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Applications of machine learning (ML) in atmospheric science have been rapidly growing. To facilitate the development of ML models for tropical cyclone (TC) research, this binary dataset contains a specific customization of the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/final analysis (FNL) data, in which key environmental conditions relevant to TC formation are extracted for a range of lead times (0–72 hours) during 1999–2023. The dataset is designed as multi-channel images centered on TC formation locations, with a positive and negative directory structure that can be readily read from any ML applications or common data interface. With its standard structure, this dataset provides users with a unique opportunity to conduct ML application research on TC formation as well as related predictability at different forecast lead times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ocular inflammatory diseases, including scleritis and uveitis, have been widely treated with immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs) as a steroid-sparing approach. Such strategy includes conventional therapies (antimetabolites, alkylating agents, and calcineurin inhibitors) as well as biologic agents like adalimumab, infliximab, rituximab, and tocilizumab. Cyclophosphamide (CP) is an alkylating agent and mainly inhibits the functioning of both T and B cells. Though known to have potential adverse events, including bone marrow suppression, hemorrhagic cystitis, and sterility, CP has been shown to be efficacious, especially in recalcitrant cases and when used intravenous (IV) for a limited period. Main findings: We conducted a retrospective case-series to assess the safety and efficacy of CP therapy for patients with severe ocular inflammatory diseases who failed other IMTs. Medical records of 1295 patients who presented to the Uveitis Clinic at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford between 2017 and 2022 were reviewed. Seven patients (10 eyes) who received CP therapy for ocular inflammatory diseases with at least one year of follow-up were included. The mean age of the patients (4 males, 3 females) was 61.6 ± 14.9 (43.0–89.0) years. Clinical diagnoses included necrotizing scleritis (5 eyes), peripheral ulcerative keratitis (2 eyes), orbital pseudotumor (1 eye), HLA-B27 associated panuveitis and retinal vasculitis (2 eyes). Ocular disease was idiopathic in 3 patients, and was associated with rheumatoid arthritis, IgG-4 sclerosing disease, dermatomyositis, and ankylosing spondylitis in 1 patient each. All the patients had history of previous IMT use including methotrexate (5), mycophenolate mofetil (3), azathioprine (1), tacrolimus (1), adalimumab (2), infliximab (4), and rituximab (1). The mean follow-up time was 34.4 ± 11.0 (13–45) months, and mean duration of CP therapy was 11.9 ± 8.8 (5–28) months. Remission was achieved in 5 patients (71.4%). Four patients (57.1%) experienced transient leukopenia (white blood cell count < 4000/mL). Short conclusion: CP therapy can be considered a potentially effective and relatively safe therapeutic option for patients with severe ocular inflammatory diseases who failed other IMTs including biologics (TNFa and CD20 inhibitors). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new oleanane triterpenoid saponin was isolated from the seeds of Dimocarpus longan Lour. The structure of this compound was elucidated as 3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-xylopyranosyloleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1), named longanoside C. The structure was determined by means of HR-ESI-MS in positive mode and extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From biological organs to soft robotics, highly deformable materials are essential components of natural and engineered systems. These highly deformable materials can have heterogeneous material properties, and can experience heterogeneous deformations with or without underlying material heterogeneity. Many recent works have established that computational modeling approaches are well suited for understanding and predicting the consequences of material heterogeneity and for interpreting observed heterogeneous strain fields. In particular, there has been significant work toward developing inverse analysis approaches that can convert observed kinematic quantities (e.g., displacement, strain) to material properties and mechanical state. Despite the success of these approaches, they are not necessarily generalizable and often rely on tight control and knowledge of boundary conditions. Here, we will build on the recent advances (and ubiquity) of machine learning approaches to explore alternative approaches to detect patterns in heterogeneous material properties and mechanical behavior. Specifically, we will explore unsupervised learning approaches to clustering and ensemble clustering to identify heterogeneous regions. Overall, we find that these approaches are effective, yet limited in their abilities. Through this initial exploration (where all data and code are published alongside this manuscript), we set the stage for future studies that more specifically adapt these methods to mechanical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adinandra bockiana E. Pritz. ex Diels is a potential plant of the Adinandra genus that contains bioactive. This study presents the results of assembly and annotation of the chloroplast (cp) genome of A. bockiana, a comparison of it with Adinandra cp genomes of several other species, and proposed candidate DNA barcoding from the cp genome. The A. bockiana cp genome was reconstructed by raw reads from total DNA, assembling reads (each read is 150 bp in length) into contigs, and then the contigs were assembled again to sequence the complete cp genome. The A. bockiana cp genome is 156,284 bp in length and consists of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,693 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,411 bp, a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 26,090 bp each, 129 functional genes, 51 SSRs, and other 70 repeat structures. The functional genes of the A. bockiana cp genome contain 84 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. A comparative analysis of the A. bockiana cp genome with the rest of the public Adinandra genomes showed that the number of genes and their structure were highly conserved in the surveyed group. Based on complete cp genomes and matK and trnL sequences of some species of the Adinandra and other genera, molecular phylogenetic trees were established which show the genetic relationships of the species belonging to the Pentaphylacaceae family. Among the chloroplast genes of A. bockiana, the matK and trnL genes are better candidates for phylogenetic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) technologies generate multiple data types from biological samples, namely gene expression, physical distance between data points, and/or tissue morphology. Here we developed three computational-statistical algorithms that integrate all three data types to advance understanding of cellular processes. First, we present a spatial graph-based method, pseudo-time-space (PSTS), to model and uncover relationships between transcriptional states of cells across tissues undergoing dynamic change (e.g. neurodevelopment, brain injury and/or microglia activation, and cancer progression). We further developed a spatially-constrained two-level permutation (SCTP) test to study cell-cell interaction, finding highly interactive tissue regions across thousands of ligand-receptor pairs with markedly reduced false discovery rates. Finally, we present a spatial graph-based imputation method with neural network (stSME), to correct for technical noise/dropout and increase ST data coverage. Together, the algorithms that we developed, implemented in the comprehensive and fast stLearn software, allow for robust interrogation of biological processes within healthy and diseased tissues. The integration of spatial, imaging, and sequencing information enables the mapping of cellular dynamics within a tissue. Here, authors show three algorithms in stLearn software to accurately reveal spatial trajectory, detect cell-cell interactions, and impute missing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unresolved retinal fluid and high injection burden are major challenges for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Brolucizumab addresses these challenges by providing robust vision gains and superior fluid resolution, with the potential for longer treatment intervals. Brolucizumab has been associated with adverse events of retinal vasculitis and retinal vascular occlusion typically in the presence of intraocular inflammation (IOI). To define the incidence of the adverse events, Novartis convened an external safety review committee, which found a rate of 4.6% for definite or probable IOI, 3.3% for retinal vasculitis, and 2.1% for retinal vascular occlusion in the HAWK and HARRIER trials. Novartis also established a coalition to explore 4 areas regarding the adverse events: root cause, patient characterization, event mitigation and vigilance, and treatment protocols for the adverse events. Based on the coalition findings, a risk mitigation framework was developed. Prior to initiating treatment with brolucizumab, it is important to weigh the potential benefit against risk of adverse events and to consider patient risk factors such as prior history of IOI and/or retinal vascular occlusion. To mitigate the potential for IOI-related adverse events, it is important to conduct a thorough dilated eye examination before each injection and closely monitor patients throughout treatment. Patients should be educated on symptoms of IOI to monitor for. Brolucizumab should not be injected in the presence of active IOI. If an adverse event is identified, prompt and intensive treatment should be considered. Conclusion: Progress has been made in understanding how to mitigate IOI-related adverse events following treatment with brolucizumab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has had limited success (<30%) in treating metastatic recurrent Head and Neck Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas (OPSCCs). We postulate that spatial determinants in the tumor play a critical role in cancer therapy outcomes. Here, we describe the case of a male patient diagnosed with p16+ OPSCC and extensive lung metastatic disease who failed Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib therapies. Using advanced integrative spatial proteogenomic analysis on the patient's recurrent OPSCC tumors we demonstrate that: (i) unbiased tissue clustering based on spatial transcriptomics (ST) successfully detected tumor cells and enabled the investigation of phenotypic traits such as proliferation or drug-resistance genes in the tumor's leading-edge and core; (ii) spatial proteomic imagining used in conjunction with ST (SpiCi, Spatial Proteomics inferred Cell identification) can resolve the profiling of tumor infiltrating immune cells, (iii) ST data allows for the discovery and ranking of clinically relevant alternative medicines based on their interaction with their matching ligand-receptor. Importantly, when the spatial profiles of ICI pre- and post-failure OPSCC tumors were compared, they exhibited highly similar PD-1/PD-L1low and VEGFAhigh expression, suggesting that these new tumors were not the product of ICI resistance but rather of Lenvatinib dose reduction due to complications. Our work establishes a path for incorporating spatial-omics in clinical settings to facilitate treatment personalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro, ACE2 translocates to the nucleus to induce SARS-CoV-2 replication. Here, using digital spatial profiling of lung tissues from SARS-CoV-2-infected golden Syrian hamsters, we show that a specific and selective peptide inhibitor of nuclear ACE2 (NACE2i) inhibits viral replication two days after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, the peptide also prevents inflammation and macrophage infiltration, and increases NK cell infiltration in bronchioles. NACE2i treatment increases the levels of the active histone mark, H3K27ac, restores host translation in infected hamster bronchiolar cells, and leads to an enrichment in methylated ACE2 in hamster bronchioles and lung macrophages, a signature associated with virus protection. In addition, ACE2 methylation is increased in myeloid cells from vaccinated patients and associated with reduced SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expression in monocytes from individuals who have recovered from infection. This protective epigenetic scarring of ACE2 is associated with a reduced latent viral reservoir in monocytes/macrophages and enhanced immune protection against SARS-CoV-2. Nuclear ACE2 may represent a therapeutic target independent of the variant and strain of viruses that use the ACE2 receptor for host cell entry. The entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, translocates to the nucleus following infection with this virus. Here, the authors demonstrate that a peptide targeting the ACE2 nuclear localization signal promotes its methylation and abrogates viral replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Syrian hamsters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Diopsys® NOVA™ is a novel full-field electroretinography (ffERG) device that can make rapid measurements of retinal electrophysiologic function. Diagnosys® Espion 2™ is a clinical gold-standard ERG device. This study aimed to investigate whether light-adapted Diopsys® NOVA™ fixed-luminance flicker ffERG magnitude and implicit time (converted from phase) measurements correlate with light-adapted Diagnosys® Espion 2™ flicker ffERG amplitude and implicit time measurements, respectively. Methods: Twelve patients (22 eyes) with various retinal and uveitic diseases underwent light-adapted Diagnosys® Espion 2™ and Diopsys® NOVA™ fixed-luminance flicker testing. Diopsys® magnitude and implicit time (converted from phase) measurements were compared to Diagnosys® amplitude and implicit time measurements, and a Pearson correlation was used to evaluate any existing correlation. Groups were also compared using generalized estimating equations. Bland–Altman plots were utilized to determine agreement between the comparison groups. Results: Age of patients ranged from 14 to 87 years. 58% (n = 7/12) of patients were female. A significant, positive correlation (r = 0.880, P < 0.001) was observed between magnitude (Diopsys®) and amplitude (Diagnosys®) measurements. Amplitude increases by 6.69 µV for each 1 µV increase in Magnitude (p-value < 0.001). A statistically significant, strong positive correlation was observed between Diopsys® implicit time measurements (converted from phase) and Diagnosys® implicit time measurements (r = 0.814, p-value < 0.001). For each 1 ms increase in Diopsys® implicit time, Diagnosys® implicit time increases by 1.13 ms (p-value < 0.001). Conclusions: There is a statistically significant positive correlation between light-adapted Diopsys® NOVA™ fixed-luminance flicker amplitude and Diagnosys® flicker magnitude values. Additionally, there is a statistically significant positive correlation between Diopsys® NOVA™ fixed-luminance flicker implicit time (converted from phase) and Diagnosys® flicker implicit time values. These results imply that the Diopsys® NOVA™ module, which utilizes the nonstandard shortened International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) ERG protocol, can produce reliable light-adapted flicker ffERG measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycinemax dehydration–responsive element binding (GmDREB) protein is a group of transcription factors that regulate the expression of several downstream genes that respond to abiotic stresses. Among the Glycine max DREB subfamily genes, the role and relationship of GmDREB7 to functional genes that respond to abiotic stresses are also unknown. In this study, the GmDREB7 gene of G. max was analyzed for expression, determining the relationship with two functional genes, NtRD29A and NtSODFe, in Nicotiana tabacum under normal (non-treated) and saline stress conditions daily for 3 wk (NaCl-treated). The 35S-GmDREB7-c-MYC construct was generated and transformed to produce transgenic N. tabacum plants. Three GmDREB7 transgenic N. tabacum lines L27, L42, and L50 were analyzed for their expression at the transcriptional level. Under non-treated and NaCl-treated conditions, the transcript level of the GmDREB7 gene was strongly expressed in all three transformed lines and was strongest in the L42 line. Under non-treated conditions, the L42 line had the strongest GmDREB7 gene expression level, which was 6.88 times higher than that of the L27 line and 12.17 times higher than that of the L50 line. Under NaCl-treated conditions, it was 2.73 times higher than that of the L27 line and 2.53 times higher than that of the L50 line. The results of investigating the relationship between the GmDREB7 gene of G. max and some genes that respond to abiotic stress in N. tabacum plants showed that overexpression of the GmDREB7 gene under NaCl-treated conditions reduced the level of transcription of NtRD29A and NtSODFe. This result is a new finding representing a difference from other soybean DREB genes. Therefore, it is necessary to expand research to determine the regulatory role of the GmDREB7 gene and other abiotic stress response genes to serve as a basis for using the GmDREB7 gene as a candidate in a strategy to improve tolerance to abiotic stress in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hue Imperial City of Vietnam has a dense system of lakes and upgraded drainage infrastructure, but urban flooding still occurs and tends to increase. Hue Imperial City is a good area for studying the impact of lakes in reducing floods. The SCS-CN method was used to calculate the increase in surface flow, and the design capacity of reservoirs was based on TCVN 7957–2008 to demonstrate changes in the surface characteristics and siltation of the lakes. The study results showed that the lakes' characteristics vary significantly in an unfavorable direction for urban drainage, including the number of lakes, total lake area, lake capacity, interconnecting structure between lakes, and vegetation cover around lakes. In the southeast and southwest areas of the Imperial City, the number of lakes with significant changes in depth, flooding frequency, and duration was higher than in other areas of the region. About two-fifth of the lakes are regularly in a state of degradation. The effectiveness of using lakes for drainage, agricultural production, and tourism is not high. In the context of climate change and extreme rainfall, urban flooding in the Imperial City of Hue will be more severe if the function of lakes is not utilized correctly. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between changes in the characteristics of lakes and the urban flooding situation in Hue Imperial City. From there, the prioritized solution to reduce urban flooding in the area is to restore and protect the lakes and use them for regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel LiMn2O4 (LMO) has been recognized as one of the most competitive cathode candidates for lithium-ion batteries, ascribed to the environmentally benign and abundant source. Nevertheless, LMO suffers from rapid capacity fading, preventing its wider application. To effectively overcome this issue, this work focused on the surface modification of pristine LMO powder with ZnO and Al2O3 thin layers by the precipitation method, which dramatically reduced dissolution loss of active Mn and the notorious cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion during the charge–discharge process. In addition, the use of multiple additives [fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), succinonitrile (SN), and lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB)] in 1.5 M LiPF6 EC:EMC:DMC) (2:1:7,v/v/v) showed a collective impact on the enhanced long-cycling performance of the half-cell and full cell. It was revealed that ZnO-coated LMO (LMO@ZnO) and Al2O3-coated LMO (LMO@Al2O3) powder exhibited good crystallinity and maintained a stable crystal structure during cycling compared with pristine LMO. In the multi-additive-based electrolytes, the graphite || LMO@ZnO full cell exhibited initial discharge capacity of 117.2 mAh/g, with 86.69% capacity retention after 100 cycles at C/3, while the full-cell graphite || LMO@ZnO performance exhibited slightly lower capacity retention of 80.79% after 100 cycles. These results were attributed to the formation of the cathode–electrolyte interface (CEI) and the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers with low charge transfer resistance, leading to enhanced cycling performance and rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of the overwhelming use of next-generation sequencing technologies, microarray-based genotyping combined with the imputation of untyped variants remains a cost-effective means to interrogate genetic variations across the human genome. This technology is widely used in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) at bio-bank scales, and more recently, in polygenic score (PGS) analysis to predict and stratify disease risk. Over the last decade, human genotyping arrays have undergone a tremendous growth in both number and content making a comprehensive evaluation of their performances became more important. Here, we performed a comprehensive performance assessment for 23 available human genotyping arrays in 6 ancestry groups using diverse public and in-house datasets. The analyses focus on performance estimation of derived imputation (in terms of accuracy and coverage) and PGS (in terms of concordance to PGS estimated from whole-genome sequencing data) in three different traits and diseases. We found that the arrays with a higher number of SNPs are not necessarily the ones with higher imputation performance, but the arrays that are well-optimized for the targeted population could provide very good imputation performance. In addition, PGS estimated by imputed SNP array data is highly correlated to PGS estimated by whole-genome sequencing data in most cases. When optimal arrays are used, the correlations of PGS between two types of data are higher than 0.97, but interestingly, arrays with high density can result in lower PGS performance. Our results suggest the importance of properly selecting a suitable genotyping array for PGS applications. Finally, we developed a web tool that provides interactive analyses of tag SNP contents and imputation performance based on population and genomic regions of interest. This study would act as a practical guide for researchers to design their genotyping arrays-based studies. The tool is available at: https://genome.vinbigdata.org/tools/saa/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta is in the top ten areas affected by climate change. Therefore, assessing climate change impacts, social and economic activities require proposed solutions to respond to climate change. This study aims to (i) apply the MIKE 11 model (Hydrodynamic module and Advection–Dispersion module) to simulate the impacts of climate change scenarios on water resources in Can Tho city; (ii) calculate water balance in Can Tho city; and (iii) suggest climate change adaptation plan for sustainable social-economic activities of the city. The results show that when the rainfall changes due to climate change, the flow rate tends to decrease at high tide and increase at low tide. When the sea level rises due to climate change, the flow rate tends to increase at high tide and decrease at low tide. For 2030, the flow will decrease up to 15.6% and 14.3% at the low tide period for RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 compared to the present, respectively. The flow will increase up to 63.5% and 58.9% at the high tide period for RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 compared to the present, respectively. The water demand evaluation shows that the water resource reserve in Can Tho city meets water demands in current and future scenarios under climate change. While rainwater and groundwater can provide enough water in the rainy season, the city has to use surface water during the dry season due to a lack of rainwater. Of these, agriculture contributes the most water demands (85%). Eight adaptation measures to climate change for Can Tho city are developed from 2021 to 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioactive glasses 60SiO2·(36 – x)CaO·4P2O5·xZnO (x = 1, 3, 5 mol %) were prepared by the green synthesis based on the hydrothermal reaction of starting precursors at 160°C during 24 h. The uniqueness of this method is that it did not use any acid or base catalysts. Several physical-chemical methods such as BET, XRD, and SEM analysis were used for characterization of the synthetic glasses before and after in vitro experiment in SBF solution. The obtained result shows that the synthetic glasses 60SiO2·(36 – x)CaO·4P2O5·xZnO are amorphous materials and have mesoporous structures with pore size in range of 5.5–21.4 nm. The ZnO addition acted as an agent to change the properties of glass materials. The obtained bioactivity of synthetic glasses followed the order: sample x = 1 > sample x = 3 > sample x = 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The baseline data of radioactivity levels in food is one of the main factors for the assessment of resident's health risk. Gross beta and alpha activity was identified for selected commercial freshwater fish species, including 29 types of fish species by a gas-flow proportional detector. The samples were collected from wholesale markets in Hanoi city, Vietnam. The highest gross alpha activity was recorded in blotched snakehead, a pelagic and carnivorous species, and the lowest one was recorded in common carp, a demersal and omnivorous species. Meanwhile, the gross beta activity was much higher than the gross alpha activity with the highest value of gross beta, observed in Wels catfish, a demersal and carnivorous species, and the lowest one found in Mudskipper a demersal, herbivores species. Regarding feeding types, the gross alpha activity was observed in the order of Alcarnivores > Alomnivores > Alherbivores whereas the gross beta was non-distinction. In terms of living behavior, the gross alpha activity in pelagic species was much higher than that in demersal species (Alpelagic > > Aldemersal) and indifferent for gross beta. There was an insignificant relationship between the trophic level with gross beta and alpha activities in freshwater fish species. The calculated annual effective dose ​​ranged from 0.19 to 1.88 and 0.78 mSv.y−1 on average, being within the limited dose for the public as reported by UNSCEAR in which gross beta activity has a strong correlation with the total annual effective dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever virus (ASF) has circulated in Vietnam since 2018, causing significant losses to the pig industry. Quick, accurate diagnosis of African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection is crucial for controlling the disease. The detection of the virus in piglets with congenital tremors is described in this paper. ASFV was detected in brain tissues by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Classical swine fever virus, porcine parvovirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, and pseudorabies virus were not detected by PCR, suggesting that the ASFV was the cause of these neurological signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep-learning classification systems have the potential to improve cancer diagnosis. However, development of these computational approaches so far depends on prior pathological annotations and large training datasets. The manual annotation is low-resolution, time-consuming, highly variable and subject to observer variance. To address this issue, we developed a method, H&E Molecular neural network (HEMnet). HEMnet utilizes immunohistochemistry as an initial molecular label for cancer cells on a H&E image and trains a cancer classifier on the overlapping clinical histopathological images. Using this molecular transfer method, HEMnet successfully generated and labeled 21,939 tumor and 8782 normal tiles from ten whole-slide images for model training. After building the model, HEMnet accurately identified colorectal cancer regions, which achieved 0.84 and 0.73 of ROC AUC values compared to p53 staining and pathological annotations, respectively. Our validation study using histopathology images from TCGA samples accurately estimated tumor purity, which showed a significant correlation (regression coefficient of 0.8) with the estimation based on genomic sequencing data. Thus, HEMnet contributes to addressing two main challenges in cancer deep-learning analysis, namely the need to have a large number of images for training and the dependence on manual labeling by a pathologist. HEMnet also predicts cancer cells at a much higher resolution compared to manual histopathologic evaluation. Overall, our method provides a path towards a fully automated delineation of any type of tumor so long as there is a cancer-oriented molecular stain available for subsequent learning. Software, tutorials and interactive tools are available at:https://github.com/BiomedicalMachineLearning/HEMnet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the dynamics of fast two-beam collisions in linear bulk optical media with weak cubic loss in spatial dimension higher than 1. The cubic loss arises due to two-photon absorption. We first generalize the perturbation theory that was developed for analyzing two-pulse collisions in spatial dimension 1 to spatial dimension 2. We then use the generalized two-dimensional perturbation theory to show that the collision leads to a change in the beam shapes in the direction transverse to the relative velocity vector. Furthermore, we show that in the important case of a separable initial condition for both beams, the longitudinal part in the expression for the amplitude shift is universal, while the transverse part is not universal. The same behavior holds for collisions between pulsed optical beams in spatial dimension 3. We check these analytic predictions along with other predictions concerning the effects of anisotropy in the initial condition by extensive numerical simulations with the weakly perturbed linear propagation model. The agreement between the perturbation theory and the simulations is very good. Thus, our study extends and generalizes the results of previous works, which were limited to spatial dimension 1. The results are very useful for multiwavelength optical communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the universal soliton-like behavior of the amplitude shifts in fast two-pulse collisions in perturbed linear physical systems with weak nonlinear dissipation. The behavior is demonstrated for linear optical waveguides with weak cubic loss and for systems described by linear diffusion–advection models with weak quadratic loss. We show by a perturbative calculation that in both systems, the expressions for the collision-induced amplitude shifts due to nonlinear loss have the same form as the expression obtained for a fast collision between solitons of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the presence of weak cubic loss. Moreover, we show that the expressions for the amplitude shifts are universal in the sense that they are independent of the details of the initial pulse shapes. We check the analytic predictions by extensive numerical simulations with the two perturbed linear evolution models with four major types of initial pulses corresponding to pulses with exponentially decreasing tails, two types of pulses with power-law decreasing tails, and pulses that are initially nonsmooth. In all cases, we observe a very good agreement between analytic predictions and numerical simulations. Thus, our study significantly generalizes the results of previous studies, which were limited to the special case of Gaussian-pulse collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biorefineries from paddy residues (rice straw and rice husk) have a high potential to satisfy human society's need for sustainable fuel and chemical production. Biorefinery systems should be created in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner, accompanying the safe disposal of waste stream produced during processing. This study developed a pilot-scale biorefinery, whose bioethanol production from rice straw was an integrated recovery system for lignin, silica, and nutrient recovery. The recovery yield of silica and lignin from the black liquor of alkaline pretreatment was up to 96%, and the lignin purity reached 79% without the existence of carbohydrate fiber. After the recovery, the final liquid waste mainly contained inorganic matters and has a potential to be reused in the acidification step. The distillation residue was a nitrogen source for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation equivalent to corn steep liquor with the final ethanol concentration of 1.6 wt% in 160 h. The new process can be considered as a zero-waste biorefinery model. The material flow indicated that more valued products produced by the simple method increase the profits of this process. Also, the energy efficiency of the process was 0.53 that demonstrated the process's economy and sustainability. The proposed system was feasible to foster the sustainable integration of local agricultural development and biomass industry shortly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Changes in the production of Australian cotton lint are expected to have a direct environmental impact, as well as indirect impacts related to co-product substitution and induced changes in crop production. The environmental consequences of a 50% expansion or contraction in production were compared to Australian cotton production's current environmental footprint. Both were then assessed to investigate whether current impacts are suitable for predicting the environmental impact of a change in demand for cotton lint. Methods: A consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) model of Australian cotton lint production (cradle-to-gin gate) was developed using plausible scenarios regarding domestic regions and technologies affected by changes in supply, with both expansion (additional cotton) and contraction (less cotton) being modelled. Modelling accounted for direct impacts from cotton production and indirect impacts associated with changes to cotton production, including co-product substitution and changes to related crops at regional and global scales. Impact categories assessed included climate change, fossil energy demand, freshwater consumption, water stress, marine and freshwater eutrophication, land occupation and land-use change. Results and discussion: For both the expansion and contraction scenarios, the changes to climate change impacts (including iLUC) and water impacts were less than would be assumed from current production as determined using attributional LCA. However, the opposite was true for all other impact categories, indicating trade-offs across the impact categories. Climate change impacts under both scenarios were relatively minor because these were largely offset by iLUC. Similarly, under the contraction scenario, water impacts were dominated by indirect impacts associated with regional crops. A sensitivity analysis showed that the results were sufficiently robust to indicate the quantum of changes that could be expected. Conclusions: A complex array of changes in technologies, production regions and related crops were required to model the environmental impacts of a gross change in cotton production. Australian cotton lint production provides an example of legislation constraining the direct water impacts of production, leading to a contrast between impacts estimated by attributional and consequential LCA. This model demonstrated that indirect products and processes are important contributors to the environmental impacts of Australian cotton lint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For born global firms, which embark on a special internationalisation pathway and shift from a cohort of individuals to small effective ventures, microfoundations play a significant but underexplored role in building organisational capabilities. This conceptual paper aims to address this neglect and incorporates the microfoundational level resources as well as capturing the transformation of organisational level capabilities in this distinctive breed of firms that internationalise at or soon after inception. We propose an integrated model of born globals' accelerated internationalisation in which micro and macro-level learning mechanisms moderate the transformation of the initial endowment of resources and capabilities into a set of enhanced dynamic and operational capabilities leading to the final outcomes of accelerated internationalisation. The microfoundational resources are intensified by externalisation, synergistic mutation and aggregations processes at the organisation foundation stage, and then are reconfigured and enriched as firms develop and internationalise. Concluding remarks, contributions to the literature and implications for future research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: When patients are diagnosed with breast cancer, they are often interested to know as much about their disease as possible. At the same time, treating physicians want to determine prognosis and management. This article reviews imaging and pathology findings for the various invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Recent Findings: This review describes the spectrum of imaging and pathologic findings of IDC, including subtypes, to guide determining radiological-pathological concordance and next steps of management. Summary: While there are some imaging features highly suspicious for IDC, there is significant overlap with benign entities. This review focuses on the important differences between IDC subtypes and benign entities and when this affects management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livelihoods of ethnic minority populations living in the mountains of Northern Vietnam are highly vulnerable to climate-induced natural hazards. Therefore, the livelihoods of vulnerable ethnic minority populations in these areas could be improved through climate change adaptation measures. This study pursues an enhancement of three different aggregate indices such as Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI), Livelihood Vulnerability Index framed within the IPCC vulnerability framework (LVI-IPCC), and Livelihood Effect Index (LEI) to find out components contributing to the livelihood vulnerability of major ethnic minority populations in a case study of Mo Vang mountain (Yen Bai, Vietnam). A total of 120 Dzao and Hmong respondents from 11 villages are surveyed based on a combination of informal interviews, a questionnaire survey, and Focused Group Discussions (FGD). Twenty-nine sub-components belonging to 10 major components (socio-demographic profile, livelihood strategies, social networks, revenue, health, food, water, housing, land, and natural hazards and climate variability) are conducted to calculate LVI, LVI-IPCC, and LEI. The results show that the livelihood of Hmong populations is more vulnerable to climate change for natural conditions such as natural hazards and climate variability, housing, land, water, food, and health. However, the livelihood of Dzao populations is more vulnerable because of socio-economic conditions such as socio-demographic profile, livelihood strategies, revenue, and social networks. The results provide a scientific basis for both residents, local officials, and policy-makers prioritizing solutions to enhance livelihood capitals as well as to improve adaptive capacity to climate change in the mountains of Northern Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new cycloartane-type triterpenoid, named 24-epimarkhacanasin C (1), together with four known flavonoids, apigenin (2), luteolin (3), apigenin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), and luteolin 7-O-β-Dglucopyranoside (5), was isolated by various chromatographic methods from the ethyl acetate extract of Markhamia stipulata var. canaense leaves. Their structures were elucidated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, and NMR experiments. All compounds were reported for the first time from this species. Their cytotoxicities were evaluated against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) by SRB assay. The isolated compounds 1, 3, and 4 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity (IC50 ranged from 53.38 to 68.32 μg/mL), while compounds 2 and 5 did not show activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Garment production and use generate substantial environmental impacts, and the care and use are key determinants of cradle-to-grave impacts. The present study investigated the potential to reduce environmental impacts by applying best practices for garment care combined with increased garment use. A wool sweater is used as an example because wool garments have particular attributes that favour reduced environmental impacts in the use phase. Methods: A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare six plausible best and worst-case practice scenarios for use and care of a wool sweater, relative to current practices. These focussed on options available to consumers to reduce impacts, including reduced washing frequency, use of more efficient washing machines, reduced use of machine clothing dryers, garment reuse by multiple users, and increasing number of garment wears before disposal. A sixth scenario combined all options. Worst practices took the worst plausible alternative for each option investigated. Impacts were reported per wear in Western Europe for climate change, fossil energy demand, water stress and freshwater consumption. Results and discussion: Washing less frequently reduced impacts by between 4 and 20%, while using more efficient washing machines at capacity reduced impacts by 1 to 6%, depending on the impact category. Reduced use of machine dryer reduced impacts by < 5% across all indicators. Reusing garments by multiple users increased life span and reduced impacts by 25–28% across all indicators. Increasing wears from 109 to 400 per garment lifespan had the largest effect, decreasing impacts by 60% to 68% depending on the impact category. Best practice care, where garment use was maximised and care practices focussed on the minimum practical requirements, resulted in a ~ 75% reduction in impacts across all indicators. Unsurprisingly, worst-case scenarios increased impacts dramatically: using the garment once before disposal increased GHG impacts over 100 times. Conclusions: Wool sweaters have potential for long life and low environmental impact in use, but there are substantial differences between the best, current and worst-case scenarios. Detailed information about garment care and lifespans is needed to understand and reduce environmental impacts. Opportunities exist for consumers to rapidly and dramatically reduce these impacts. The fashion industry can facilitate this through garment design and marketing that promotes and enables long wear life and minimal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the amplitude dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) solitons in a fast collision described by the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with a saturable nonlinearity and weak nonlinear loss. We extend the perturbative technique for calculating the collision-induced dynamics of two one-dimensional (1D) solitons to derive the theoretical expression for the collision-induced amplitude dynamics in a fast collision of two 2D solitons. Our perturbative approach is based on two major steps. The first step is the standard adiabatic perturbation for the calculations on the energy balance of perturbed solitons, and the second step, which is the crucial one, is for the analysis of the collision-induced change in the envelope of the perturbed 2D soliton. Furthermore, we also present the dependence of the collision-induced amplitude shift on the angle of the two 2D colliding solitons. In addition, we show that the current perturbative technique can be simply applied to study the collision-induced amplitude shift in a fast collision of two perturbed 1D solitons. Our analytic calculations are confirmed by numerical simulations with the corresponding coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations in the presence of the cubic loss and in the presence of the quintic loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With age, hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) undergo changes in function, including reduced regenerative potential and loss of quiescence, which is accompanied by a significant expansion of the stem cell pool that can lead to haematological disorders. Elevated metabolic activity has been implicated in driving the HSC ageing phenotype. Here we show that nicotinamide riboside (NR), a form of vitamin B3, restores youthful metabolic capacity by modifying mitochondrial function in multiple ways including reduced expression of nuclear encoded metabolic pathway genes, damping of mitochondrial stress and a decrease in mitochondrial mass and network-size. Metabolic restoration is dependent on continuous NR supplementation and accompanied by a shift of the aged transcriptome towards the young HSC state, more youthful bone marrow cellular composition and an improved regenerative capacity in a transplant setting. Consequently, NR administration could support healthy ageing by re-establishing a more youthful hematopoietic system. Aged hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are characterised by reduced regenerative potential and a loss of quiescence. Here, the authors show nicotinamide riboside treatment shrinks the age-enlarged stem cell pool and shifts aged HSC functionally, metabolically and molecularly towards the young state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder associated with obstetrical complications, thrombotic complications involving both arteries and veins, and non-thrombotic manifestations affecting multiple other systems presenting in various clinical forms. Diagnosis requires the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. The exact pathogenesis of APS is not fully known. However, it has recently been shown that activation of different types of cells by antiphospholipid antibodies plays an important role in thrombosis formation. Ocular involvement is one of the important clinical manifestations of APS and can vary in presentations. Therefore, as an ophthalmologist, it is crucial to be familiar with the ocular findings of APS to prevent further complications that can develop. Furthermore, the ongoing identification of new and specific factors contributing to the pathogenesis of APS may provide new therapeutic options in the management of the disease in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to assess both anatomic and functional outcomes between short-pulse continuous wavelength and infrared micropulse lasers in the treatment of DME. This was a prospective interventional study from tertiary care eye hospital—King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Patients with center-involving diabetic macular edema were treated with subthreshold laser therapy. Patients in the micropulse group were treated with the 810-nm diode micropulse scanning laser TxCell (IRIDEX Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA) (subthreshold micropulse—STMP group). Laser was applied according to recommendations for MicroPulse (125 microns spot size, 300 ms pulse duration and power adjustment following barely visible testing burn) in a confluent mode (low intensity/high density) to the entire area of the macular edema. Patients in the short-pulse group were treated with grid pattern laser with 20 ms pulse PASCAL laser 532 nm (TopCon Medical Laser Systems, Tokyo, Japan) with EndPoint algorithm, which was either 30% or 50% of testing burn (EndPoint 30% and EndPoint 50% groups, respectively). Main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA in logMAR) and foveal thickness at baseline and the last follow-up visit at 6 months. There were 44 eyes in the micropulse group, 54 eyes in the EndPoint 50% group and 18 eyes in the EndPoint 30% group. BCVA for the whole cohort (logMAR) was 0.451 (Snellen equivalent 20/56) at baseline, 0.495 (Snellen equivalent 20/62) (p = 0.053) at 3 months, and 0.494 (Snellen equivalent 20/62) at the last follow-up (p = 0.052). Foveal thickness for the whole cohort was 378.2 ± 51.7 microns at baseline, 347.2 ± 61.3 microns (p = 0.002) at 3 months, and 346.0 ± 24.6 microns at the final follow-up (p = 0.027). As such the short-pulse system yields more temporary reduction in edema. Comparison of BCVA between baseline and 6 months for EndPoint 30%, EndPoint 50% and STMP groups was p = 0.88, p = 0.76 and p = 0.003, respectively. Comparison of foveal thickness between baseline and 6 months for EndPoint 30%, EndPoint 50% and STMP groups was p = 0.38, p = 0.22 and p = 0.14, respectively. We conclude that the infrared micropulse system seems to improve functional outcomes. When applied according to previously published reports, short-pulse system may yield more temporary reduction in edema while infrared micropulse system may yield slightly better functional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current article is a short review of an Alimera Sciences-sponsored symposium held during The 15th International Ocular Inflammation Society Congress in Taiwan on the 14th November 2019 entitled, 'Preventing relapse of non-infectious uveitis effecting the posterior segment of the eye – evaluating the 0.2 μg/day fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant.' Main text: The fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant was approved in Europe for the prevention of relapse in recurrent non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye and offers a systemic therapy-sparing treatment option by providing low daily dose of corticosteroid into the vitreous for up to 3 years. In the symposium, the presenters reported clinical outcomes from patients with non-infectious uveitis effecting the posterior segment of the eye to support the effectiveness and safety of the implant for up to 3 years in both randomised controlled trials and real-world practices. Conclusions: Data showed that over a 36 month period, treatment with the fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant was associated with significantly fewer episodes of uveitic recurrence, a significantly longer time to uveitic recurrence, greater improvement in visual acuity, a lower need for adjunctive therapy, and an acceptable safety profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Estimated population sizes of key populations are critical for resource allocation as well as for monitoring program performance to prevent HIV infection. In 2018, using official records we recruited and conducted a brief survey among People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) to estimate the population size of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Son La Province, Vietnam. Methods: In Son La, the authorities develop and maintain a master list of individuals who are suspected of using drugs. The list is updated quarterly and is used to monitor the drug use situation in the province. The list, however, does not distinguish injecting from non-injecting drug users. Individual lists from six districts, 24 communes, and 96 hamlets were selected from among those from 12 districts, 204 communes, and 3335 hamlets in the whole province. After reviewing the lists with the hamlet health workers, based on the length of the lists, a minimum of 20% of the total or five drug users in any hamlet with fewer than 25 PWUD were randomly selected for a brief assessment. In addition to basic demographics, the assessment included any drug use in the last 3 months, injection drug use in the last 3 months, and the last time injected. Results: A total of 250 PWUD were interviewed by hamlet health workers. The total number of PWID across all 12 districts in Son La was estimated at 4475 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3379–5570] and the corresponding proportion of PWID among PWUD was 48.4% (95% CI: 36.6–60.4). Conclusion: The exercise provided an estimated number of PWID in Son La. For planning HIV prevention and care service needs among PWID, additional studies using different methods are needed to validate and improve the population size of PWID in the province of Son La. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to inspect the interactions between an anti-breast cancer, TAM, with model of lipid membranes composed of either zwitterionic DPPC LUVs or anionic DPPG LUVs and how they depend on ionic strength and cholesterol. Methods: The Kp of TAM into DPPC and DPPG LUVs were determined at three different NaCl concentrations by second derivative UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The effect of cholesterol incorporated into these LUVs on TAM's Kp was also assessed. The ATR-FTIR measurements were carried out to verify structural changes within the acyl chain and head group regions of the liposomes upon TAM partitioning. Results: Increasing salt concentration produced negligible impact on the partitioning of TAM into DPPC bilayer as its Kp remained unaffected whilst induced outstanding reduction of TAM's Kp into DPPG liposomes. Furthermore, TAM was found to disorder the lipids' acyl chains, which could result in an increase in the membrane fluidity, a necessary piece of information to refer to when prescribing TAM dosage for administration. Additionally, cholesterol showed astoundingly opposite contribution to the partitioning of TAM into the LUVs, as its Kp value reduced in DPPC/Chol bilayer yet increased in DPPG/Chol liposomes. Conclusion: Ionic strength and cholesterol play a noteworthy role in regulation of TAM partitioning into lipid membranes as they could obstruct or promote such action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To correlate the findings of retinal function with multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), microperimetry (MP), and structural assessments with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in topographically corresponding areas of the macula of patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR). Methods: Patients diagnosed with BSCR by clinical and imaging findings were included in the study. The mfERG was performed using 61 hexagon stimulus patterns grouped into 5 rings (Diagnosys Inc., USA). Individual responses [N1-P1 amplitudes in nanovolt (NV)/degree2 and P1 implicit time in milliseconds (msec)] for each hexagon in the central 3 rings (R1, 0°–2.3°; R2,2.3°–7.7°; and R3, 7.7°–12°) were obtained (19 hexagons). MP examination consisted of Polar 3–12° test with 28 points in 3 concentric rings with diameters of approximately 2.3°, 6.6°, and 11.1° from the foveal center. SD-OCT was performed using macular scans of 20° × 20°. The retinal sensitivity values on MP and thickness values of retinal layers were correlated with the responses on the mfERG for each topographically correlated hexagon. Results: Sixteen eyes of eight patients were included in the study (mean age, 59.87 ± 10.01 years; range, 41–73 years). The amplitudes and the implicit times on mfERG and retinal sensitivities on MP were decreased for each of the 19 hexagons. Considering retinotopically matched points, there was correlation between the retinal sensitivities and mfERG implicit times and response amplitudes in all three rings. The thickness of the retinal pigment epithelium showed modest correlation with the mfERG parameters (ρ = 0.29; p = 0.04). The structural changes on SD-OCT, such as IS-OS disruption, were associated with changes in the mfERG trace arrays. Conclusions: The structural and functional assessments in retinae of eyes with BSCR suggest that each imaging tool may be capturing unique aspects of retinal dysfunction. Multimodal imaging may allow detailed analyses of retinal damage at various corresponding loci. These findings are important when considering the use of these techniques in BSCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean plants are sensitive to the effects of abiotic stress and belong to the group of crops that are less drought and salt tolerant. The identification of genes involved in mechanisms targeted to cope with water shortage is an essential and indispensable task for improving the drought and salt tolerance of soybean. One of the approaches for obtaining lines with increased tolerance is genetic modification. The dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREBs), belonging to the AP2 family, are trans-active transcription factors that bind to the cis-sequences of the promoter for activating the expression of the target genes that mediate drought and salt tolerant responses. In this study, the GmDREB6 transgene was introduced into DT84 cultivar soybean plants, using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The efficacy of GmDREB6 overexpression in enhancing the transcriptional level of GmP5CS and proline accumulation in genetically modified (GM) soybean plants was also assayed. The results demonstrated that ten GM soybean plants (T0 generation) were successfully generated from the transformed explants after selecting with kanamycin. Among these plantlets, the presence of the GmDREB6 transgene was confirmed in nine plants by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and eight plants showed positive results in Southern blot. In the T1 generation, four GM lines, labelled T1-2, T1-4, T1-7, and T1-10, expressed the recombinant GmDREB6 protein. In the T2 generation, the transcriptional levels of the GmP5CS gene were higher in the GM lines than in the non-transgenic plants, under normal conditions and also under conditions of salt stress and drought, ranging from 1.36 to 2.01 folds and 1.58 to 3.16 folds that of the non-transgenic plants, respectively. The proline content was higher in the four GM soybean lines, T2-2, T2-4, T2-7, and T2-10 than in the non-transgenic plants, ranging from 0.82 μmol/g to 4.03 μmol/g. The proline content was the highest in the GM T2-7 line (7.77 μmol/g). In GM soybean lines, T2-2, T2-4, T2-7, and T2-10 proline content increased after plants were subjected to salt stress for seven days, in comparison to that under normal conditions, and ranged from 247.83% to 300%, while that of the non-GM plants was 238.22%. These results suggested that GmDREB6 could act as a potential candidate for genetic engineering for improving tolerance to salt stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robot audition refers to a range of hearing capabilities which help robots explore and understand their environment. Among them, sound source localization is the problem of estimating the location of a sound source given measurements of its angle of arrival with respect to a microphone array mounted on the robot. In addition, robot motion can help quickly solve the front-back ambiguity existing in a linear microphone array. In this article, we focus on the problem of exploiting robot motion to improve the estimation of the location of an intermittent and possibly moving source in a noisy and reverberant environment. We first propose a robust extended mixture Kalman filtering framework for jointly estimating the source location and its activity over time. Building on this framework, we then propose a long-term robot motion planning algorithm based on Monte Carlo tree search to find an optimal robot trajectory according to two alternative criteria: the Shannon entropy or the standard deviation of the estimated belief on the source location. These criteria are integrated over time using a discount factor. Experimental results show the robustness of the proposed estimation framework to false angle of arrival measurements within ± 20 ∘ and 10% false source activity detection rate. The proposed robot motion planning technique achieves an average localization error 48.7% smaller than a one-step-ahead method. In addition, we compare the correlation between the estimation error and the two criteria, and investigate the effect of the discount factor on the performance of the proposed motion planning algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging HIV epidemic can be seen among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam. There are currently no evidence-based behavioral sexual risk reduction interventions for MSM in this setting. Between October 2012 and June 2013, 100 high-risk MSM from Ho Chi Minh City were enrolled in an open pilot trial to assess feasibility and acceptability of a group-based, manualized sexual risk reduction intervention, and to preliminarily examine changes in primary and secondary outcomes. Participants completed a behavioral assessment battery and HIV testing at baseline, 3, and 6 months post-baseline. Over 80.0 % of the sample was <25 years old and 77.0 % identified as Bong kin ("hidden," masculine-appearing). Feasibility and acceptability of the program was evidenced by 87.0 % retention for the intervention sessions, 78.0 % completion of the 6 month assessment, and positive responses on evaluation forms and qualitative exit interviews. There was a decline in the number of condomless anal sex acts from baseline (6.32) to 3 month (2.06) and 6 month (2.49) follow-up (p < .0001). These data support the need for further testing of this group-based, behavioral HIV prevention intervention to reduce sexual risk behavior among MSM in Vietnam in a randomized controlled efficacy trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestication fundamentally reshaped animal morphology, physiology and behaviour, offering the opportunity to investigate the molecular processes driving evolutionary change. Here we assess sheep domestication and artificial selection by comparing genome sequence from 43 modern breeds (Ovis aries) and their Asian mouflon ancestor (O. orientalis) to identify selection sweeps. Next, we provide a comparative functional annotation of the sheep genome, validated using experimental ChIP-Seq of sheep tissue. Using these annotations, we evaluate the impact of selection and domestication on regulatory sequences and find that sweeps are significantly enriched for protein coding genes, proximal regulatory elements of genes and genome features associated with active transcription. Finally, we find individual sites displaying strong allele frequency divergence are enriched for the same regulatory features. Our data demonstrate that remodelling of gene expression is likely to have been one of the evolutionary forces that drove phenotypic diversification of this common livestock species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the phylogeny, population structure, and demographic history of Scolopsis taenioptera in the western Pacific Ocean. Using the 80 samples collected from four locations, we obtained the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b genes. We identified two distinct lineages showing a clear phylogeographic break that was possibly due to the Pleistocene sea-level change. One lineage was distributed in Iloilo (Philippines) and the other in Terengganu (Malaysia), Rayong (Thailand), and Ha Long Bay (Vietnam). The Terengganu and Rayong populations showed clear signs of demographic expansion; the Iloilo and Ha Long Bay populations were relatively stable or spatially expanded as geographically subdivided populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]