Onward and Upward: The Legacy of Black Urologists in America

In partnership with the American Urological Association\u27s William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History, Henry Ford Health hosted a Grand Rounds event from 7 – 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 14, in the Buerki Auditorium at Henry Ford Hospital. The event highlights the contributions of Black urologists to the history of medicine despite systemic racism in the medical field and across the country. Covering the impact of exclusion and segregation in the past, as well as present day issues such as microaggressions and cultural insensitivity, the lecture and discussion calls for a future of successfully integrating medicine to achieve better outcomes for physicians and their patients. The schedule of the event is as follows: 7 a.m.: Welcome by Craig Rogers, M.D., Chair, Department of Urology, Vattikuti Urology Institute. Introductory remarks by Adnan Munkarah, M.D., President, Care Delivery System and Chief Clinical Officer and Steven Kalkanis, M.D., CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group and CEO of Henry Ford Hospital. 7:10 a.m.: Keynote speaker Arthur L. Burnett II, M.D., MBA., FACS., professor of urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will present “Onward and Upward: The Legacy of Black Urologists in America. 7:30 a.m.: Panel discussion moderated by Linda McIntire, M.D., President, R. Frank Jones Urological Society, and graduate of Henry Ford urology program, featuring the panelists listed below. Melvin Hollowell, M.D., FACS Dr. Hollowell earned his medical degree in 1959 and has practiced in Detroit for 64 years. At 93 years young, he is still practicing today. Isaac Powell, M.D. Dr. Powell graduated with his medical degree in 1969 and became the first African American graduate from the Henry Ford Hospital urology program in 1974. Conrad Maitland, M.D. Dr. Maitland has been practicing for 40 years and is himself a survivor of prostate cancer - a disease that disproportionately affects Black men. Ray Littleton, M.D. Dr. Littleton joined the senior staff at Henry Ford Hospital in 1980 and helped pioneer minimally invasive surgery by performing the first percutaneous kidney stone removal in Michigan in 1983

Models based on the Mitscherlich equation for describing typical and atypical gas production profiles obtained from in vitro digestibility studies using equine faecal inoculum

Two models are proposed to describe atypical biphasic gas production profiles obtained from in vitro digestibility studies. The models are extensions of the standard Mitscherlich equation, comprising either two Mitscherlich terms or one Mitscherlich and one linear term. Two models that describe typical monophasic gas production curves, the standard Mitscherlich and the France model [a generalised Mitscherlich (root-t) equation], were assessed for comparison. Models were fitted to 25 gas production profiles resulting from incubating feedstuffs with faecal inocula from equines. Seventeen profiles displayed atypical biphasic patterns while the other eight displayed typical monophasic patterns. Models were evaluated using statistical measures of goodness-of-fit and by analysis of residuals. Good agreement was found between observed atypical profiles values and fitted values obtained with the two biphasic models, and both can revert to a simple Mitscherlich allowing them to describe typical monophasic profiles. The models contain kinetic fermentation parameters that can be used in conjunction with substrate degradability information and digesta passage rate to calculate extent of substrate degradation in the rumen or hindgut. Thus, models link the in vitro gas production technique to nutrient supply in the animal by providing information relating to digestion and nutritive value of feedstuffs

How old are the Mojave topographic dunes? The implications of new luminescence dating analyses from the Cady Mountains, Mojave Desert, southwest USA

The aeolian landforms of the Mojave Desert in the SW USA have been studied in detail over the last three decades, particularly in terms of their relationship to the region's topography and Pleistocene climate / sediment supply histories, as well as wider developments, such as the aeolian “sediment state” concept. In this context, the evolution of the Mojave River and its associated palaeolakes is thought to have been a key control on long-term sediment supply to aeolian systems, and luminescence dating chronologies for a range of (resulting) aeolian landforms have been related to these hydrological changes. Here we argue that at least some of these aeolian chronologies need to be re-assessed. We focus on luminescence chronologies for aeolian landforms within and marginal to the Cady Mountains, a mountain block adjacent to the Mojave River and palaeolake Manix, east of Barstow, California. We demonstrate that quartz in this locale exhibits several malign luminescence properties, and that low temperature K-feldspar infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) consistently exhibits high anomalous fading rates. Both contribute to age underestimation. We address these issues via post-infrared IRSL (pIRIR) and post-isothermal post-IR (pIt-IR) analyses of K-feldspars. The resulting ages span the last ~120 ka and imply phases of aeolian activity of a substantially greater antiquity than previously inferred. Notably, at one well-studied site – the Soldier Mountain sand ramp – the new ages suggest a landform dating not to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 1 or 2, as previously suggested, but more likely to MIS 5. The Cady Mountain record indicates that the only period of the last glacial cycle lacking evidence for aeolian sedimentation is ~40–9 ka, broadly consistent with expectations of increased regional humidity. These results also suggest that site topographic context may influence the age structure of aeolian deposits. In this instance, sand ramps consistently represent the oldest type of deposit (range ~ 40–120 ka), while early-mid Holocene dune accumulation is associated with sandsheets and valley-fill sands. Based on these findings, we argue that there is a need to critically re-assess the existing regional luminescence age database, and that there is potential to significantly revise our understanding of the region's aeolian system responses, and associated paleoenvironmental interpretations

Cooperation and Self-Regulation in a Model of Agents Playing Different Games

A simple model for cooperation between "selfish" agents, which play an extended version of the Prisoner's Dilemma(PD) game, in which they use arbitrary payoffs, is presented and studied. A continuous variable, representing the probability of cooperation, $p_k(t) \in$ [0,1], is assigned to each agent $k$ at time $t$. At each time step $t$ a pair of agents, chosen at random, interact by playing the game. The players update their $p_k(t)$ using a criteria based on the comparison of their utilities with the simplest estimate for expected income. The agents have no memory and use strategies not based on direct reciprocity nor 'tags'. Depending on the payoff matrix, the systems self-organizes - after a transient - into stationary states characterized by their average probability of cooperation $\bar{p}_{eq}$ and average equilibrium per-capita-income $\bar{p}_{eq},\bar{U}_\infty$. It turns out that the model exhibit some results that contradict the intuition. In particular, some games which - {\it a priory}- seems to favor defection most, may produce a relatively high degree of cooperation. Conversely, other games, which one would bet that lead to maximum cooperation, indeed are not the optimal for producing cooperation.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, keybords: Complex adaptive systems, Agent-based models, Social system

An illustrative analysis of atypical gas production profiles obtained from in vitro digestibility studies using fecal inoculum

14 páginas, 2 tablas, 6 figuras.Gas production profiles typically show a monotonically increasing monophasic pattern. However, atypical gas production profiles exist whereby at least two consecutive phases of gas production or additional extraneous features that distort the typical profile are present. Such profiles are more likely to occur with the use of a fecal inoculum and are much less well described. The presence of multiple phases or non-descript extraneous features makes it difficult to apply directly recommended modeling approaches such as standard response functions or classical growth functions. To overcome such difficulties, extensions of the Mitscherlich equation and a numerical modeling option also based on the Mitscherlich are explored. The numerical modeling option uses an estimate of relative rate obtained from the smoothed data profile and an estimate of maximum gas produced together with any lag time information drawn from the raw data to construct a simple Mitscherlich equation. In summary, this article illustrates the analysis of atypical gas production profiles obtained using a fecal inoculum and explores the methodology of numerical modeling to reconstruct equivalent typical growth-like trends.This research was funded in part by The Canada Research Chairs program, grant number 045867 (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ottawa)

Haplotyping the human leukocyte antigen system from single chromosomes

We describe a method for determining the parental HLA haplotypes of a single individual without recourse to conventional segregation genetics. Blood samples were cultured to identify and sort chromosome 6 by bivariate flow cytometry. Single chromosome 6 amplification products were confirmed with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and verified by deep sequencing to enable assignment of both alleles at the HLA loci, defining the two haplotypes. This study exemplifies a rapid and efficient method of haplotyping that can be applied to any chromosome pair, or indeed all chromosome pairs, using a single sorting operation. The method represents a cost-effective approach to complete phasing of SNPs, which will facilitate a deeper understanding of the links between SNPs, gene regulation and protein function

Power, norms and institutional change in the European Union: the protection of the free movement of goods

How do institutions of the European Union change? Using an institutionalist approach, this article highlights the interplay between power, cognitive limits, and the normative order that underpins institutional settings and assesses their impact upon the process of institutional change. Empirical evidence from recent attempts to reinforce the protection of the free movement of goods in the EU suggests that, under conditions of uncertainty, actors with ambiguous preferences assess attempts at institutional change on the basis of the historically defined normative order which holds a given institutional structure together. Hence, path dependent and incremental change occurs even when more ambitious and functionally superior proposals are on offer

Long-term stress-strain response of chalk:a micro-mechanical interpretation

A long-term laboratory test programme of conventional compression and extension tests was carried out with test durations from 8 to 22-months, in a purpose built environmentally controlled facility, with specially designed loading frames and modified triaxial cells. In addition, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques were employed in an effort to investigate the micro-mechanical res-ponse. Creep strains appeared to trigger an ageing process that produces elevated post-creep strength and stiffness irrespective of the ap-plied stress path

The Ovarian Cancer Chemokine Landscape Is Conducive to Homing of Vaccine-Primed and CD3/CD28-Costimulated T Cells Prepared for Adoptive Therapy.

PURPOSE: Chemokines are implicated in T-cell trafficking. We mapped the chemokine landscape in advanced stage ovarian cancer and characterized the expression of cognate receptors in autologous dendritic cell (DC)-vaccine primed T cells in the context of cell-based immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The expression of all known human chemokines in patients with primary ovarian cancer was analyzed on two independent microarray datasets and validated on tissue microarray. Peripheral blood T cells from five HLA-A2 patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, who previously received autologous tumor DC vaccine, underwent CD3/CD28 costimulation and expansion ex vivo. Tumor-specific T cells were identified by HER2/neu pentamer staining and were evaluated for the expression and functionality of chemokine receptors important for homing to ovarian cancer. RESULTS: The chemokine landscape of ovarian cancer is heterogeneous with high expression of known lymphocyte-recruiting chemokines (CCL2, CCL4, and CCL5) in tumors with intraepithelial T cells, whereas CXCL10, CXCL12, and CXCL16 are expressed quasi-universally, including in tumors lacking tumor-infiltrating T cells. DC-vaccine primed T cells were found to express the cognate receptors for the above chemokines. Ex vivo CD3/CD28 costimulation and expansion of vaccine-primed Tcells upregulated CXCR3 and CXCR4, and enhanced their migration toward universally expressed chemokines in ovarian cancer. CONCLUSIONS: DC-primed tumor-specific T cells are armed with the appropriate receptors to migrate toward universal ovarian cancer chemokines, and these receptors are further upregulated by ex vivo CD3/CD28 costimulation, which render T cells more fit for migrating toward these chemokines. Clin Cancer Res; 21(12); 2840-50. ©2015 AACR

Constructing a virtual Tower of Babel: a case study in cross-cultural collaboration across three continents

The collaboration project described in this paper revolves around the construction of a virtual Tower of Babel in a 3D Collaborative Virtual Environment (3D CVE). It involved students across three cooperating institutions, on three different continents in different time zones. It addresses the increasing need for students to engage in international collaboration, as much of today's Information and Communication Technology work demands it. This requires cross-cultural understandings with one's co-collaborators, yet there are few opportunities for this to occur in a pedagogical setting. Therefore, this paper discusses a pedagogically-oriented case study of the use of a 3D CVE as a multi-cultural classroom, describing and discussing different phases in the cross-cultural collaborative process