Symbolic representation of iterated maps

This paper presents a general and systematic discussion of various symbolic representations of iterated maps through subshifts. We give a unified model for all continuous maps on a metric space, by representing a map through a general subshift over usually an uncountable alphabet. It is shown that at most the second order representation is enough for a continuous map. In particular, it is shown that the dynamics of one-dimensional continuous maps to a great extent can be transformed to the study of subshift structure of a general symbolic dynamics system. By introducing distillations, partial representations of some general continuous maps are obtained. Finally, partitions and representations of a class of discontinuous maps, piecewise continuous maps are discussed, and as examples, a representation of the Gauss map via a full shift over a countable alphabet and representations of interval exchange transformations as subshifts of infinite type are given

Evapotranspiration and its components over a rainfed spring maize cropland under plastic film on the Loess Plateau, China

Aim of study: To determine seasonal variations in evapotranspiration (ET) and its components; and ascertain the key factors controlling ET and its components in a rainfed spring maize field under plastic film.Area of study: Shouyang County in Shanxi Province on the eastern Loess Plateau, ChinaMaterial and methods: Eddy covariance system combined with micro-lysimeters and meteorological observing instruments were used in the field. The manual method was used to measure the green leaf area index (GLAI) during the growing season.Main results: In 2015 and 2016, the growing season ET accounted for 80% and 79% of annual ET, respectively. Soil evaporation (E) accounted for 36% and 33% of the growing season ET in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The daily crop coefficient increased with increasing GLAI until a threshold of ~3 m2 m−2 in the canopy-increasing stage, and decreased linearly with decreasing GLAI in the canopy-decreasing stage. At equivalent GLAI, daily basal crop coefficient and soil water evaporation coefficient were generally higher in the canopy-increasing and -decreasing stages, respectively. During the growing season, the most important factor controlling daily ET, T, and E was net radiation (Rn), followed by GLAI for daily ET and T, and soil water content at 10-cm depth for daily E; during the non-growing season, daily ET was mainly controlled by Rn.Research highlights: The daily crop coefficient and its components reacted differently to GLAI in the canopy-increasing and -decreasing stages

Aptamer photoregulation in vivo

The in vivo application of aptamers as therapeutics could be improved by enhancing target-specific accumulation while minimizing off-target uptake. We designed a light-triggered system that permits spatiotemporal regulation of aptamer activity in vitro and in vivo. Cell binding by the aptamer was prevented by hybridizing the aptamer to a photo-labile complementary oligonucleotide. Upon irradiation at the tumor site, the aptamer was liberated, leading to prolonged intratumoral retention. The relative distribution of the aptamer to the liver and kidney was also significantly decreased, compared to that of the free aptamer.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM073626

A Uniform Device Information Access for Context-Aware Middleware

This paper presents a middleware for building context-aware applications. One of the main components, Device Information Access (DIA), is discussed in detail. Since many kinds of devices (e.g., RFID, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.) can be used to collect the context information, the middleware defines the Device Information Access component to communicate with different devices. A set of interfaces are devised in DIA, and the common functions such as getting and setting a data element are defined in the interfaces. For each device, we shall provide an implementation of the interfaces to communicate with the corresponding servers or software agents. DIA can communicate with the software agents or servers using various protocols such as RMI, Web Services, and REST. In this way the access to the hardware are encapsulated by the middleware and virtualized to the end-point App ications. The architecture of the middleware and the functions of DIA are discussed, and an empirical application is also developed to validate our design. ? 2010 IEEE.EI

Graphite Equivalent Evaluation of Anthracite-Associated Graphite by Raman Spectroscopy

Anthracite-associated graphite is an important graphite resource with a wide range of applications besides being used as a fuel. This paper introduces a method for evaluating the graphite equivalent evaluation of anthracite-associated graphite. A series of graphite-anthracite standard samples with known graphite content were prepared, and their Raman spectra were obtained using a Raman spectrometer. By employing peak-fitting analysis to decipher the peak spectrum information of the D peak and G peak, trends in the peak position, peak intensity ratio, half-width, and peak area of the D peak and G peak in standard samples with different graphite contents were obtained. Subsequently, a standard curve and fitting equation were established using the peak area data. The goodness of fit for the equation (R2 ) was 0.9984. Then the equation was used to evaluate 100 natural anthracite-associated graphite samples with unknown graphite content, obtaining a corresponding graphite equivalent evaluation

Monitoring Level Fluctuations of the Lakes in the Yangtze River Basin from Radar Altimetry

Water level variations in four natural lakes, Poyang, Dongting, Tai, and Chao, within the Yangtze River basin are studied using ENVISAT GDRs. The GDRs were edited using simple editing criteria and appropriate geophysical corrections applied. Altimeter-derived lake level variation time series were then generated and analyzed. The results of this study, which is the first of its kind in using data from ENVISAT missions over the Yangtze River basin in China, reveal that the water level changes in these four lakes directly reflect the water level of the Yangtze River and contribute to the floods and their associated disasters that usually occur in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Facilitators of HCV treatment adherence among people who inject drugs: a systematic qualitative review and implications for scale up of direct acting antivirals

Abstract Background While the public health benefits of new HCV treatments depend on treatment adherence, particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID), several social and medical factors can jeopardize treatment adherence. The aim of this study is to examine the qualitative literature on facilitators to HCV treatment adherence among PWID. Methods We searched six databases to identify qualitative research studies on HCV treatment adherence facilitators among PWID. Two reviewers independently extracted and analyzed data using PRISMA guidelines and the CASP tool to evaluate study quality. Results From ten studies representing data from 525 participants, three major themes emerged across studies: logistical facilitators within health systems enhanced HCV treatment adherence, positive social interactions between PWID and staff provided positive feedback during treatment, and HCV treatment may complicate the addiction recovery process. Conclusions Although PWID face several barriers to adherence, we identified treatment adherence facilitators that could be incorporated into clinical practice

Exploring the Social Meaning of Curing HIV: A Qualitative Study of People Who Inject Drugs in Guangzhou, China

Our objective was to explore the social meaning of HIV and perceptions of an HIV cure among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Guangzhou, China, which speaks to ethical and resource challenges to development in this field. We conducted a qualitative research study using in-depth interviews. We analyzed interview transcripts from 29 PWID, eight physicians, and three social workers from an outpatient HIV clinic and two methadone maintenance treatment centers. The social meaning of HIV infection and perceptions of an HIV cure reflected patients' relationships with society, health systems, and physicians. First, HIV infection decreased perceived social worth and disrupted peer relationships. The possibility of being cured renewed patient hope for regaining physical well-being and achieving social mobility. However, the existence of a cure may not alter the HIV-related stigma due to its association with stigmatized behaviors and marginalized groups. Second, although stigma was a significant barrier to engagement in health care, hope for a cure may outweigh fears of stigma and enhance linkage to HIV testing and treatment as well as methadone services. A cure may exacerbate perceived health disparities if inaccessible to key affected populations such as PWID. The social implications of an HIV cure among this key affected population may inform the design and implementation of cure clinical trials. Careful management of patient expectations, focusing research on key affected populations, expanding HIV testing and treatment systems, improving access to harm reduction programs, and ensuring post-trial access are important considerations for HIV cure research

High-expression of the innate-immune related gene UNC93B1 predicts inferior outcomes in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy with dismal prognosis. Identification of better biomarkers remained a priority to improve established stratification and guide therapeutic decisions. Therefore, we extracted the RNA sequence data and clinical characteristics of AML from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression database (GTEx) to identify the key factors for prognosis. We found UNC93B1 was highly expressed in AML patients and significantly linked to poor clinical features (p < 0.05). We further validated the high expression of UNC93B1 in another independent AML cohort from GEO datasets (p < 0.001) and performed quantitative PCR of patient samples to confirm the overexpression of UNC93B1 in AML (p < 0.005). Moreover, we discovered high level of UNC93B1 was an independent prognostic factor for poorer outcome both in univariate analysis and multivariate regression (p < 0.001). Then we built a nomogram model based on UNC93B1 expression, age, FAB subtype and cytogenetic risk, the concordance index of which for predicting overall survival was 0.729 (p < 0.001). Time-dependent ROC analysis for predicting survival outcome at different time points by UNC93B1 showed the cumulative 2-year survival rate was 43.7%, and 5-year survival rate was 21.9%. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two groups divided by UNC93B1 expression level were enriched in innate immune signaling and metabolic process pathway. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network indicated four hub genes (S100A9, CCR1, MRC1 and CD1C) interacted with UNC93B1, three of which were also significantly linked to inferior outcome. Furthermore, we discovered high UNC93B1 tended to be infiltrated by innate immune cells, including Macrophages, Dendritic cells, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, and NK CD56dim cells. We also found UNC93B1 had a significantly positive correlation with CD14, CD68 and almost all Toll-like receptors. Finally, we revealed negatively correlated expression of UNC93B1 and BCL2 in AML and conjectured that high-UNC93B1 monocytic AML is more resistant to venetoclax. And we found high MCL-1 expression compensated for BCL-2 loss, thus, we proposed MCL-1 inhibitor might overcome the resistance of venetoclax in AML. Altogether, our findings demonstrated the utility of UNC93B1 as a powerful poor prognostic predictor and alternative therapeutic target