The temporary anatomical structures prominent in the first trimester may be fulfilling exchange functions assigned to the placenta in the second and third trimester

The extra-embryonic coelom (EEC) and secondary yolk sac are prominent structures in the gestational sac during the first trimester of human pregnancy, at a time before the definitive placental circulation becomes established. We propose that the EEC and yolk sac play a critical role in the nutrition of early pregnancy, fulfilling exchange functions which are assumed by the placenta at a later stage

Asset-Oriented Access Control: Towards a New IoT Framework

Controlling asset-access has traditionally been considered a matter for systems in which assets reside. Centralized approaches to access control are, however, problematic for the IoT. One reason for this is that devices may not be confined to a single system of control. In this abstract, we argue for a new paradigm in which assets are empowered to make their own access decisions. To facilitate this shift in perspective, we propose a policy-neutral framework based on principles adapted from object-oriented programming. This approach establishes assets as active, message-passing entities that store and determine their own access control. We describe initial work modelling the interaction of such assets and point to future formal work for reasoning about protocols and policy composition

A Minimal C-Peptide Sampling Method to Capture Peak and Total Pre-Hepatic Insulin Secretion in Model-Based Experimental Insulin Sensitivity Studies

Aims and Background: Model-based insulin sensitivity testing via the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) or similar is clinically very intensive due to the need for frequent sampling to accurately capture the dynamics of insulin secretion and clearance. The goal of this study was to significantly reduce the number of samples required in intravenous glucose tolerance test protocols to accurately identify C-peptide and insulin secretion characteristics. Methods: Frequently sampled IVGTT data from 12 subjects [5 normal glucose-tolerant (NGT) and 7 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)] were analyzed to calculate insulin and C-peptide secretion using a well-accepted C-peptide model. Samples were reduced in a series of steps based on the critical IVGTT profile points required for the accurate estimation of C-peptide secretion. The full data set of 23 measurements was reduced to sets with six or four measurements. The peak secretion rate and total secreted C-peptide during 10 and 20 minutes postglucose input and during the total test time were calculated. Results were compared to those from the full data set using the Wilcoxon rank sum to assess any differences. Results: In each case, the calculated secretion metrics were largely unchanged, within expected assay variation, and not significantly different from results obtained using the full 23 measurement data set (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Peak and total C-peptide and insulin secretory characteristics can be estimated accurately in an IVGTT from as few as four systematically chosen samples, providing an opportunity to minimize sampling, cost, and burden

Analytical sun synchronous low-thrust manoeuvres

Article describes analytical sun synchronous low-thrust manoeuvres

Partially Observable Concurrent Kleene Algebra

We introduce partially observable concurrent Kleene algebra (POCKA), an algebraic framework to reason about concurrent programs with variables as well as control structures, such as conditionals and loops, that depend on those variables. We illustrate the use of POCKA through concrete examples. We prove that POCKA is a sound and complete axiomatisation of a model of partial observations, and show the semantics passes an important check for sequential consistency

Partially Observable Concurrent Kleene Algebra

We introduce partially observable concurrent Kleene algebra (POCKA), an algebraic framework to reason about concurrent programs with variables as well as control structures, such as conditionals and loops, that depend on those variables. We illustrate the use of POCKA through concrete examples. We prove that POCKA is a sound and complete axiomatisation of a model of partial observations, and show the semantics passes an important check for sequential consistency

Health and toxicity in content moderation: the discursive work of justification

Within academia, industry, and government, the terms ‘health’ and ‘toxicity’ are widely used to describe and justify decisions around online content and its removal. However, the meanings of these terms are assumed to be self-evident and therefore are rarely examined. This article turns a critical eye to the health and toxicity metaphor to unpack its hidden political work. We trace the metaphor through three different discourses: the historical political economy of the term, the usage by cultural elites in the last two decades, and finally through its contemporary instrumental usage by volunteer content moderators on Facebook. By linking these discourses together, we argue that the metaphor of health and toxicity serves as a means for justification and legitimacy under contemporary neoliberalized orders that typically chafe at modes of public intervention and the language of democratic statecraft. Rather than elucidating the challenges of online content, we find that the metaphor often serves to obfuscate or sidestep the hardest problems in democratic governance. This analysis therefore has practical significance for researchers, policymakers, journalists, and other speakers that publicly traffic in this discourse at large

Inhibition of activin/nodal signalling is necessary for pancreatic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Peer reviewedPublisher PD