Relative Occupancy Research Articles

Toward the Formalization of Macroscopic Models of Traffic Flow Using Higher-Order-Logic Theorem Proving

Next-generation transportation will be integrated, interconnected and highly autonomous. One key challenge in traffic management is ensuring safety while maintaining the required level of service quality. In such future mobility systems, rigorous formalization and validation will thus become critical to ensure that the transportation network operates as intended, traffic properties are reliably maintained, and services resume in a timely manner after potential disruptions. Formal methods have recently gained considerable attention as a modeling and verification paradigm capable of addressing many challenges associated with next-generation transportation systems. In this regard, we propose to use higher-order-logic theorem proving for formally analyzing transportation systems. As a first step towards this direction, we present a logical framework for the formal analysis of macroscopic models of traffic flow. Leveraging upon the high expressiveness of the underlying logic, we formally model the continuous components of macroscopic models while capturing their real behavior. In particular, we present a formalization of some foundation concepts of macroscopic models, namely density, flow rate, mean speed, relative occupancy, and shockwave using the higher-order-logic theorem prover HOL Light . This choice is primarily motivated by the fact that the macroscopic models deal with the traffic flow dynamics and thus play a vital role in planning strategies in allocating resources for implementing optimized and balanced transportation systems. For illustration, we perform the formal input-output and shockwave analysis of a German freeway. The case study demonstrated the practicability of this formal approach due to the high expressiveness of the underlying logic. The proposed research is first step towards formalizing the foundational mathematical theories and core concepts of traffic flow theory. This accomplishment will open new ways to plan and model various components of the transportation systems such as highway links, ramp metering, merging behavior and eventually address the problem of routing vehicles in a network of automated vehicles.

Application of bronchoscopy in diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 and related occupation protection

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) has become a global pandemic and led to a serious impact on public health and economic development. This paper summarizes the source of the first isolated and identified SARS-CoV-2 samples and the problems present in the etiology detection of virus RNA. The necessity and limitation of bronchoscopy use in the diagnosis of COVID-19 were discussed and the occupation protection measures for bronchoscopy in COVID-19 were emphasized. It is important to accelerate the development of new disposable protective devices for the bronchoscopic examination..

Q-Nuc: a bioinformatics pipeline for the quantitative analysis of nucleosomal profiles.

Nucleosomal profiling is an effective method to determine the positioning and occupancy of nucleosomes, which is essential to understand their roles in genomic processes. However, the positional randomness across the genome and its relationship with nucleosome occupancy remains poorly understood. Here we present a computational method that segments the profile into nucleosomal domains and quantifies their randomness and relative occupancy level. Applying this method to published data, we find on average ~ 3-fold differences in the degree of positional randomness between regions typically considered "well-ordered", as well as an unexpected predominance of only two types of domains of positional randomness in yeast cells. Further, we find that occupancy levels between domains actually differ maximally by ~ 2-3-fold in both cells, which has not been described before. We also developed a procedure by which one can estimate the sequencing depth that is required to identify nucleosomal positions even when regional positional randomness is high. Overall, we have developed a pipeline to quantitatively characterize domain-level features of nucleosome randomness and occupancy genome-wide, enabling the identification of otherwise unknown features in nucleosomal organization.

Neutrophil myeloperoxidase harbors distinct site-specific peculiarities in its glycosylation

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) are directed against lysosomal components of neutrophils. ANCAs directed to proteinase 3 and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in particular are associated with distinct forms of small vessel vasculitides. MPO is an abundant neutrophil-derived heme protein that is part of the antimicrobial defense system. The protein is typically present in the azurophilic granules of neutrophils, but a large portion may also enter the extracellular space. It remains unclear why MPO is frequently the target of antibody-mediated autoimmune responses. MPO is a homodimeric glycoprotein, posttranslationally modified with complex sugars at specific sites. Glycosylation can strongly influence protein function, affecting its folding, receptor interaction, and backbone accessibility. MPO potentially can be heavily modified as it harbors 5 putative N-glycosylation sites (10 in the mature dimer). Although considered important for MPO structure and function, the full scope and relative abundance of the glycans attached to MPO is unknown. Here, combining bottom-up glycoproteomics and native MS approaches, we structurally characterized MPO from neutrophils of healthy human donors. We quantified the relative occupancy levels of the glycans at each of the five sites and observed complex heterogeneity and site-specific glycosylation. In particular, we detected glycosylation phenotypes uncommon for glycoproteins in the extracellular space, such as a high abundance of phosphorylated high-mannose species and severely truncated small glycans having the size of paucimannose or smaller. We hypothesize that the atypical glycosylation pattern found on MPO might contribute to its specific processing and presentation as a self-antigen by antigen-presenting cells.

Area and Geometry Dependence of Cell Migration in Asymmetric Two-State Micropatterns

Microstructured surfaces provide a unique framework to probe cell migration and cytoskeletal dynamics in a standardized manner. Here, we report on the steady-state occupancy probability of cells in asymmetric two-state microstructures that consist of two fibronectin-coated adhesion sites connected by a thin guidance cue. In these dumbbell-like structures, cells transition between the two sites in a repeated and stochastic manner, and average dwell times in the respective microenvironments are determined from the cell trajectories. We study the dynamics of human breast carcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) in these microstructures as a function of area, shape, and orientation of the adhesion sites. On square adhesive sites with different areas, we find that the occupancy probability ratio is directly proportional to the ratio of corresponding adhesion site areas. These asymmetries are well captured by a simple model for the stochastic nonlinear dynamics of the cells, which reveals generic features of the motion. Sites of equal area but different shape lead to equal occupancy if shapes are isotropic (e.g., squared or circular). In contrast, an asymmetry in the occupancy is induced by anisotropic shapes like rhombi, triangles, or rectangles that enable motion in the direction perpendicular to the transition axis. Analysis of the two-dimensional motion of cells between two rectangles with orthogonal orientation suggests that cellular transition rates depend on the cell polarization induced by anisotropic micropatterns. Taken together, our results illustrate how two-state micropatterns provide a dynamic migration assay with distinct dwell times and relative cell occupancy as readouts, which may be useful to probe cell-microenvironment interactions.

Everyday Occupations and Other Factors in Relation to Mental Well-Being among Persons with Advanced Parkinson’s Disease

This cross-sectional study investigated performed activities and the level of satisfaction with everyday occupations among people (n = 67) with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), and how these factors and experiences of social relationships were related to mental well-being. Managing one’s hygiene and physical exercises were activities that the majority still performed, whereas few were engaged in work or other productive occupations. Perceived health problems and satisfaction with everyday occupations were important factors for mental well-being since satisfaction with everyday occupations may be an important focus for occupational therapists and other health professionals when supporting mental well-being among persons with advanced PD.

Common Mental Disorder across Standard Occupational Classifications in Northern Ireland: an administrative data study

Background While employment in general promotes positive health and wellbeing, a number of studies show disparities in mental health across occupational groupings (Bell et al., 2014; Stansfield et al. 2011). However, definitive studies to allow estimation of prevalence and risk across a range of occupation types require large population sub-groups and common measures of mental health.
 AimWe hypothesise: (1) we will detect differences in the prevalence of Common Mental Disorder (CMD) across occupational groupings; and (2) risk of CMD across occupation types is moderated by family demands.
 MethodsUsing linked administrative data we examine CMD among the Northern Ireland (NI) adult population across Standard Occupational Classifications (SOCs). We also examine the influence of socio-demographic, socio-economic and health-related variables. Data is accessed through the Administrative Data Research Centre NI (ADRC-NI) and comprises the individual and household 2011 Census; Land and Properties Services data; Enhanced Prescribing Database and Multiple Deprivation Measures.
 ResultsExamination of nine major SOC groups shows the prevalence of any self-reported (SR) mental health condition was highest among ‘elementary trades and related occupations’ (24.63%) followed by ‘process, plant and machine operatives’ (23.65%). The risk of mental ill health among these groups remained elevated for both men and women after controlling for age, sex, marital status and educational attainment. Analyses based on the 90 sub-minor SOC groups shows that ‘textiles and garments trades’ workers had the highest prevalence of a SR mental health condition (36.15%). Logistic regression analyses shows that individuals with dependent children and informal caregiving responsibilities had lower risk of a SR mental health condition (OR=0.75, CI=0.73, 0.76 and OR=0.81, CI=0.79, 0.82 respectively).
 ConclusionResults presented in this abstract are based on preliminary analyses using self-reported mental health. Further analyses based on mental health prescription data will subsequently be undertaken and presented at the ADR conference.

WORKFORCE TRAINING FOR MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS: THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES

In recent years, occupational changes have become increasingly common for mid-and later-life (MLL) workers. The aging population in the U.S. has resulted in increased opportunities in health-related related occupations and many MLLs seeking to re-career choose these professions. Because of their convenient locations and open access policies, community colleges are an ideal educational setting for MLLs to seek training. This presentation will discuss the results of a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education that included focus groups and key informant interviews at community colleges in Ohio. More specifically, we will discuss reasons MLL students enroll at a community college, their process for choosing a program of study, services that are important to successful completion, and barriers they face. Finally, we will discuss policies and practices that can improve MLL student outcomes.

Absolute nucleosome occupancy map for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome.

Mapping of nucleosomes, the basic DNA packaging unit in eukaryotes, is fundamental for understanding genome regulation because nucleosomes modulate DNA access by their positioning along the genome. A cell-population nucleosome map requires two observables: nucleosome positions along the DNA (“Where?”) and nucleosome occupancies across the population (“In how many cells?”). All available genome-wide nucleosome mapping techniques are yield methods because they score either nucleosomal (e.g., MNase-seq, chemical cleavage-seq) or nonnucleosomal (e.g., ATAC-seq) DNA but lose track of the total DNA population for each genomic region. Therefore, they only provide nucleosome positions and maybe compare relative occupancies between positions, but cannot measure absolute nucleosome occupancy, which is the fraction of all DNA molecules occupied at a given position and time by a nucleosome. Here, we established two orthogonal and thereby cross-validating approaches to measure absolute nucleosome occupancy across the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome via restriction enzymes and DNA methyltransferases. The resulting high-resolution (9-bp) map shows uniform absolute occupancies. Most nucleosome positions are occupied in most cells: 97% of all nucleosomes called by chemical cleavage-seq have a mean absolute occupancy of 90 ± 6% (±SD). Depending on nucleosome position calling procedures, there are 57,000 to 60,000 nucleosomes per yeast cell. The few low absolute occupancy nucleosomes do not correlate with highly transcribed gene bodies, but correlate with increased presence of the nucleosome-evicting chromatin structure remodeling (RSC) complex, and are enriched upstream of highly transcribed or regulated genes. Our work provides a quantitative method and reference frame in absolute terms for future chromatin studies.

SKILL NEEDS AND GAPS IN QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS IN THE ROMANIAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY

Starting from the current analysis of the garments industry's critical points, namely the skills deficiency with competencies in this field and its related occupations, the mapping qualification needs and WBL good practices for the Romanian clothing sector was performed. The activities implemented in Romania were desk-based research of existing education and training programs and field-based research through surveys and focus groups, in close cooperation with Romanian T&C companies and VET representatives. The results were attained based on a cooperation structure between partners (T&C associations, Technological Centres, VET providers) and relevant stakeholders (T&C companies, VET providers and qualification experts). Through the analysis of the questionnaires filled by the companies and VET providers, the most important technical competences for the clothing technician were identified. The new profile qualification will be more cross-cutting, more attractive and also with a high employment potential in the various kind of companies. This new profile meets the identified needs, the information provided is harmonized with the level of European competences for which school curricula or other national training programmes are not delivered any longer.

A Method for Evaluating Structural Changes of Energy Flow Process with the Case Study of China from 2005-2015

In response to climate change and to achieve global sustainable development, countries should accelerate the transition of their energy systems. In order to clearly understand the underlying mechanism of the transition, it is necessary to investigate the structural changes along energy flow processes and find the driving factors. This paper proposes a quantitative method based on energy allocation Sankey diagrams and index including total amount change, relative growth rate and occupation ratio change (TRO) to evaluate the structural changes of energy flow process and presents a case study of China from 2005 to 2015. Firstly, China’s energy flow process in 2015 was mapped from energy sources, intermediate conversion, end-use devices, passive systems to final services in the form of a Sankey diagram. Secondly, based on TRO index, this diagram was compared with a previous one of 2005 to reveal and evaluate structural changes in the past decade. Finally, the driving factors of these changes were discussed from different perspectives. The main changes from energy sources level are the reduction of coal and the increase of natural gas, from final services level are the reduction of thermal comfort demand and the increase of structural materials (especially that from chemical industry). The key factors driving these changes are the infrastructure construction of natural gas, rapid urbanization, improvement of energy efficiency of buildings and the people’s pursuit of high-quality life.

Vegetation Conditions in Sacred Compounds at Myanmar’s Bagan Cultural Heritage Site

Scrub vegetation encroaches into the proximity of many monuments at Myanmar’s Bagan Cultural Heritage Site, as can be seen at many other monuments on the world. The extensiveness of scrub vegetation can interfere with the integrity of the cultural landscape when ignored by site management. The current study examined how significant the occurrence of scrub vegetation might be, quantifying the canopy coverage with relative occupancy of other components in the sacred compounds. The sacred compounds in Bagan enclose religious monuments in environments classified as farmland, monastic residences, accessways, shrub-hosting areas, and scrub vegetation. The coverage of scrub vegetation was more than a quarter of the area of sacred compounds, whereas that of shrub-hosting patches was about half. The other components occupied less than one-fifth of the area. The associated occurrence of scrub vegetation indicated the invasion of alien species from the drier hinterland to the riverside of Ayeyarwady. While such a situation reveals site management as a priority, the presence of cultivated farmland in the vicinity of monuments represented suppression of weedy growth that may later facilitate the occurrence of scrub-type plants. This study suggests cultivation as a reasonable practice for the integrity of the cultural landscape and safeguarding the monuments in Bagan.

Perturbation of Methionine/S-adenosylmethionine Metabolism as a Novel Vulnerability in MLL Rearranged Leukemia.

Leukemias bearing mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) rearrangement (MLL-R) resulting in expression of oncogenic MLL fusion proteins (MLL-FPs) represent an especially aggressive disease subtype with the worst overall prognoses and chemotherapeutic response. MLL-R leukemias are uniquely dependent on the epigenetic function of the H3K79 methyltransferase DOT1L, which is misdirected by MLL-FPs activating gene expression, driving transformation and leukemogenesis. Given the functional necessity of these leukemias to maintain adequate methylation potential allowing aberrant activating histone methylation to proceed, driving leukemic gene expression, we investigated perturbation of methionine (Met)/S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) metabolism as a novel therapeutic paradigm for MLL-R leukemia. Disruption of Met/SAM metabolism, by either methionine deprivation or pharmacologic inhibition of downstream metabolism, reduced overall cellular methylation potential, reduced relative cell numbers, and induced apoptosis selectively in established MLL-AF4 cell lines or MLL-AF6-expressing patient blasts but not in BCR-ABL-driven K562 cells. Global histone methylation dynamics were altered, with a profound loss of requisite H3K79 methylation, indicating inhibition of DOT1L function. Relative occupancy of the repressive H3K27me3 modification was increased at the DOT1L promoter in MLL-R cells, and DOT1L mRNA and protein expression was reduced. Finally, pharmacologic inhibition of Met/SAM metabolism significantly prolonged survival in an advanced, clinically relevant patient–derived MLL-R leukemia xenograft model, in combination with cytotoxic induction chemotherapy. Our findings provide support for further investigation into the development of highly specific allosteric inhibitors of enzymatic mediators of Met/SAM metabolism or dietary manipulation of methionine levels. Such inhibitors may lead to enhanced treatment outcomes for MLL-R leukemia, along with cytotoxic chemotherapy or DOT1L inhibitors.

Ghost‐busting: patch occupancy and habitat preferences of Ocyale ghost (Araneae: Lycosidae), a single site endemic in north‐western Madagascar

AbstractMicroendemic species are of great conservation concern due to their vulnerability to stochastic events and environmental change. Therefore, understanding the basic ecology of such organisms is integral to future efforts to conserve them. Here, we present the first ecological study of the only known population of Ocyale ghost Jocque & Jocqué 2017 – the single species within this genus in Madagascar – located at a small lake shore in the north‐west of the island. We aimed to reveal spatial patterns of microhabitat selection and patch occupancy in relation to environmental covariates, including distance to lake edge, topography and sand coverage. We found microhabitat selection to be strong in our occupancy models, with plots closer to the lake edge and with a higher proportion of sand showing the highest estimated occupancy. We suggest decreases in prey availability and changes in the physical characteristics of the substrate in relation to the distance from lake shore and sand availability (important for burrowing and temperature regulation), respectively, as potential factors behind occupancy. We discuss our findings in the context of the proportional underrepresentation of invertebrates in conservation research, which threatens the persistence of endemic and microendemic invertebrates in the face of significant global and local environmental change.

Livestock and its related occupations in spatial clustering of Q fever in South Australia, 2007-2017

Livestock and its related occupations in spatial clustering of Q fever in South Australia, 2007-2017

Selling and Sales Management

Abstract About 10% of the US labor force is employed in selling related occupations and the expenditures on selling activities total close to 5% of the US GDP. Without question, selling occupies a prominent role in our economy. This chapter offers a discussion on the construct of selling, its role in economic models, and the various aspects of firm decisions that relate to it.

African American Exposure to Prescribed Fire Smoke in Georgia, USA.

Our project examines the association between percent African American and smoke pollution in the form of prescribed burn-sourced, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the U.S. state of Georgia for 2018. (1) Background: African Americans constitute 32.4% of Georgia’s population, making it the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the state followed by Hispanic Americans at 9.8%. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and lower wealth groups are more likely than most middle and upper income White Americans to be exposed to environmental pollutants. This is true because racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in urban areas where pollution is more concentrated. As a point of departure, we examine PM2.5 concentrations specific to prescribed fire smoke, which typically emanates from fires occurring in rural or peri-urban areas. Two objectives are specified: a) examine the association between percent African American and PM2.5 concentrations at the census tract level for Georgia, and b) identify emitters of PM2.5 concentrations that exceed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the 24-h average, i. e., >35 µg/m3. (2) Methods: For the first objective, we estimate a spatial Durbin error model (SDEM) where pollution concentration (PM2.5) estimates for 1683 census tracts are regressed on percent of the human population that is African American or Hispanic; lives in mobile homes; and is employed in agriculture and related occupations. Also included as controls are percent evergreen forest, percent mixed evergreen/deciduous forest, and variables denoting lagged explanatory and error variables, respectively. For the second objective, we merge parcel and prescribed burn permit data to identify landowners who conduct prescribed fires that produce smoke exceeding the NAAQS. (3) Results: Percent African American and mobile home dweller are positively related to PM2.5 concentrations; and government and non-industrial private landowners are the greatest contributors to exceedance levels (4) Conclusions: Reasons for higher PM2.5 concentrations in areas with higher African American and mobile home percent are not clear, although we suspect that neither group is a primary contributor to prescribed burn smoke but rather tend to live proximate to entities, both public and private, that are. Also, non-industrial private landowners who generated prescribed burn smoke exceeding NAAQS are wealthier than others, which suggests that African American and other environmental justice populations are less likely to contribute to exceedance levels in the state.

Middle-Down Multi-Attribute Analysis of Antibody-Drug Conjugates with Electron Transfer Dissociation

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are designed to combine the target specificity of monoclonal antibodies and potent cytotoxin drugs to achieve better therapeutic outcomes. Comprehensive evaluation of the quality attributes of ADCs is critical for drug development but remains challenging due to heterogeneity of the construct. Currently, peptide mapping with reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is the predominant approach to characterize ADCs. However, it is suboptimal for sequence characterization and quantification of ADCs because it lacks a comprehensive view of coexisting variants and suffers from varying ionization effects of drug-conjugated peptides compared to unconjugated counterparts. Here, we present the first middle-down RPLC-MS analysis of both cysteine (Adcetris; BV) and lysine (Kadcyla; T-DM1) conjugated ADCs at the subunit level (∼25 kDa) with electron transfer dissociation (ETD). We successfully achieved high-resolution separation of subunit isomers arising from different drug conjugation and subsequently localized the conjugation sites. Moreover, we obtained a comprehensive overview of the microvariants associated with each subunits and characterized them such as oxidized variants with different sites. Furthermore, we observed relatively high levels of conjugation near complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) from the heavy chain but no drug conjugation near CDRs of light chain (Lc) from lysine conjugated T-DM1. Based on the extracted ion chromatograms, we accurately measured average drug to antibody ratio (DAR) values and relative occupancy of drug-conjugated subunits. Overall, the middle-down MS approach enables the evaluation of multiple quality attributes including DAR, positional isomers, conjugation sites, occupancy, and microvariants, which potentially opens up a new avenue to characterize ADCs.

Health Related Quality of Life of Patients after Cardiac Surgery

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of disability and morbidity in many developed countries around the world. But timely management with cardiac surgery can reduce the mortality.
 Objectives: To assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) of the CVD patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
 Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out among purposively selected CABG patients from January to December 2013. A total of 78 post CABG patients were interviewed with short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire at different hospitals in Dhaka.
 Results: The study patients age ranged from 40 to 82 years and the proportion were higher among those of more than 60 years (38.5%) of age. Majority (48.7%) were educated up to HSC level. Explaining the characteristics of illness, the average duration of sufferings was 121.91±115.31 days and Post treatment duration in month was 14.97±19.25. The study findings showed a good level of QOL; with an average score of 78.2. The mental and physical components scores were 79.9 & 77.1 respectively. There were statistically significant (p<0.001) negative association between age and total component of quality of life of patients. In relation with sex, average total quality of life scores of male and female were 80.5±10.5 and 74.4±14 respectively which was statistically significant (p<0.001). Similarly, comparing to pre-treatment state, statistically significant (p<0.001) difference was found between groups quality of life. Similarly statistically significant difference was found with occupation in relation to total quality of life (p<0.001), physical component (p<0.01) and with mental component (p<0.05) of participants.
 Conclusion: Subjective perceptions of physical and psychological well-being changed significantly from before treatment to at least 3 months after treatment and better HRQOL noticed to the patients treated with CABG.
 Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.14(1) 2018: 50-53

Nature and Topology of Metal-Oxygen Binding Sites in Zeolite Materials: 17 O High-Resolution EPR Spectroscopy of Metal-Loaded ZSM-5.

Determining structural models is pivotal to the rational understanding and development of heterogeneous catalytic systems. A paradigmatic case is represented by open-shell metals supported on oxides, where the catalytic properties crucially depend on the nature of the metal-oxygen bonds and the extent of charge and spin transfer. Through a combination of selective 17 O isotopic enrichment and the unique properties of open-shell s-state monovalent Group 12 cations, we derive a site-specific topological description of active sites in an MFI zeolite. We show that just a few selected sites out of all possible are populated and that the relative occupancies depend on the specific properties of the metal, and we provide maps of charge and spin transfer at the metal-oxygen interface. This approach is not restricted to zeotype materials, rather it is applicable to any catalysts supported on oxygen-containing materials.