Aortic Stenosis: Evaluation with Multidetector CT Angiography and MR Imaging

Aortic valvular stenosis (AS) is the most common valve disease which results in the need for a valve replacement. Although a Doppler echocardiography is the current reference imaging method, the multidetector computerized tomograpghy (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have recently emerged as a promising method for noninvasive valve imaging. In this study, we briefly describe the usefulness and comparative merits of the MDCT and MRI for the evaluation of AS in terms of valvular morphology (as the causes of AS), quantification of aortic valve area, pressure gradient of flow (for assessment severity of AS), and the evaluation of the ascending aorta and cardiac function (as the secondary effects of AS). The familiarity with the MDCT and MRI features of AS is considered to be helpful for the accurate diagnosis and proper management of patients with a poor acoustic window

A global perspective on soil science education at third educational level; knowledge, practice, skills and challenges

The pivotal role of soil as a resource is not fully appreciated by the general public. Improving education in soil science represents a challenge in a world where soil resources are under serious threat. Today’s high school students, the world’s future landowners, agriculturalists, and decision makers, have the potential to change society’s apathy towards soils issues. This research aimed to compare the level of soil education in high and/or secondary schools in forty-three countries worldwide, together comprising 62% of the world's population. Comparisons were made between soil science content discussed in educationally appropriate textbooks via a newly proposed soil information coefficient (SIC). Interviews with teachers were undertaken to better understand how soil science education is implemented in the classroom. Statistical analyses were investigated using clustering. Results showed that gaps in soil science education were most commonly observed in countries where soil science is a non-compulsory or optional subject. Soil science concepts are predominantly a part of geography or environmental science curricula. Consequently, considerable variability in soil science education systems among investigated countries exists. Soil information coefficient‘s outcomes demonstrated that a methodological approach combining textbooks and the use of modern digitally based strategies in the educational process significantly improved soil education performances. Overall, soil science education is under-represented in schools worldwide. Dynamic new approaches are needed to improve pivotal issues such as: i) promoting collaborations and agreements between high school and universities; ii) encouraging workshops and practical exercises such as field activities; and, iii) implementing technology tools. This, in turn, will prepare the next generation to contribute meaningfully towards solving present and future soil problems

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Preface

Purpose: Journal of Soils and Sediments publishes the main outcomes of SUITMA 9 Conference in its Special Issue. SUITMA (Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic, Mining and Military Areas) working group organizes conferences biannually all over the world. The ninth conference organized in Moscow in May 2017 involved more than 215 speakers from 25 countries, whose presentations focused on challenges and opportunities of urbanization for soil functions and ecosystem services. Materials and methods: The main outcomes of SUITMA 9 were analyzed in comparison to the previous SUIMTA conferences and the main topics were distinguished. Manuscripts accepted for publishing in the Special Issue were reviewed and presented. Results and discussion: Comparison of the topics highlighted in different special issues highlighted the evolution of the SUITMA studies from fundamental morphological descriptions and classifications to applied studies on soil engineering, assessment of SUITMA functions and ecosystem services. Conclusions: The manuscripts accepted to the Special Issue covered included various case studies of SUITMA ecosystem services (e.g. global and local climate regulation, biodiversity maintenance and improvement, nutrients balance and recreation) and disservices (e.g. pollution by heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur). The increasing role of SUITMA studies for urban management and decision making was concluded

Activities of SUITMA: from origin to future

The science of Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic, Mining and Military Areas (SUITMAs) is an interdisciplinary branch of investigation within the general topic of soil science. It has its origin in several fields such as soil survey, pollution and health impacts, green infrastructure, storm and sewage drainage, and urban planning (Burghardt et al., 2015). As soil science in comparison to other scientific disciplines is relatively young, and the acknowledgment of the science of SUITMAS is even younger. In the mid-1980s, more and more soil scientists started to work in urban areas worldwide. During the 16th World Congress of Soil Science(16 WCSS), the International WG Urban Soils – Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic and Mining Areas (WG SU/SUITMA) of the ISSS was founded at August 20th, 1998 in Montpellier France. WG SUITMA recently established website: https://sites.google.com/site/wgsuitma/. It will be a platform to share knowledge about technogenic and anthropogenic soils and to exchange important information about it. It also will be a place of intercommunication and establishment of cooperation and to promote knowledge about SUITMAs as well

Next Generation Sequencing in Predicting Gene Function in Podophyllotoxin Biosynthesis

Background: Biosynthetic pathways to structurally complex plant medicinals are incomplete or unknown. Results: Next generation sequencing/bioinformatics and metabolomics analysis of Podophyllum tissues gave putative unknown genes in podophyllotoxin biosynthesis. Conclusion: Regio-specific methylenedioxy bridge-forming CyP450s were identified catalyzing pluviatolide formation. Significance: Database of several medicinal plant transcriptome assemblies and metabolic profiling are made available for scientific community. Podophyllum species are sources of (−)-podophyllotoxin, an aryltetralin lignan used for semi-synthesis of various powerful and extensively employed cancer-treating drugs. Its biosynthetic pathway, however, remains largely unknown, with the last unequivocally demonstrated intermediate being (−)-matairesinol. Herein, massively parallel sequencing of Podophyllum hexandrum and Podophyllum peltatum transcriptomes and subsequent bioinformatics analyses of the corresponding assemblies were carried out. Validation of the assembly process was first achieved through confirmation of assembled sequences with those of various genes previously established as involved in podophyllotoxin biosynthesis as well as other candidate biosynthetic pathway genes. This contribution describes characterization of two of the latter, namely the cytochrome P450s, CYP719A23 from P. hexandrum and CYP719A24 from P. peltatum . Both enzymes were capable of converting (−)-matairesinol into (−)-pluviatolide by catalyzing methylenedioxy bridge formation and did not act on other possible substrates tested. Interestingly, the enzymes described herein were highly similar to methylenedioxy bridge-forming enzymes from alkaloid biosynthesis, whereas candidates more similar to lignan biosynthetic enzymes were catalytically inactive with the substrates employed. This overall strategy has thus enabled facile further identification of enzymes putatively involved in (−)-podophyllotoxin biosynthesis and underscores the deductive power of next generation sequencing and bioinformatics to probe and deduce medicinal plant biosynthetic pathways

Measurement of isomeric ratios for 89g,m-Zr, 91g,m-Mo, and 97g,m-Nb in the bremsstrahlung end-point energies of 16 and 45–70MeV

The independent isomeric yield ratios of Zr-89g,Zr-m from the Zr-nat(,xn) reactions and those of Mo-91g,Mo- m and Nb-97g,Nb-m from the Mo-nat(,x) reactions with the bremsstrahlung end-point energy of 45-70 MeV were determined by an off-line -ray spectrometric technique using the 100 MeV electron linac at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Korea. The isomeric yield ratios of Zr-89g,Zr-m and Nb-97g,Nb-m from the Zr-nat(, xn) and Mo-nat(,x) reactions at the bremsstrahlung end-point energy of 16MeV were also determined by the same technique using the 20MeV electron linac at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany. The measured isomeric yield ratios of Zr-89g,Zr-m, Mo-91g,Mo-m, and Nb-97g,Nb-m were compared with literature data to examine the role of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR). The isomeric yield ratios of the Zr-89g,Zr-m, Mo-91g,Mo-m, and Nb-97g,Nb-m from the above reactions were also calculated by using the computer code TALYS 1.6 and compared with the experimental data to examine the validity of the theoretical model for independent isomeric yield ratio calculations.1122sciescopu

Measurement of isomeric ratios for

The independent isomeric yield ratios of 89g,mZr from the natZr($\gamma$,xn) reactions and those of 91g, mMo and 97g,mNb from the natMo($\gamma$,x) reactions with the bremsstrahlung end-point energy of 45-70 MeV were determined by an off-line $\gamma$-ray spectrometric technique using the 100 MeV electron linac at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Korea. The isomeric yield ratios of 89g,mZr and 97g,mNb from the natZr($\gamma$, xn) and natMo($\gamma$,x) reactions at the bremsstrahlung end-point energy of 16MeV were also determined by the same technique using the 20MeV electron linac at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany. The measured isomeric yield ratios of 89g,mZr, 91g,mMo, and 97g,mNb were compared with literature data to examine the role of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR). The isomeric yield ratios of the 89g,mZr, 91g,mMo, and 97g,mNb from the above reactions were also calculated by using the computer code TALYS 1.6 and compared with the experimental data to examine the validity of the theoretical model for independent isomeric yield ratio calculations

Photo-neutron cross-section of

The spectrum-averaged cross-sections of natGd(γ, xn)159,153Gd reactions induced by the bremsstrahlung end-point energies of 12, 14, 16. 60, 65, and 70 MeV were measured by activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique using the 20 MeV electron linac (ELBE) at HZDR, Dresden, Germany, and 100 MeV electron linac at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Korea. The TALYS 1.9 code was also used to calculate the theoretical natGd(γ, xn)159,153Gd reaction cross-sections as a function of photon energy. The spectrum-averaged values at various end-point energies were calculated from the literature data as well as theoretical values based on the TALYS 1.9 code, which is for mono-energetic photons. They were found to be in good agreement with the flux-weighted values of the current experimental data. It was also observed that the experimental and theoretical cross-sections increase from the threshold values to a certain energy, at which point another reaction channel opens, indicating the role of excitation energy. Individual reaction cross-sections decrease after a certain value as bremsstrahlung energy increases due to the opening of other reactions, indicating energy shearing among the different reaction channels

Measurement of the flux-weighted cross-sections for the

The flux-weighted cross-sections of the natYb(γ, xn)175,169,167Yb reactions were measured at the bremsstrahlung end-point energies of 12, 14, 16, 60, 65, and 70 MeV by the activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique using the 20 MeV electron linac (ELBE) at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany, and 100 MeV electron linac at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), Korea. The natYb(γ, xn)175,169,167Yb reaction cross-sections as a function of photon energy were also calculated theoretically using the TALYS 1.9 code. The flux-weighted average values at different end-point energies were obtained from the literature as well as from the theoretical values reported in the TALYS library based on mono-energetic photons. They were compared with the flux-weighted values based on the present experimental data and were found to be in general agreement. It was also found that the experimental and theoretical cross-section data increased from the threshold values to a certain energy, where other reaction channels opened, which highlights the role of excitation energy. After a certain value, the individual reaction cross-sections decrease with an increase in bremsstrahlung energy owing to the opening of other reaction channels, which indicates the partitioning of energy in different reaction channels