an elderly demented parent orparent-in-law were interviewed. Based on theanalysis of interview data, we defineikigai as certain life experiences and/or thepositive emotion felt through those experiencesthat allow the caregiver to judge her life asgood and meaningful, and to feel that it isworthwhile to continue living. Caregivers usevarious different means to pursue theirikigai depending on the context of care. Thetypes of their pursuit of ikigai areexamined in varying contexts of caregiving.Because the data suggest that ikigaiexperience influences how the caregivers'self-understanding changes over time, thenotion of ikigai is further explored inrelation to the construct of self-understanding.
Modeling of electron transport in nanoribbon devices using Bloch waves

One-dimensional (1D) materials present the ultimate limit of extremely scaled devices by virtue of their spatial dimensions and the excellent electrostatic gate control in the transistors based on these materials. Among 1D materials, graphene nanoribbon (a-GNR) prove to be very promising due to high carrier mobility and the prospect of reproducible fabrication process [1]. Two popular approaches to study atomistically the electronic properties expand the wavefunction on either a plane-wave basis set, or through the linear combination of localized atomic orbitals. The use of localized orbitals, especially in the tight-binding (TB) approximation, enables highly scalable numerical implementations. Through continuous improvements in methods and computational capabilities, atomistically describing electronic transport in devices containing more than thousands of atoms has become feasible. Plane waves, while not as scalable, are very popular as the basis of accurate ab-initio software [2]. However, for modeling of transport through larger devices, the computational burden prohibits the direct use of a plane wave basis [3]. Here, we demonstrate a study of the transport characteristics of nanoribbon-based devices using a hybrid approach that combines the benefits of plane waves while retaining the efficiency provided by the TB approximation.