Aqueous Behaviour of Chitosan

Chitosan, a versatile biopolymer, finds numerous applications in textile processing unit operations such as preparation, dyeing, printing, and finishing. However, the accessibility of this biopolymer by the textile material depends on the viscosity of its solution which in turn is a function of its molecular weight. In this work, therefore, the effect of molecular weight, storage life, presence of electrolyte, and particle size of chitosan on its viscosity was investigated. Chitosan of different molecular weights was synthesized by nitrous acid hydrolysis of parent chitosan solution. The synthesized low molecular weight products were analysed by FTIR spectroscopy. Chitosan of nanoconfiguration was prepared by Ionotropic gelation method and characterized by particle size analyzer. The viscosity of different chitosan solutions was determined using Ubbelohde capillary viscometer. As an extension to this study, the chelation property of chitosan was also evaluated

Water Quality Impacts of Naturals Riparian Grasses Part 2: Modeling Effects of Channelization on Sediment Trapping

A methodology is developed to determine expected sediment trapping in riparian vegetative filter strips considering channelization of flow. The framework consists of defining the channel network stochastically, with deposition/detachment in each channel being modeled deterministically. The two approaches were then combined to develop a model which could predict expected trapping efficiencies for vegetative filters under known field conditions. The model was then extended to include conditions such as rainfall on the filter so as to make it applicable to generic field situations. Field and laboratory studies were conducted to collect and estimate data to develop and evaluate the model. sediment concentrations were measured for natural vegetative filters located on a slope of 8.7%, subjected to inflows from upslope bare soil plots. Surface elevations were measured for the filter. Flow networks and channel shapes were defined by applying the digital elevation model to the micro-relief data. Actual distributions and standard fitted distributions for channel flows and channel shapes were developed. Model evaluation was done for selected values of Manning\u27s n to give predicted filter trapping efficiencies within 2% of the observed, indicating model validity. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the general model and the fitted probability distributions

Design and Test of a Deployable Radiation Cover for the REgolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer

The REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) instrument contains a one-time deployable radiation cover that is opened using a shape memory alloy actuator (a "Frangibolt") from TiNi Aerospace and two torsion springs. The door will be held closed by the bolt for several years in cold storage during travel to the target asteroid, Bennu, and it is imperative to gain confidence that the door will open at predicted operational temperatures. This paper briefly covers the main design features of the radiation cover and measures taken to mitigate risks to cover deployment. As the chosen FD04 model Frangibolt actuator has minimal flight heritage, the main focus of this paper is the testing, results and conclusions with the FD04 while discussing key lessons learned with respect to the use of the FD04 actuator in this application

Isolated Ocular Manifestation of Relapsed Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Presenting as Myeloid Blast Crisis in a Patient on Imatinib Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Blast phase in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has rarely been reported to involve extramedullary sites like skin, lymph nodes, and central nervous system. Clinical history, characteristic hematologic findings (elevated leukocyte counts, myelocytic predominance, and basophilia), and Philadelphia chromosome are of high diagnostic significance especially in isolated extramedullary presentations. We describe a unique case of CML relapse with blast phase involving the eye. A 66-year-old man with a known diagnosis of CML on imatinib and in molecular remission for 3 years presented with a painful blind eye. Histologic examination revealed diffuse involvement of choroid, iris, vitreous humor, and the optic nerve by blast cells. The blasts expressed CD34, aberrant TdT, and a myeloid phenotype (CD13, CD33, and CD117). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of vitreous fluid detected BCR-ABL1 gene rearrangement. Additionally, trisomy 8 and gains of 9 and 22 were seen which were not present in the initial diagnostic marrow study 3 years ago. At relapse, the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and the cerebrospinal fluid were not involved by CML. Patient received induction chemotherapy and single dose prophylactic intrathecal methotrexate and was maintained on antityrosine kinase therapy and eventually underwent allogenic stem cell transplantation

Modeling the Expected Performance of the REgolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS)

OSIRIS-REx is the third spacecraft in the NASA New Frontiers Program and is planned for launch in 2016. OSIRIS-REx will orbit the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, characterize it, and return a sample of the asteroid's regolith back to Earth. The Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) is an instrument on OSIRIS-REx designed and built by students at MIT and Harvard. The purpose of REXIS is to collect and image sun-induced fluorescent X-rays emitted by Bennu, thereby providing spectroscopic information related to the elemental makeup of the asteroid regolith and the distribution of features over its surface. Telescopic reflectance spectra suggest a CI or CM chondrite analog meteorite class for Bennu, where this primitive nature strongly motivates its study. A number of factors, however, will influence the generation, measurement, and interpretation of the X-ray spectra measured by REXIS. These include: the compositional nature and heterogeneity of Bennu, the time-variable Solar state, X-ray detector characteristics, and geometric parameters for the observations. In this paper, we will explore how these variables influence the precision to which REXIS can measure Bennu's surface composition. By modeling the aforementioned factors, we place bounds on the expected performance of REXIS and its ability to ultimately place Bennu in an analog meteorite class.Comment: Presented at the SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference, 18 August 2014, San Diego, C

Deep Reinforcement Learning for Action Based Object Tracking in Video Sequences

In this paper, we propose a valuable route for visual object tracker which catches a bounding box to zone of premium physically in the video frames by recognizing the activity got the hang of utilizing the convolution neural systems. The proposed convolution neural network used to control tracking actions is done with various training video sequences and fine-tuned during the actual tracking of the object. Pretrain of the video is done using deep reinforcement learning (RL) along with the supervised learning. Mostly named information from the RL can be utilized for semi supervised learning and assessing through object tracking benchmark dataset, the proposed tracker is confirmed to accomplish a good performance. The proposed method, which operates in real time on without graphics processing unit, outperforms the state of real time trackers with proper accuracy with performance 10%

Impact of Riparian Grass Filter Strips on Surface-Water Quality

The effectiveness of natural riparian grass filter strips in removing sediment and agricultural chemicals from surface runoff was studied using no-tillage and conventional-tillage erosion plots. Runoff from the tillage plots was directed onto 4.57, 9.14, and 13.72 m (15, 30, and 45 ft.) length filter strips, where the inflow and outflow concentrations and sediment size distributions were measured. Trapping efficiencies for sediment and agricultural chemicals typically ranged near or above 90 percent, mainly because of high infiltration rates. The filters also significantly reduced peak discharge concentrations, which reduced the impact of sediment and agricultural chemicals on receiving surface waters

Water Quality Impacts of Natural Riparian Grasses Part 1: Empirical Studies

Studies were conducted on the effectiveness of natural riparian grass buffer strips in removing sediment and ag chemicals from surface runoff. No till and conventional tillage erosion plots served as the sediment and chemical source area. Runoff from the plots was directed onto 15, 30, and 45 foot filter strips where the inflow and outflow concentrations and sediment size distributions. Trapping percentages for sediment and ag chemicals typically ranged near or above 90%. An evaluation was made of the distribution of trapped chemicals among infiltrated mass and mass stored in the surface layer and on plant surfaces. The analysis showed that most of the chemicals were trapped by infiltration onto the soil matrix

Aurora-A and Polo-Like Kinases are Important Diagnostic and Therapeutic Markers in Hodgkin Lymphoma and Mimics

Background: Aurora-A (AA) and Polo-like kinases (PLK) are mitotic kinases that regulate the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. It has been demonstrated that AA acts as an upstream regulator of PLK, mediating its phosphorylation in the presence of a cofactor named Bora. PLK is activated by AA to promote checkpoint recovery in mitosis. AA and PLK are implicated in the tumorigenesis of solid tumors, and, recently, in B- and T-cell non Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). They play a key role in tumor proliferation and disease progression in highly aggressive B-cell NHL. They also serve as indicators of disease activity and are thus attractive potential therapeutic targets. Expression of AA and/or PLK has not yet been assessed in Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (CHL) and its mimics. This study assesses AA and PLK expression in different CHL types, such as nodular sclerosis type, mixed cellularity type, and lymphocyte rich type, and their mimics: nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL).Design:We assessed 27 CHL cases, 16 NLPHL cases, and 8 PMBL cases for AA and PLK expression by immunohistochemistry. CHL cases included the following: 8 mixed cellularity CHL, 1 lymphocyte rich CHL, and 18 nodular sclerosis CHL. A mouse monoclonal AA-antibody (1:1000 dilution, Abcam, UK) and a PLK-antibody (1:500 dilution, Cell Signaling Technologies, USA) were used. Each case was semi-quantitatively graded for percentage of positive cells (\u3c50% vs. \u3e50%), for staining intensity (1-3+), and for localization (nuclear vs. cytoplasmic). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed independently by 2 pathologists (KMH and KVI). Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher\u27s exact test.Results:AA was expressed in 100% of CHL and NLPHL cases. AA stained predominantly cytoplasm of tumor cells in both NLPHL and CHL. PLK was expressed in 100% of NLPHL and 96% of CHL cases (1 mixed cellularity type CHL did not stain for PLK). PLK showed both nuclear and cytoplasmic staining for both NLPHL and CHL. In contrast, only 37% of PMBL cases were positive for AA and PLK (Table 1). In the CHL group, cases with more than 50% of tumor cells expressing PLK tended to present with higher stage and extranodal disease. In the NLPHL group, PLK correlated with higher stage (III-IV) disease at presentation (p=0.044). No statistically significant differences were found in either intensity or localization of AA or PLK within or between NLPHL and CHL cohorts.Aurora-A PositiveAurora-A NegativePLK PositivePLK NegativeClassic Hodgkin Lymphoma270261Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma160160Primary Mediastinal B-cell Lymphoma3535Table 1. AA and PLK positivity in CHL, NLPHL, and PMBL.AA was expressed in CHL but not PMBL (p=0.0002)PLK was expressed in CHL but not PMBL (p=0.0009)AA was expressed in NLPHL but not PMBL (p=0.0013)PLK was expressed in NLPHL but not PMBL (p=0.0013). Conclusion: AA and PLK are commonly expressed in CHL and NLPHL but not in PMBL. Thus, they are useful markers in the distinction of CHL or NLPHL from PMBL. PLK is a useful marker for the prognostication of NLPHL. AA and PLK are attractive potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of CHL and NLPHL. Additional studies are underway to characterize an array of hematopoietic lesions known to overlap with CHL.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2019clinres/1027/thumbnail.jp