Search

Recently published near full-length KSHV genomes from a Cameroon Kaposi sarcoma case-control study showed strong evidence of viral recombination and mixed infections, but no sequence variations associated with disease. Using the same methodology, an additional 102 KSHV genomes from 76 individuals with KSHV-associated diseases have been sequenced. Diagnoses comprise all KSHV-associated diseases (KAD): Kaposi sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), KSHV-associated large cell lymphoma (KSHV-LCL), a type of multicentric Castleman disease (KSHV-MCD), and KSHV inflammatory cytokine syndrome (KICS). Participants originated from 22 different countries, providing the opportunity to obtain new near full-length sequences of a wide diversity of KSHV genomes. These include near full-length sequence of genomes with KSHV K1 subtypes A, B, C, and F as well as subtype E, for which no full sequence was previously available. High levels of recombination were observed. Fourteen individuals (18%) showed evidence of infection with multiple KSHV variants (from two to four unique genomes). Twenty-six comparisons of sequences, obtained from various sampling sites including PBMC, tissue biopsies, oral fluids, and effusions in the same participants, identified near complete genome conservation between different biological compartments. Polymorphisms were identified in coding and non-coding regions, including indels in the K3 and K15 genes and sequence inversions here reported for the first time. One such polymorphism in KSHV ORF46, specific to the KSHV K1 subtype E2, encoded a mutation in the leucine loop extension of the uracil DNA glycosylase that results in alteration of biochemical functions of this protein. This confirms that KSHV sequence variations can have functional consequences warranting further investigation. This study represents the largest and most diverse analysis of KSHV genome sequences to date among individuals with KAD and provides important new information on global KSHV genomics. Author summary: The prevalence of KSHV infection, one of eight viruses associated with human cancer, differs geographically as does the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma and other KSHV-associated diseases. Distribution of KSHV subtypes, defined solely by the sequence of the K1 gene, also differs by region. One hundred and two near full-length KSHV genomes from people with associated diseases from a wide variety of countries were sequenced, substantially increasing the number and diversity of KSHV genomes publicly available, thereby allowing the analysis of variance across geographical regions, potential contributions of viral genetics to the risk of disease, and viral evolution. Our data demonstrate that viral recombination is common, as previously published, and that infections with multiple KSHV genomes may also be frequent, which has not been widely reported. We did not find evidence of an association between viral subtypes and disease nor indications that different sampling sites from the same individual, including tumor specimens, harbored substantially different KSHV genomes. Our data significantly inform the current efforts to study epidemiology and the prevention of KSHV infection, including vaccine development, as well as the pathogenesis of associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews and advances existing literature concerning generative artificial intelligence and 3D virtual simulation technologies articulating knowledge sharing practices, talent management, and employee loyalty and satisfaction. Throughout July 2023, a quantitative literature review of the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases was performed, with search terms including “generative artificial intelligence and haptic and biometric sensor technologies” + “virtual employee engagement,” “workplace collaboration software,” and “immersive coaching and mentorship spaces.” As research published in 2023 was inspected, only 171 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria, and 48 mainly empirical sources were selected. Data visualization tools: Dimensions (bibliometric mapping) and VOSviewer (layout algorithms). Reporting quality assessment tool: PRISMA. Methodological quality assessment tools include: AXIS, MMAT, ROBIS, and SRDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I draw on a substantial body of theoretical and empirical research on geospatial mapping and immersive 3D technologies, distributed decision and control algorithms, and automated speech recognition and virtual navigation tools. In this research, prior findings were cumulated indicating that spatial computing and remote sensing technologies, real-time data mining and tracking tools, and spatio-temporal fusion and 3D image processing algorithms configure extended reality environments. I carried out a quantitative literature review of ProQuest, Scopus, and the Web of Science throughout December 2022, with search terms including “Web3-powered metaverse worlds” + “haptic and biometric sensor technologies,” “spatial data mining and simulation modeling algorithms,” and “virtual navigation and decision intelligence tools.” As I analyzed research published in 2022 and 2023, only 178 papers met the eligibility criteria. By removing controversial or unclear findings (scanty/unimportant data), results unsupported by replication, undetailed content, or papers having quite similar titles, I decided on 34, chiefly empirical, sources. Data visualization tools: Dimensions (bibliometric mapping) and VOSviewer (layout algorithms). Reporting quality assessment tool: PRISMA. Methodological quality assessment tools include: AMSTAR, Distiller SR, ROBIS, and SRDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

he present study systematically reviews the existing research on immersive decentralized 3D digital worlds and the industrial metaverse. Throughout August 2022, a quantitative literature review of the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases was performed, with search terms including “the immersive in- dustrial metaverse” + “virtual modeling and image-based visual computing tech- nologies,” “Internet of Things-based decision support and remote sensing systems,” and “context awareness and spatio-temporal fusion algorithms.” As research published in 2022 was inspected, only 151 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria. By taking out controversial or ambiguous findings (insufficient/irrelevant data), outcomes unsubstantiated by replication, too general material, or studies with nearly identical titles, we selected 17 mainly empirical sources. Data visualization tools: Dimensions (bibliometric mapping) and VOSviewer (layout algorithms). Reporting quality assessment tool: PRISMA. Methodological quality assessment tools include: AMSTAR, Dedoose, Distiller SR, and SRDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub‐Saharan Africa, Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is endemic, and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a significant public health problem. Until recently, KSHV genotype analysis was performed using variable gene regions, representing a small fraction of the genome, and thus the contribution of sequence variation to viral transmission or pathogenesis are understudied. We performed near full‐length KSHV genome sequence analysis on samples from 43 individuals selected from a large Cameroonian KS case‐control study. KSHV genomes were obtained from 21 KS patients and 22 control participants. Phylogenetic analysis of the K1 region indicated the majority of sequences were A5 or B1 subtypes and all three K15 alleles were represented. Unique polymorphisms in the KSHV genome were observed including large gene deletions. We found evidence of multiple distinct KSHV genotypes in three individuals. Additionally, our analyses indicate that recombination is prevalent suggesting that multiple KSHV infections may not be uncommon overall. Most importantly, a detailed analysis of KSHV genomes from KS patients and control participants did not find a correlation between viral sequence variations and disease. Our study is the first to systematically compare near full‐length KSHV genome sequences between KS cases and controls in the same endemic region to identify possible sequence variations associated with disease risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most algae, NO3− assimilation is tightly controlled and is often inhibited by the presence of NH4+. In the marine, non-colonial, non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 2380, NO3− assimilation is sensitive to NH4+ only when N does not limit growth. We sequenced the genome of Synechococcus UTEX 2380, studied the genetic organization of the nitrate assimilation related (NAR) genes, and investigated expression and kinetics of the main NAR enzymes, under N or light limitation. We found that Synechococcus UTEX 2380 is a β-cyanobacterium with a full complement of N uptake and assimilation genes and NAR regulatory elements. The nitrate reductase of our strain showed biphasic kinetics, previously observed only in freshwater or soil diazotrophic Synechococcus strains. Nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase showed little response to our growth treatments, and their activity was usually much higher than that of nitrate reductase. NH4+ insensitivity of NAR genes may be associated with the stimulation of the binding of the regulator NtcA to NAR gene promoters by the high 2-oxoglutarate concentrations produced under N limitation. NH4+ sensitivity in energy-limited cells fits with the fact that, under these conditions, the use of NH4+ rather than NO3− decreases N-assimilation cost, whereas it would exacerbate N shortage under N limitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a conceptual framework based on a systematic and comprehensive literature review on autonomous vehicle decision-making algorithms, interconnected sensor networks, and big geospatial data analytics in smart urban mobility systems. Building our argument by drawing on data collected from AAA, AHAS, AUVSI, BCG, Brookings, Capgemini, Gallup, GHSA, Kennedys, ORC, Perkins Coie, SAE, Statista, and World Economic Forum, we performed analyses and made estimates regarding how computer vision, path and motion planning algorithms, and machine learning-based predictors are pivotal in lane detection and congestion monitoring, reducing traffic collisions and related fatalities, and optimizing obstacle avoidance, navigation flow prediction, and trajectory planning for connected and autonomous vehicles across smart and sustainable driverless urban mobility. The data for this research were gathered via an online survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics of compiled data from the completed surveys were calculated when appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species within the genus Chara have variable salinity tolerance. Their close evolutionary relationship with embryophytes makes their study crucial to understanding the evolution of salt tolerance and key evolutionary processes shared among the phyla. We examined salt‐tolerant Chara longifolia and salt‐sensitive Chara australis for mechanisms of salt tolerance and their potential role in adaptation to salt. We hypothesize that there are shared mechanisms similar to those in embryophytes, which assist in conferring salt tolerance in Chara, including a cation transporter (HKT), a Na+/H+ antiport (NHX), a H+‐ATPase (AHA), and a Na+‐ATPase (ENA). Illumina transcriptomes were created using cultures grown in freshwater and exposed to salt stress. The presence of these candidate genes, identified by comparing with genes known from embryophytes, has been confirmed in both species of Chara, with the exception of ENA, present only in salt‐tolerant C. longifolia. These transcriptomes provide evidence for the contribution of these mechanisms to differences in salt tolerance in the two species and for the independent evolution of the Na+‐ATPase. We also examined genes that may have played a role in important evolutionary processes, suggested by previous work on the Chara braunii genome. Among the genes examined, cellulose synthase protein (GT43) and response regulator (RRB) were confirmed in both species. Genes absent from all three Chara species were members of the GRAS family, microtubule‐binding protein (TANGLED1), and auxin synthesizers (YUCCA, TAA). Results from this study shed light on the evolutionary relationship between Chara and embryophytes through confirmation of shared salt tolerance mechanisms, as well as unique mechanisms that do not occur in angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A translation of a major part of Prajñākaramati's canonical commentary on the Perfection of Patient Endurance chapter of Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra. The introduction clarifies the importance of the commentary and explores what can be learned from it. Prajñākaramati's comments help illuminate the meaning of the verses and provide evidence for the view that the Bodhicaryāvatāra should be understood as offering not just meditation exercises, but also rational arguments that can be evaluated as philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are low-income families victims of high prices in small neighborhood stores? This article goes beyond asking what prices small stores charge and examines the purchasing patterns of low-income families. What kind of stores do they patronize? Why? Do they use the convenience stores in the low-income areas? Do many buy food on credit? How well do they perceive price differences among stores? These are some of the questions answered through a survey in a Philadelphia redevelopment area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the housebuilding industry as a coordination of products and materials and seeks to evaluate the production process as a whole with a goal of increased efficiency. The millwork industry and warm air furnaces markets are cited as specific examples. The process of extracting wood material, processing the wood at mills and marketing the wood to builders is expressed. For furnaces, the casting process, foundries' contributions, shipping, processing, and assembling furnaces before they are sold to builders is another coordinated effort. Housebuilding is evaluated with respect to the entire process.

The most commonly encountered and most serious objection against consequentialist theories of punishment is that they could sometimes endorse punishing innocent people. Two-level consequentialists can resist this objection. Because of how deterrence works, a system of social protection would clearly need to be careful, most of the time, to pick out only the guilty for punishment. What about exceptional cases? Any institution empowered to secretly frame innocent people would pose a grave danger to democracy, a danger that could prove lethal under only moderately unusual conditions. Meanwhile, individual consequentialists working within the criminal justice system should fear that their own views could be distorted by confirmation bias and other cognitive errors. These officials should normally trust any moderately well-functioning adversarial trial process more than they trust their own judgment of who needs to be punished. They should use extra-legal discretion only in cases where both their confidence and the stakes are extremely high; and in cases where the stakes are extremely high, the consequentialist answer is no longer counter-intuitive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the infection of Marburg (MARV) and Ravn (RAVN) virus in nonhuman primates with a human monoclonal antibodies (Mabs). Information about the therapeutic treatment of MARV and RAVN as well as containment of filovirus outbreaks in 2013-2016, is provided. Also mentioned is the transmission of the viruses through direct blood contact, body fluids and infected person and animal tissues.

The article presents abstracts pertaining to the cost of marketing. They include "Marketing Charges for Apples Sold in Pittsburgh," by H. W. Bitting and Henry T. Badger, "Women's Accessory and Specialty Stores," and "Sales and Margins by Commodities."

Countermeasures against potential biothreat agents remain important to US Homeland Security, and many of these pharmaceuticals could have dual use in the improvement of global public health. Junin virus, the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF), is an arenavirus identified as a category A high-priority agent. There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs available for preventing or treating AHF, and the current treatment option is limited to administration of immune plasma. Whereas immune plasma demonstrates the feasibility of passive immunotherapy, it is limited in quantity, variable in quality, and poses safety risks such as transmission of transfusion-borne diseases. In an effort to develop a monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based alternative to plasma, three previously described neutralizing murine mAbs were expressed as mouse-human chimeric antibodies and evaluated in the guinea pig model of AHF. These mAbs provided 100% protection against lethal challenge when administered 2 d after infection (dpi), and one of them(J199) was capable of providing 100% protection when treatment was initiated 6 dpi and 92% protection when initiated 7 dpi. The efficacy of J199 is superior to that previously described for all other evaluated drugs, and its high potency suggests that mAbs like J199 offer an economical alternative to immune plasma and an effective dual use (bioterrorism/public health) therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the decision to relax by taking a drive rather than by taking a walk cause harm? In particular, do the additional carbon emissions caused by such a decision make anyone worse off? Recently several philosophers have argued that the answer is no, and on this basis have gone on to claim that act-consequentialism cannot provide a moral reason for individuals to voluntarily reduce their emissions. The reasoning typically consists of two steps. First, the effect of individual emissions on the weather is miniscule: the planet's meteorological system is so large, and the size of individual emissions so tiny, that whatever impact an individual emission has on the weather must be vanishingly small. Second, vanishingly small impacts aren't morally relevant because no one could possibly tell the difference between such an impact occurring and it not occurring. In this paper, we show why both steps are mistaken, and hence why act-consequentialism implies that each of us has an individual obligation to do what we can to stop damaging the climate, including by refraining from, or perhaps by purchasing offsets against, our own individual luxury carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without an approved vaccine or treatments, Ebola outbreak management has been limited to palliative care and barrier methods to prevent transmission. These approaches, however, have yet to end the 2014 outbreak of Ebola after its prolonged presence in West Africa. Here we show that a combination of monoclonal antibodies (ZMapp), optimized from two previous antibody cocktails, is able to rescue 100% of rhesus macaques when treatment is initiated up to 5 days post-challenge. High fever, viraemia and abnormalities in blood count and blood chemistry were evident in many animals before ZMapp intervention. Advanced disease, as indicated by elevated liver enzymes, mucosal haemorrhages and generalized petechia could be reversed, leading to full recovery. ELISA and neutralizing antibody assays indicate that ZMapp is cross-reactive with the Guinean variant of Ebola. ZMapp exceeds the efficacy of any other therapeutics described so far, and results warrant further development of this cocktail for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause devastating lower respiratory tract infections in preterm infants or when other serious health problems are present. Immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab (Synagis), a humanized IgG1 mAb, is the current standard of care for preventing RSV infection in at-risk neonates. We have explored the contribution of effector function to palivizumab efficacy using a plant-based expression system to produce palivizumab N-glycan structure variants with high homogeneity on different antibody isotypes. We compared these isotype and N-glycoform variants with commercially available palivizumab with respect to both in vitro receptor and C1q binding and in vivo efficacy. Whereas the affinity for antigen and neutralization activity of each variant were indistinguishable from those of palivizumab, their Fcγ receptor binding profiles were very different, which was reflected in either a reduced or enhanced ability to influence the RSV lung titer in challenged cotton rats. Enhanced Fcγ receptor binding was associated with reduced viral lung titers compared with palivizumab, whereas abrogation of receptor binding led to a drastic reduction in efficacy. The results support the hypotheses that classic antibody neutralization is a minor component of efficacy by palivizumab in the cotton rat and that antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity can significantly enhance the efficacy of this antiviral mAb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owen Flanagan's important book The Bodhisattva's Brain presents a naturalized interpretation of Buddhist philosophy. Although the overall approach of the book is very promising, certain aspects of its presentation could benefit from further reflection. Traditional teachings about reincarnation do not contradict the doctrine of no self, as Flanagan seems to suggest; however, they are empirically rather implausible. Flanagan's proposed 'tame' interpretation of karma is too thin; we can do better at fitting karma into a scientific worldview. The relationship between eudaimonist and utilitarian strands in Buddhist ethics is more complex than the book suggests. Flanagan is right to criticize incautious and imprecise claims that Buddhism will make practitioners happy. We can make progress by distinguishing between happiness in the sense of a Buddhist version of eudaimonia, and happiness in the sense of attitudinal pleasure. Doing so might result in an interpretation of Buddhist views about happiness that was simultaneously philosophically interesting, historically credible, and psychologically testable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lotus Sūtra repeatedly asserts the moral permissibility, in certain circumstances, of deceiving others for their own benefit. The examples it uses to illustrate this view have the features of weak paternalism, but the real-world applications it endorses would today be considered strong paternalism. We can explain this puzzling feature of the text by noting that according to Mahāyāna Buddhists, normal, ordinary people are so irrational that they are relevantly similar to the insane. Kant's determined anti-paternalism, by contrast, relies on an obligation to see others as rational, which can be read in several ways. Recent work in psychology provides support for the Lotus Sūtra's philosophical anthropology while undermining the plausibility of Kant's version. But this result does not necessarily lead to an endorsement of political paternalism, since politicians are not qualified to wield such power. Some spiritual teachers, however, may be morally permitted to benefit their students by deceiving them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In defending the teaching of emptiness, Bhavaviveka offers some very strange arguments, which initially may appear so weak that we may be hard pressed to understand how anyone could endorse them. To make sense of these passages, it is helpful to compare them to an argument found in the writings of the Naiyayika Uddyotakara. These arguments have a certain formal feature which makes them count as valid from the point of view of the rules and norms of some forms of Indian logic. Once we understand the logical structure of the arguments offered by Uddyotakara and Bhavaviveka, we will not only have a better grasp on their philosophical views, but we will also be in a better position to understand how and why those views were rejected by later figures in the Indian tradition, such as Dharmakīrti and Santarak⋅ita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most modern analytic philosophers have ignored works of Indian philosophy such as Vasubandhu's ‘Treasury of Metaphysics’. This neglect is unjustified. The account of the nature of the physical world given in the ‘Treasury’ is a one-category ontology of dharmas, which are simple, momentary tropes. They include bade physical tropes, the most fundamental level of the physical world, as well as higher-level tropes, including sensible properties such as colours, which are known as derived form. I argue that the relationship between the basic physical tropes and derived form is one of supervenience. Vasubandhu's theory is a powerful and flexible one, which can be adapted so as to be consistent with modern science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with a factorial analysis of Thurstone's Primary Mental Abilities Tests. The analysis was made in order to determine whether the tests designated to measure a particular ability would be found upon completion of the analysis to be clustered together with significant loadings and be isolated from the tests of the other abilities. The results show that most of the tests specifically designed to measure six of the abilities were isolated with loadings varying in size. The tests for the remaining ability were not isolated. It is also shown that the tests are complex in nature, measuring more than any one single ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercorrelation coefficients among Thurstone's seven primary mental abilities scores were obtained from scores of 170 freshmen engineering students on the experimental edition of the Primary Mental Abilities Tests. These correlation coefficients were factored to four factors, interpreted as a general factor, a reasoning factor, a verbal factor, and, tentatively, a specific memory factor. The finding of a general factor for a college population corroborates the Thurstones' finding of a general factor for eighth-grade children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most attempts to measure the effects of propaganda involve highly artificial techniques. In some cases subjects are asked to forget the experimental situations and to respond naively. In other instances they are given scales to check before and after doses of propaganda. Such attempts, it seemed to the authors, vitiate the very telling point of propaganda or innuendo, its subtlety and indirectness. Inspection of a badly constructed questionnaire suggested to the authors the possibility of creating an unobtrusive instrument of propaganda by deliberately perverting a questionnaire to prejudiced ends, that is, a questionnaire appears as a fact-finding device rather than as a tool for affecting the reader's attitudes. A careful study of several questionnaires thus filled with innuendo indicated that the lay reader usually misses such bias. It seemed possible, therefore, to load a questionnaire in such a way that it might serve as a medium of indoctrination of individuals without their being aware of it.

A number of abstracts are presented for articles pertaining to the field of marketing. They include "The Psychological Approach to the Social Sciences," "Watch Competitors, but Let Needs and Problems Decide Sales Methods" and "Strategy of the Seller--or What Businessmen Won't Tell."

An abstract is presented for the article "Cigarette Distribution in the United States 1951."

Two abstracts are presented for articles pertaining to the subject of wholesaling. The first is "Survey of 1951 Operations of Service Wholesale Druggists," by Orin E. Burley. The second is "New in the Distribution Scheme: The Ethical Drug Jobber," by Elsa Gidlow.

A number of abstracts are presented for articles pertaining to the subject of retailing. They include "Children's and Infants' Wear Stores: Cost of Doing Business Survey No. 6," "The Super Market Industry Speaks" and "Grocery and Meat Stores: Cost of Doing Business Survey No. 8."

A number of abstracts are presented for articles pertaining to the subject of consumer studies. They include "National Survey on Lawns and Lawn Mowing Equipment Among Pathfinder Subscribers and A National Survey on Lawns and Lawn Mowing Equipment Among Farm Journal Subscribers" and "Farm Electrical Customers: Their Buying Habits and Attitudes Towards Retailers."

The article presents abstracts pertaining to retailing. They include "Trends in Frozen Foods Distribution in Food Chains," "Non-Foods Make Giant Gains," and "The Super Market Industry Speaks, 1951."

The article presents the abstract "Survey of 1950 Operations of Service Wholesale Druggists," by Orin E. Burley.

An abstract is presented for the article "Seat Covers."

The article presents abstracts pertaining to consumer studies. They include "Practices Followed by Consumers in Buying "Large-Expenditure" Items of Clothing, Furniture, and Equipment (in Lansing, Michigan)," by Calla Van Syckle" and "Fourth Annual Consumer Buying Habit Study of the City Zone Market of Appleton, Wisconsin."

The article presents the abstract "Dry Goods and General Merchandise Stores, Cost of Doing Business Survey No. 2."