2,934 research outputs found
Dynamic sensitivity of photon-dressed atomic ensemble with quantum criticality
We study the dynamic sensitivity of an atomic ensemble dressed by a single-mode cavity field (called a photon-dressed atomic ensemble), which is described by the Dicke model near the quantum critical point. It is shown that when an extra atom in a pure initial state passes through the cavity, the photon-dressed atomic ensemble will experience a quantum phase transition showing an explicit sudden change in its dynamics characterized by the Loschmidt echo of this quantum critical system. With such dynamic sensitivity, the Dicke model can resemble the cloud chamber for detecting a flying particle by the enhanced trajectory due to the classical phase transition. © 2009 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio
New grading system for upper urinary tract dilation using magnetic resonance urography in patients with Neurogenic Bladder
Efficient and Unbiased Estimation of Population Size
Population sizing from still aerial pictures is of wide applicability in ecological and social sciences. The problem is long standing because current automatic detection and counting algorithms are known to fail in most cases, and exhaustive manual counting is tedious, slow, difficult to verify and unfeasible for large populations. An alternative is to multiply population density with some reference area but, unfortunately, sampling details, handling of edge effects, etc., are seldom described. For the first time we address the problem using principles of geometric sampling. These principles are old and solid, but largely unknown outside the areas of three dimensional microscopy and stereology. Here we adapt them to estimate the size of any population of individuals lying on an essentially planar area, e.g. people, animals, trees on a savanna, etc. The proposed design is unbiased irrespective of population size, pattern, perspective artifacts, etc. The implementation is very simple—it is based on the random superimposition of coarse quadrat grids. Also, an objective error assessment is often lacking. For the latter purpose the quadrat counts are often assumed to be independent. We demonstrate that this approach can perform very poorly, and we propose (and check via Monte Carlo resampling) a new theoretical error prediction formula. As far as efficiency, counting about 50 (100) individuals in 20 quadrats, can yield relative standard errors of about 8% (5%) in typical cases. This fact effectively breaks the barrier hitherto imposed by the current lack of automatic face detection algorithms, because semiautomatic sampling and manual counting becomes an attractive option
Basigin-2 upregulated by receptor activator of NF-κB ligand enhances lung cancer-induced osteolytic lesions
Conformational adaptation of Asian macaque TRIMCyp directs lineage specific antiviral activity
TRIMCyps are anti-retroviral proteins that have arisen independently in New World and Old World primates. All TRIMCyps comprise a CypA domain fused to the tripartite domains of TRIM5α but they have distinct lentiviral specificities, conferring HIV-1 restriction in New World owl monkeys and HIV-2 restriction in Old World rhesus macaques. Here we provide evidence that Asian macaque TRIMCyps have acquired changes that switch restriction specificity between different lentiviral lineages, resulting in species-specific alleles that target different viruses. Structural, thermodynamic and viral restriction analysis suggests that a single mutation in the Cyp domain, R69H, occurred early in macaque TRIMCyp evolution, expanding restriction specificity to the lentiviral lineages found in African green monkeys, sooty mangabeys and chimpanzees. Subsequent mutations have enhanced restriction to particular viruses but at the cost of broad specificity. We reveal how specificity is altered by a scaffold mutation, E143K, that modifies surface electrostatics and propagates conformational changes into the active site. Our results suggest that lentiviruses may have been important pathogens in Asian macaques despite the fact that there are no reported lentiviral infections in current macaque populations
Comparison of the pharmacodynamic profiles of a biosimilar filgrastim and Amgen filgrastim: results from a randomized, phase I trial
Further to the patent expiry of Neupogen® (Amgen filgrastim), Hospira has developed a biosimilar filgrastim (Nivestim™) that may offer a clinically effective alternative for multiple hematologic and oncologic indications. Here results are reported from a phase I trial, primarily designed to compare the pharmacodynamic profiles of Hospira filgrastim and Amgen filgrastim. A phase I, single-center, double-blind, randomized trial was undertaken to demonstrate equivalence of the pharmacodynamic characteristics of Hospira filgrastim and Amgen filgrastim. Fifty healthy volunteers were randomized to receive 5 or 10 µg/kg dosing, before further randomization to treatment sequence. All volunteers received five daily subcutaneous doses of Hospira filgrastim or Neupogen, with subsequent crossover to the alternative treatment. Bioequivalence was evaluated by analysis of variance; if the estimated 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the ratio of ‘test’ to ‘reference’ treatment means were within the conventional equivalence limits of 0.80–1.25, then bioequivalence was concluded. Forty-eight volunteers completed the study. Geometric mean absolute neutrophil count area under the curve from time 0 to the last time point at day 5 (primary endpoint) was comparable in volunteers given Hospira filgrastim or Amgen filgrastim at 5 µg/kg (ratio of means, 0.98; 90% CI, 0.92–1.05) or 10 µg/kg (ratio, 0.97; 90% CI, 0.93–1.01); 90% CIs were within the predefined range necessary to demonstrate bioequivalence. Hospira filgrastim was well tolerated with no additional safety concerns over Amgen filgrastim. Hospira filgrastim is bioequivalent with Amgen filgrastim with regard to its pharmacodynamic characteristics
Event Monitoring System to Classify Unexpected Events for Production Planning
[EN] Production planning prepares companies to a future production scenario. The decision process followed to obtain the production plan considers real data and estimated data of this future scenario. However, these plans can be affected by unexpected events that alter the planned scenario and in consequence, the production planning. This is especially critical when the production planning is ongoing. Thus providing information about these events can be critical to reconsider the production planning. We herein propose an event monitoring system to identify events and to classify them into different impact levels. The information obtained from this system helps to build a risk matrix, which determines the significance of the risk from the impact level and the likelihood. A prototype has been built following this proposal.This research has been carried out in the framework of the project GV/2014/010 funded by the Generalitat Valenciana (Identificacion de la informacion proporcionada por los nuevos sistemas de deteccion accesibles mediante internet en el ambito de las "sensing enterprises" para la mejora de la toma de decisiones en la planificacion de la produccion).Boza, A.; Alarcón Valero, F.; Alemany DÃaz, MDM.; Cuenca, L. (2017). Event Monitoring System to Classify Unexpected Events for Production Planning. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing. 291:140-154. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62386-3_7S140154291Barták, R.: On the boundary of planning and scheduling: a study (1999)Buzacott, J.A., Corsten, H., Gössinger, R., Schneider, H.M.: Production Planning and Control: Basics and Concepts. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, München (2012)Özdamar, L., Bozyel, M.A., Birbil, S.I.: A hierarchical decision support system for production planning (with case study). Eur. J. Oper. Res. 104(3), 403–422 (1998)Van Wezel, W., Van Donk, D.P., Gaalman, G.: The planning flexibility bottleneck in food processing industries. J. Oper. Manag. 24(3), 287–300 (2006)Shamsuzzoha, A.H., Rintala, S., Cunha, P.F., Ferreira, P.S., Kankaanpää, T., Maia Carneiro, L.: Event monitoring and management process in a non-hierarchical business network. In: Intelligent Non-hierarchical Manufacturing Networks, pp. 349–374. Wiley, Hoboken (2013)Sacala, I.S., Moisescu, M.A., Repta, D.: Towards the development of the future internet based enterprise in the context of cyber-physical systems. In: 19th International Conference on Control Systems and Computer Science, CSCS 2013, pp. 405–412 (2013)Chen, K.C.: Decision support system for tourism development: system dynamics approach. J. Comput. Inf. Syst. 45(1), 104–112 (2004)Boza, A., Alemany, M.M.E., Vicens, E., Cuenca, L.: Event management in decision-making processes with decision support systems. In: 5th International Conference on Computers Communications and Control (2014)Liao, S.-H.: Expert system methodologies and applications–a decade review from 1995 to 2004. Expert Syst. Appl. 28(1), 93–103 (2005)ISO: 73: 2009: Risk management vocabulary. International Organization for Standardization (2009)Chan, F.T.S., Au, K.C., Chan, P.L.Y.: A decision support system for production scheduling in an ion plating cell. Expert Syst. Appl. 30(4), 727–738 (2006)Weinstein, L., Chung, C.-H.: Integrating maintenance and production decisions in a hierarchical production planning environment. Comput. Oper. Res. 26(10–11), 1059–1074 (1999)Poon, T.C., Choy, K.L., Chan, F.T.S., Lau, H.C.W.: A real-time production operations decision support system for solving stochastic production material demand problems. Expert Syst. Appl. 38(5), 4829–4838 (2011)SAP AG: SAP AG 2014. Next-Generation Business and the Internet of Things. Studio SAP | 27484enUS (14/03) (2014)Carneiro, L.M., Cunha, P., Ferreira, P.S., Shamsuzzoha, A.: Conceptual framework for non-hierarchical business networks for complex products design and manufacturing. Procedia CIRP 7, 61–66 (2013)Vargas, A., Cuenca, L., Boza, A., Sacala, I., Moisescu, M.: Towards the development of the framework for inter sensing enterprise architecture. J. Intell. Manuf. 26, 55–72 (2016)Barash, G., Bartolini, C., Wu, L.: Measuring and improving the performance of an IT support organization in managing service incidents, pp. 11–18 (2007)Liu, R., Kumar, A., van der Aalst, W.: A formal modeling approach for supply chain event management. Decis. Support Syst. 43(3), 761–778 (2007)Söderholm, A.: Project management of unexpected events. Int. J. Proj. Manag. 26(1), 80–86 (2008)Bearzotti, L.A., Salomone, E., Chiotti, O.J.: An autonomous multi-agent approach to supply chain event management. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 135(1), 468–478 (2012)Baron, M.M., Pate-Cornell, M.E.: Designing risk-management strategies for critical engineering systems. IEEE Trans. Eng. Manag. 46(1), 87–100 (1999)Bartolini, C., Stefanelli, C., Tortonesi, M.: SYMIAN: analysis and performance improvement of the IT incident management process. IEEE Trans. Netw. Serv. Manag. 7(3), 132–144 (2010)Cox Jr., L.A.: What’s wrong with risk matrices? Risk Anal. Int. J. 28(2), 497–512 (2008)Shim, J.P., Warkentin, M., Courtney, J.F., Power, D.J., Sharda, R., Carlsson, C.: Past, present, and future of decision support technology. Decis. Support Syst. 33(2), 111–126 (2002)Steiger, D.M.: Enhancing user understanding in a decision support system: a theoretical basis and framework (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1998.11518214Turban, E., Aronson, J., Liang, T.-P.: Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, 7th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (2005)Turban, E., Watkins, P.R.: Integrating expert systems and decision support systems, 10, 121–136 (1986)Cohen, D., AsÃn, E.: Sistemas de información para los negocios: un enfoque de toma de decisiones. McGraw-Hill, New York City (2001)Boza, A., Cortés, B., Alemany, M.M.E., Vicens, E.: Event monitoring software application for production planning systems. In: Cortés, P., Maeso-González, E., Escudero-Santana, A. (eds.) Enhancing Synergies in a Collaborative Environment. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-14078-0_14Boza, A., Alarcón, F., Alemany, M.M.E., Cuenca, L.: Event classification system to reconsider the production planning. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, pp. 82–88 (2016)Maximal Software: What is MPL? (2016). http://www.maximalsoftware.com/mpl/what.htm
Genome-Wide Association Study Meta-Analysis for Parkinson Disease Motor Subtypes
Objective: To discover genetic determinants of Parkinson disease (PD) motor subtypes, including tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) forms. Methods: In 3,212 PD cases of European ancestry, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) examining 2 complementary outcome traits derived from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, including dichotomous motor subtype (TD vs PIGD) or a continuous tremor/PIGD score ratio. Logistic or linear regression models were adjusted for sex, age at onset, disease duration, and 5 ancestry principal components, followed by meta-analysis. Results: Among 71 established PD risk variants, we detected multiple suggestive associations with PD motor subtype, including GPNMB (rs199351, psubtype = 0.01, pratio = 0.03), SH3GL2 (rs10756907, psubtype = 0.02, pratio = 0.01), HIP1R (rs10847864, psubtype = 0.02), RIT2 (rs12456492, psubtype = 0.02), and FBRSL1 (rs11610045, psubtype = 0.02). A PD genetic risk score integrating all 71 PD risk variants was also associated with subtype ratio (p = 0.026, ß = -0.04, 95% confidence interval = -0.07-0). Based on top results of our GWAS, we identify a novel suggestive association at the STK32B locus (rs2301857, pratio = 6.6 × 10-7), which harbors an independent risk allele for essential tremor. Conclusions: Multiple PD risk alleles may also modify clinical manifestations to influence PD motor subtype. The discovery of a novel variant at STK32B suggests a possible overlap between genetic risk for essential tremor and tremor-dominant PD
- …