Mineralogical and chemical studies of soil formation from acid and basic igneous rocks in Missouri

Publication authorized January 7, 1943."The report of these studies formed the major part of the thesis presented by R.P. Humbert for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ohio State University"--P. [4].Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-60)

Are labels informative in semi-supervised learning? -- Estimating and leveraging the missing-data mechanism

Semi-supervised learning is a powerful technique for leveraging unlabeled data to improve machine learning models, but it can be affected by the presence of ``informative'' labels, which occur when some classes are more likely to be labeled than others. In the missing data literature, such labels are called missing not at random. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to address this issue by estimating the missing-data mechanism and using inverse propensity weighting to debias any SSL algorithm, including those using data augmentation. We also propose a likelihood ratio test to assess whether or not labels are indeed informative. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods on different datasets, in particular on two medical datasets for which we design pseudo-realistic missing data scenarios

Schistosomiasis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a systematic review.

Schistosomiasis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (Sch-PAH) is a life-threatening complication of chronic hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. It is suggested to be the leading cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) worldwide. However, pathophysiological data on Sch-PAH are scarce. We examined the hypothesis that there are pronounced similarities in pathophysiology, haemodynamics, and survival of Sch-PAH and idiopathic PAH (iPAH).This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the PROSPERO database (identifier CRD42018104066). A systematic search and review of the literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines for studies published between 01 January 1990 and 29 June 2018.For Sch-PAH, 18 studies evaluating pathophysiological mechanisms, eight studies on haemodynamics (n=277), and three studies on survival (n=191) were identified. 16 clinical registries reporting data on haemodynamics and survival including a total of 5792 patients with iPAH were included for comparison. Proinflammatory molecular pathways are involved in both Sch-PAH and iPAH. The transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling pathway is upregulated in Sch-PAH and iPAH. While there was no difference in mean pulmonary artery pressure (54±17 mmHg versus 55±15 mmHg, p=0.29), cardiac output (4.4±1.3 L·min-1 versus 4.1±1.4 L·min-1, p=0.046), and cardiac index (2.6±0.7 L·min-1·m-2 versus 2.3±0.8 L·min-1·m-2, p<0.001) were significantly higher in Sch-PAH compared to iPAH, resulting in a lower pulmonary vascular resistance in Sch-PAH (10±6 Woods units versus 13±7 Woods units, p<0.001). 1- and 3-year survival were significantly better in the Sch-PAH group (p<0.001).Sch-PAH and iPAH share common pathophysiological mechanisms related to inflammation and the TGF-β signalling pathway. Patients with Sch-PAH show a significantly better haemodynamic profile and survival than patients with iPAH

IMPACT 2002+: A new life cycle impact assessment methodology

The new IMPACT 2002+ life cycle impact assessment methodology proposes a feasible implementation of a combined midpoint/damage approach, linking all types of life cycle inventory results (elementary flows and other interventions) via 14 midpoint categories to four damage categories. For IMPACT 2002+, new concepts and methods have been developed, especially for the comparative assessment of human toxicity and ecotoxicity. Human Damage Factors are calculated for carcinogens and non-carcinogens, employing intake fractions, best estimates of dose-response slope factors, as well as severities. The transfer of contaminants into the human food is no more based on consumption surveys, but accounts for agricultural and livestock production levels. Indoor and outdoor air emissions can be compared and the intermittent character of rainfall is considered. Both human toxicity and ecotoxicity effect factors are based on mean responses rather than on conservative assumptions. Other midpoint categories are adapted from existing characterizing methods (Eco-indicator 99 and CML 2002). All midpoint scores are expressed in units of a reference substance and related to the four damage categories human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources. Normalization can be performed either at midpoint or at damage level. The IMPACT 2002+ method presently provides characterization factors for almost 1500 different LCI-results, which can be downloaded at http://www.epfl.ch/impac

De gustibus est disputandum: An empirical investigation of the folk concept of aesthetic taste

Past research on folk aesthetics has suggested that most people are subjectivists when it comes to aesthetic judgment. However, most people also make a distinction between good and bad aesthetic taste. To understand the extent to which these two observations conflict with one another, we need a better understanding of people's everyday concept of aesthetic taste. In this paper, we present the results of a study in which participants drawn from a representative sample of the US population were asked whether they usually distinguish between good and bad taste, how they define them, and whether aesthetic taste can be improved. Those who answered positively to the first question were asked to provide their definition of good and bad taste, while those who answered positively to the third question were asked to detail by what means taste can be improved. Our results suggest that most people distinguish between good and bad taste, and think taste can be improved. People's definitions of good and bad taste were varied, and were torn between very subjectivist conceptions of taste and others that lent themselves to a more objectivist interpretation. Overall, our results suggest that the tension Hume observed in conceptions of aesthetic taste is still present today

Analyse statistique de données radiomiques et métabolomiques : prédiction des lésions mammaires triple-négatives

International audienceLa caractérisation de l’hétérogénéité tumorale à partir des images médicales (appeléeaussi radiomique) et de l’extraction de données omiques est un enjeu majeur en cancérologie,notamment dans la mise en place de la médecine de précision. Or actuellement, le lien entre lesvariables radiomiques (VR) et les caractéristiques biologiques des lésions est encore mal connu.L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier la corrélation entre les VR et les variables métabolomiques (VM)dans le cancer du sein, et d’analyser leur capacité à prédire le sous-type immunohistochimique deslésions

Grass Functional Traits Differentiate Forest and Savanna in the Madagascar Central Highlands

<p>Grassland, woodland, and forest are three key vegetation types that co-occur across the central highlands of Madagascar, where the woodland has historically been considered as degraded forest. Here, we use grass functional traits to inform our understanding of the biogeography of Malagasy vegetation and the differentiation of vegetation types in the region. We sampled grass community composition at 56 sites across the central highlands of Madagascar spanning grassland, woodland, and forest. We selected seven functional traits known to correlate with different aspects of life history collated via GrassBase (habit, culm type, physiology, leaf consistency, plant height, leaf width, and leaf length) for the 71 constituent species. Via analyses of the beta diversity, rank abundance, functional dispersion, functional group richness, and community phylogenetic structure of grassland communities, we differentiate these vegetation types using plant functional traits. Grassland and woodland are highly similar in grass species composition and dominated by the same species (Loudetia simplex, Trachypogon spicatus, and Schizachyrium sanguineum). In contrast, forest grass species composition significantly differs from both grassland and woodland. Consistent with these species composition patterns, the vegetation types can be distinguished based on physiology, culm type, and leaf consistency. Forests harbor primarily C₃ grasses, which are almost invariably laterally spreading with herbaceous leaves. In contrast, both grassland and woodland species are predominantly tall, caespitose C₄ grasses with coriaceous leaves. Forest grasses are phylogenetically clustered and less diverse than the grassland and woodland communities. Further, we sampled bark thickness of the common woody species occurring in the woodland and forest of the region and found that the relative bark thickness of the woodland tree species was significantly greater than that of forest species from the same genus. We found that the functional traits and architecture of grasses diverge strongly between forest and the grassland-woodland mosaic. We conclude that the woodlands, primarily dominated by Uapaca bojeri Baill., are a form of savanna and not forest as has been previously suggested.</p

Inhibition of anti-tuberculosis T-lymphocyte function with tumour necrosis factor antagonists

Reactivation of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is a major complication of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α treatment, but its mechanism is not fully understood. We evaluated the effect of the TNF antagonists infliximab (Ifx), adalimumab (Ada) and etanercept (Eta) on anti-mycobacterial immune responses in two conditions: with ex vivo studies from patients treated with TNF antagonists and with the in vitro addition of TNF antagonists to cells stimulated with mycobacterial antigens. In both cases, we analysed the response of CD4(+ )T lymphocytes to purified protein derivative (PPD) and to culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10, an antigen restricted to Mtb. The tests performed were lymphoproliferation and immediate production of interferon (IFN)-γ. In the 68 patients with inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, spondylarthropathy or Crohn's disease), including 31 patients with a previous or latent tuberculosis (TB), 14 weeks of anti-TNF-α treatment had no effect on the proliferation of CD4(+ )T lymphocytes. In contrast, the number of IFN-γ-releasing CD4(+ )T lymphocytes decreased for PPD (p < 0.005) and CFP-10 (p < 0.01) in patients with previous TB and for PPD (p < 0.05) in other patients (all vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guérin). Treatments with Ifx and with Eta affected IFN-γ release to a similar extent. In vitro addition of TNF antagonists to CD4(+ )T lymphocytes stimulated with mycobacterial antigens inhibited their proliferation and their expression of membrane-bound TNF (mTNF). These effects occurred late in cultures, suggesting a direct effect of TNF antagonists on activated mTNF(+ )CD4(+ )T lymphocytes, and Ifx and Ada were more efficient than Eta. Therefore, TNF antagonists have a dual action on anti-mycobacterial CD4(+ )T lymphocytes. Administered in vivo, they decrease the frequency of the subpopulation of memory CD4(+ )T lymphocytes rapidly releasing IFN-γ upon challenge with mycobacterial antigens. Added in vitro, they inhibit the activation of CD4(+ )T lymphocytes by mycobacterial antigens. Such a dual effect may explain the increased incidence of TB in patients treated with TNF antagonists as well as possible differences between TNF antagonists for the incidence and the clinical presentation of TB reactivation

Proceedings of the third French-Ukrainian workshop on the instrumentation developments for HEP

The reports collected in these proceedings have been presented in the third French-Ukrainian workshop on the instrumentation developments for high-energy physics held at LAL, Orsay on October 15-16. The workshop was conducted in the scope of the IDEATE International Associated Laboratory (LIA). Joint developments between French and Ukrainian laboratories and universities as well as new proposals have been discussed. The main topics of the papers presented in the Proceedings are developments for accelerator and beam monitoring, detector developments, joint developments for large-scale high-energy and astroparticle physics projects, medical applications.Comment: 3rd French-Ukrainian workshop on the instrumentation developments for High Energy Physics, October 15-16, 2015, LAL, Orsay, France, 94 page

Topical ascorbic acid on photoaged skin. Clinical, topographical and ultrastructural evaluation: double-blind study vs. placebo.

peer reviewedaudience: researcherVitamin C is known for its antioxidant potential and activity in the collagen biosynthetic pathway. Photoprotective properties of topically applied vitamin C have also been demonstrated, placing this molecule as a potential candidate for use in the prevention and treatment of skin ageing. A topically applied cream containing 5% vitamin C and its excipient were tested on healthy female volunteers presenting with photoaged skin on their low-neck and arms in view to evaluate efficacy and safety of such treatment. A double-blind, randomized trial was performed over a 6-month period, comparing the action of the vitamin C cream vs. excipient on photoaged skin. Clinical assessments included evaluation at the beginning and after 3 and 6 months of daily treatment. They were performed by the investigator and compared with the volunteer self assessment. Skin relief parameters were determined on silicone rubber replicas performed at the same time-points. Cutaneous biopsies were obtained at the end of the trial and investigated using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Clinical examination by a dermatologist as well as self-assessment by the volunteers disclosed a significant improvement, in terms of the 'global score', on the vitamin C-treated side compared with the control. A highly significant increase in the density of skin microrelief and a decrease of the deep furrows were demonstrated. Ultrastructural evidence of the elastic tissue repair was also obtained and well corroborated the favorable results of the clinical and skin surface examinations. Topical application of 5% vitamin C cream was an effective and well-tolerated treatment. It led to a clinically apparent improvement of the photodamaged skin and induced modifications of skin relief and ultrastructure, suggesting a positive influence of topical vitamin C on parameters characteristic for sun-induced skin ageing