In recent years, electrochemical precipitation has gained interest as an alternative method for the synthesis of various minerals, including struvite, from waste streams that can serve as an alternative fertilizer. St...In recent years, electrochemical precipitation has gained interest as an alternative method for the synthesis of various minerals, including struvite, from waste streams that can serve as an alternative fertilizer. Studies in lowland cultivations, specifically rice (Oryza sativa) under flood-irrigated conditions, evaluating struvite as a possible alternative phosphorus (P) fertilizer source have been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate rice response to electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST) compared to triple superphosphate (TSP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), a chemically precipitated struvite (CPST), and an unamended control (UC), grown under flooded-soil conditions in the greenhouse. Aboveground vegetative dry matter (DM) P concentration was greatest from the UC (0.18%) and was lowest from DAP (0.08%). Root DM Mg concentration was greatest from ECST (0.13%) and was lowest from TSP (0.10%). Grain yield was greatest from DAP (11.2 Mg•ha<sup>−1</sup>) and was lowest from the UC (4.0 Mg•ha<sup>−1</sup>). Grain N, P, K, and Mg uptake were consistently greatest from DAP and consistently lowest from the UC. Grain N concentration was 1.1 times greater from CPST than from ECST, while all other measured rice properties did not differ between the struvite-P sources. The many similar rice responses between struvite materials (ECST and CPST) and TSP and DAP demonstrate that struvite, particularly ECST, is a valid alternative fertilizer-P source for rice-production systems. Further studies should evaluate potential environmental implications (i.e., runoff water quality and greenhouse gas emissions) from struvite use that could affect agricultural sustainability.展开更多
中枢神经系统肿瘤领域的知识体系庞大,理论与技术不断进步。中枢神经系统肿瘤的临床诊治更是个大学问。2019年第11和12期以及2020年第2期,我在《中国现代神经疾病杂志》主持了3期“脑胶质瘤”专题,内容主要涵盖我国脑胶质瘤临床诊断与...中枢神经系统肿瘤领域的知识体系庞大,理论与技术不断进步。中枢神经系统肿瘤的临床诊治更是个大学问。2019年第11和12期以及2020年第2期,我在《中国现代神经疾病杂志》主持了3期“脑胶质瘤”专题,内容主要涵盖我国脑胶质瘤临床诊断与治疗指南/规范建设、中枢神经系统肿瘤病理分类进展、脑胶质瘤临床试验创新体系及临床疗效反应评价体系、脑胶质瘤侵袭迁移及免疫治疗研究、脑科学及脑功能研究等临床与转化问题。2020年第2期,我与著名神经病理学家Daniel J.Brat教授作为共同通讯作者在Glioma发表“A contemporary molecular view of diffuse gliomas with implications for diagnosis”。2020年第12期,我在《中华神经医学杂志》以“脑胶质瘤的临床诊治撷要”为题,评述当前恶性脑胶质瘤临床诊疗的现实问题。以专题组稿形式推动中枢神经系统肿瘤热点问题的讨论以及新理论和新技术的学习,尤其是在疫情之下,形式适宜、开卷有益。展开更多
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin-treated Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) virions in cultured Vero cells. Previous studies have indicated that curcum...The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin-treated Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) virions in cultured Vero cells. Previous studies have indicated that curcumin, a polyphenol extracted from the plant Curcuma longa, has demonstrated antiviral properties against a variety of viruses. After establishing the maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations of curcumin on Vero cells, HSV-1 and HSV-2 virions were treated with varying concentrations of curcumin. The effect on infectivity was determined by antiviral assays, using WST-1, plaque assays, adsorption and penetration assays. Treating HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses with curcumin, at a concentration of 30 μM, reduces the production of infectious HSV-1 and HSV-2 virions in cultured Vero cells by interfering with the adsorption process. These results support the potential of curcumin to be used as a therapeutic agent to reduce the transmission of HSV-1 and HSV-2.展开更多
This paper explores the use of soft decision trees [1] in basic reinforcement applications to examine the efficacy of using passive-expert like networks for optimal Q-Value learning on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)...This paper explores the use of soft decision trees [1] in basic reinforcement applications to examine the efficacy of using passive-expert like networks for optimal Q-Value learning on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The soft decision tree networks were built using the PyTorch machine learning and the OpenAi’s Gym environment frameworks. The conducted research study aimed at assessing the performance of soft decision tree networks on Cartpole as provided in the OpenAi Gym software package. The baseline performance metric that the soft decision tree networks were compared against was a simple Deep Neural Network using several linear layers with ReLU and Softmax activation functions for the input and output layers, respectively. All networks were trained using the Backpropagation algorithm provided generically by PyTorch’sAutograd module.展开更多
Background: In Tanzania elders are respected as repositories of inherited wisdom, experienced and principal decision makers in the community. However, evidence shows that such repositories are no longer considered imp...Background: In Tanzania elders are respected as repositories of inherited wisdom, experienced and principal decision makers in the community. However, evidence shows that such repositories are no longer considered important in most societies. As a result elders are neglected with some mistreatment in terms of provision of health and social services for instance;at times they get denied and ignored of their obvious rights, ignoring their retirement benefits and the rights onto free social services as per the Tanzania National Ageing Policy of 2003. Elders are therefore faced with physical, psychological and geriatric social suffering. It is on this basis that this study tries to explore the common preventable health and social problems encountered by elderly in Shinyanga Region in northern part of Tanzania. Methods: Across sectional community based study of 465 subjects randomly selected was done in three wards of Kahama District. The district was selected randomly out of 8 districts of Shinyanga Region, structured questionnaires with both closed and opened endower used;the information was collected from house to house and other information collected from health facilities within the wards as every ward had one public health facility;subjects (respondents) were obtained using purposive sampling technique aiming at elderly with 60 years of age and above. Results: Kahama district has a population of approximately 36,014 of which 1500 (4%) are in the elderly age group of 60 years and above. The study population was 465 which is 30% (465/1500) of the geriatric population of Kahama. Among this group 5% were female while 41% were male and 53% (248/465) were married. 64% (297/465) were taking care of themselves, 32% (150/465) cared by relatives and 4% (18/465) cared by the community. Among the respondents, 40% (185/465) were affected by HIV/AIDs in one way or another either living with orphans whose parents died of HIV/AIDS or asking care of the infected patients within the family. It was also found that 73% of the geria展开更多
Thermal denaturation and stability of two commercially available preparations of Human Serum Albumin (HSA), differing in their advertised level of purity, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). ...Thermal denaturation and stability of two commercially available preparations of Human Serum Albumin (HSA), differing in their advertised level of purity, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These protein samples were 99% pure HSA (termed HSA<sub>99</sub>) and 96% pure HSA (termed HSA<sub>96</sub>). According to the supplier, the 3% difference in purity between HSA<sub>96</sub> and HSA<sub>99</sub> is primarily attributed to the presence of globulins and fatty acids. Our primary aim was to investigate the utility of DSC in discerning changes in HSA that occur when the protein is specifically adducted, and determine how adduct formation manifests itself in HSA denaturation curves, or thermograms, measured by DSC. Effects of site specific covalent attachment of biotin (the adduct) on the thermodynamic stability of HSA were investigated. Each of the HSA preparations was modified by biotinylation targeting a single site, or multiple sites on the protein structure. Thermograms of both modified and unmodified HSA samples successfully demonstrated the ability of DSC to clearly discern the two HSA preparations and the presence or absence of covalent modifications. DSC thermogram analysis also provided thermodynamic characterization of the different HSA samples of the study, which provided insight into how the two forms of HSA respond to covalent modification with biotin. Consistent with published studies [1] HSA<sub>96</sub>, the preparation with contaminants that contain globulins and fatty acids seems to be comprised of two forms, HSA<sub>96-L</sub> and HSA<sub>96-H</sub>, with HSA<sub>96-L</sub> more stable than HSA<sub>99</sub>. The effect of multisite biotinylation is to stabilize HSA<sub>96-L</sub> and destabilize HSA<sub>96-H</sub>. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that the binding of ligands comprising the fatty acid and globulin-like contaminant contributes approximately 6.7 kcal/mol to the stability HSA<sub>96-L</sub>.展开更多
This paper discusses the development and implementation of an evacuation demand forecasting module that was incorporated into a comprehensive decision support system for the planning and management of contraflow opera...This paper discusses the development and implementation of an evacuation demand forecasting module that was incorporated into a comprehensive decision support system for the planning and management of contraflow operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Contraflow implies the reversing of one direction of a highway in order to permit a substantially increased travel demand exiting away from an area impacted by a natural disaster or any other type of catastrophic event. Correctly estimating the evacuation demand originated from such a catastrophic event is critical to a successful contraflow implementation. One problem faced by transportation officials is the arranging of the different stages of this complex traffic procedure. Both the prompt deployment of resources and personnel as well as the duration of the actual contraflow affect the overall effectiveness, safety and cost of the evacuation event. During this project, researchers from the University of Alabama developed an integral decision support system for contraflow evacuation planning to assist the Alabama Department of Transportation Maintenance Bureau in the evaluation and planning of contraflow operations oriented to mitigate the evacuation burdens of a hurricane event. This paper focuses on the design of the demand forecasting module of such a decision support system.展开更多
Thermal properties, as well as the dynamic mechanical behavior of recycled polypropylene composites with vegetal leaves contents, were studied by thermal analysis techniques: TG/DTG, DTA, and DMA. Composites made of p...Thermal properties, as well as the dynamic mechanical behavior of recycled polypropylene composites with vegetal leaves contents, were studied by thermal analysis techniques: TG/DTG, DTA, and DMA. Composites made of polypropylene recycled with 1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% ww?1 vegetal leaves were prepared using the melt blending technique. The results revealed that the viscoelastic properties were influenced by fiber content;however, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composite did not show significant changes to the fiber content. In the end, the composite with 5% of palm leaves and PP recycled presented the most promising results since this one kept the solid characteristic on the dynamic mechanical properties. This work presents an environmental friendly alternative to manage natural waste, also being a form of reducing polymeric materials waste.展开更多
文摘In recent years, electrochemical precipitation has gained interest as an alternative method for the synthesis of various minerals, including struvite, from waste streams that can serve as an alternative fertilizer. Studies in lowland cultivations, specifically rice (Oryza sativa) under flood-irrigated conditions, evaluating struvite as a possible alternative phosphorus (P) fertilizer source have been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate rice response to electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST) compared to triple superphosphate (TSP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), a chemically precipitated struvite (CPST), and an unamended control (UC), grown under flooded-soil conditions in the greenhouse. Aboveground vegetative dry matter (DM) P concentration was greatest from the UC (0.18%) and was lowest from DAP (0.08%). Root DM Mg concentration was greatest from ECST (0.13%) and was lowest from TSP (0.10%). Grain yield was greatest from DAP (11.2 Mg•ha<sup>−1</sup>) and was lowest from the UC (4.0 Mg•ha<sup>−1</sup>). Grain N, P, K, and Mg uptake were consistently greatest from DAP and consistently lowest from the UC. Grain N concentration was 1.1 times greater from CPST than from ECST, while all other measured rice properties did not differ between the struvite-P sources. The many similar rice responses between struvite materials (ECST and CPST) and TSP and DAP demonstrate that struvite, particularly ECST, is a valid alternative fertilizer-P source for rice-production systems. Further studies should evaluate potential environmental implications (i.e., runoff water quality and greenhouse gas emissions) from struvite use that could affect agricultural sustainability.
文摘中枢神经系统肿瘤领域的知识体系庞大,理论与技术不断进步。中枢神经系统肿瘤的临床诊治更是个大学问。2019年第11和12期以及2020年第2期,我在《中国现代神经疾病杂志》主持了3期“脑胶质瘤”专题,内容主要涵盖我国脑胶质瘤临床诊断与治疗指南/规范建设、中枢神经系统肿瘤病理分类进展、脑胶质瘤临床试验创新体系及临床疗效反应评价体系、脑胶质瘤侵袭迁移及免疫治疗研究、脑科学及脑功能研究等临床与转化问题。2020年第2期,我与著名神经病理学家Daniel J.Brat教授作为共同通讯作者在Glioma发表“A contemporary molecular view of diffuse gliomas with implications for diagnosis”。2020年第12期,我在《中华神经医学杂志》以“脑胶质瘤的临床诊治撷要”为题,评述当前恶性脑胶质瘤临床诊疗的现实问题。以专题组稿形式推动中枢神经系统肿瘤热点问题的讨论以及新理论和新技术的学习,尤其是在疫情之下,形式适宜、开卷有益。
文摘The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin-treated Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) virions in cultured Vero cells. Previous studies have indicated that curcumin, a polyphenol extracted from the plant Curcuma longa, has demonstrated antiviral properties against a variety of viruses. After establishing the maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations of curcumin on Vero cells, HSV-1 and HSV-2 virions were treated with varying concentrations of curcumin. The effect on infectivity was determined by antiviral assays, using WST-1, plaque assays, adsorption and penetration assays. Treating HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses with curcumin, at a concentration of 30 μM, reduces the production of infectious HSV-1 and HSV-2 virions in cultured Vero cells by interfering with the adsorption process. These results support the potential of curcumin to be used as a therapeutic agent to reduce the transmission of HSV-1 and HSV-2.
文摘This paper explores the use of soft decision trees [1] in basic reinforcement applications to examine the efficacy of using passive-expert like networks for optimal Q-Value learning on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The soft decision tree networks were built using the PyTorch machine learning and the OpenAi’s Gym environment frameworks. The conducted research study aimed at assessing the performance of soft decision tree networks on Cartpole as provided in the OpenAi Gym software package. The baseline performance metric that the soft decision tree networks were compared against was a simple Deep Neural Network using several linear layers with ReLU and Softmax activation functions for the input and output layers, respectively. All networks were trained using the Backpropagation algorithm provided generically by PyTorch’sAutograd module.
文摘Background: In Tanzania elders are respected as repositories of inherited wisdom, experienced and principal decision makers in the community. However, evidence shows that such repositories are no longer considered important in most societies. As a result elders are neglected with some mistreatment in terms of provision of health and social services for instance;at times they get denied and ignored of their obvious rights, ignoring their retirement benefits and the rights onto free social services as per the Tanzania National Ageing Policy of 2003. Elders are therefore faced with physical, psychological and geriatric social suffering. It is on this basis that this study tries to explore the common preventable health and social problems encountered by elderly in Shinyanga Region in northern part of Tanzania. Methods: Across sectional community based study of 465 subjects randomly selected was done in three wards of Kahama District. The district was selected randomly out of 8 districts of Shinyanga Region, structured questionnaires with both closed and opened endower used;the information was collected from house to house and other information collected from health facilities within the wards as every ward had one public health facility;subjects (respondents) were obtained using purposive sampling technique aiming at elderly with 60 years of age and above. Results: Kahama district has a population of approximately 36,014 of which 1500 (4%) are in the elderly age group of 60 years and above. The study population was 465 which is 30% (465/1500) of the geriatric population of Kahama. Among this group 5% were female while 41% were male and 53% (248/465) were married. 64% (297/465) were taking care of themselves, 32% (150/465) cared by relatives and 4% (18/465) cared by the community. Among the respondents, 40% (185/465) were affected by HIV/AIDs in one way or another either living with orphans whose parents died of HIV/AIDS or asking care of the infected patients within the family. It was also found that 73% of the geria
文摘Thermal denaturation and stability of two commercially available preparations of Human Serum Albumin (HSA), differing in their advertised level of purity, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These protein samples were 99% pure HSA (termed HSA<sub>99</sub>) and 96% pure HSA (termed HSA<sub>96</sub>). According to the supplier, the 3% difference in purity between HSA<sub>96</sub> and HSA<sub>99</sub> is primarily attributed to the presence of globulins and fatty acids. Our primary aim was to investigate the utility of DSC in discerning changes in HSA that occur when the protein is specifically adducted, and determine how adduct formation manifests itself in HSA denaturation curves, or thermograms, measured by DSC. Effects of site specific covalent attachment of biotin (the adduct) on the thermodynamic stability of HSA were investigated. Each of the HSA preparations was modified by biotinylation targeting a single site, or multiple sites on the protein structure. Thermograms of both modified and unmodified HSA samples successfully demonstrated the ability of DSC to clearly discern the two HSA preparations and the presence or absence of covalent modifications. DSC thermogram analysis also provided thermodynamic characterization of the different HSA samples of the study, which provided insight into how the two forms of HSA respond to covalent modification with biotin. Consistent with published studies [1] HSA<sub>96</sub>, the preparation with contaminants that contain globulins and fatty acids seems to be comprised of two forms, HSA<sub>96-L</sub> and HSA<sub>96-H</sub>, with HSA<sub>96-L</sub> more stable than HSA<sub>99</sub>. The effect of multisite biotinylation is to stabilize HSA<sub>96-L</sub> and destabilize HSA<sub>96-H</sub>. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that the binding of ligands comprising the fatty acid and globulin-like contaminant contributes approximately 6.7 kcal/mol to the stability HSA<sub>96-L</sub>.
文摘This paper discusses the development and implementation of an evacuation demand forecasting module that was incorporated into a comprehensive decision support system for the planning and management of contraflow operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Contraflow implies the reversing of one direction of a highway in order to permit a substantially increased travel demand exiting away from an area impacted by a natural disaster or any other type of catastrophic event. Correctly estimating the evacuation demand originated from such a catastrophic event is critical to a successful contraflow implementation. One problem faced by transportation officials is the arranging of the different stages of this complex traffic procedure. Both the prompt deployment of resources and personnel as well as the duration of the actual contraflow affect the overall effectiveness, safety and cost of the evacuation event. During this project, researchers from the University of Alabama developed an integral decision support system for contraflow evacuation planning to assist the Alabama Department of Transportation Maintenance Bureau in the evaluation and planning of contraflow operations oriented to mitigate the evacuation burdens of a hurricane event. This paper focuses on the design of the demand forecasting module of such a decision support system.
文摘Thermal properties, as well as the dynamic mechanical behavior of recycled polypropylene composites with vegetal leaves contents, were studied by thermal analysis techniques: TG/DTG, DTA, and DMA. Composites made of polypropylene recycled with 1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% ww?1 vegetal leaves were prepared using the melt blending technique. The results revealed that the viscoelastic properties were influenced by fiber content;however, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composite did not show significant changes to the fiber content. In the end, the composite with 5% of palm leaves and PP recycled presented the most promising results since this one kept the solid characteristic on the dynamic mechanical properties. This work presents an environmental friendly alternative to manage natural waste, also being a form of reducing polymeric materials waste.
