Uncertainty Analysis in the Inverse of Equivalent Conductance Method for Dealing with Crosstalk in 2-D Resistive Sensor Arrays

2-D resistive sensor arrays (RSAs) appear in many applications to measure physical quantities in a surface. However, they suffer from a crosstalk problem when the simplest configuration is used to address a row-column. Thus, the value of a single cell cannot be measured directly. Several hardware solutions have been proposed to solve it totally or partially but all of them make the circuit more complex. In a previous paper we proposed an innovative numerical solution to eliminate crosstalk after a complete scan of the matrix, which is named in this paper as Inverse of Equivalent Conductance Method (IECM). In the current study, we have analyzed the implications of the method for the uncertainty of the calculated cell resistance by first deriving the sensitivity of the solution and then applying uncertainty propagation theory. The theoretical results have been tested in simulated arrays and in a real 6x6 RSA with known values of resistances with good agreement. The uncertainty analysis is able to predict which values are reliable. In general, the lowest resistances of the array are better solved by IECM as expected. In addition, it is also shown that IECM has the potential to be adapted to other hardware configurations that reduce crosstalk, helping to overcome some of its limitations. IEE

Stratospheric aircraft exhaust plume and wake chemistry studies

This report documents progress to date in an ongoing study to analyze and model emissions leaving a proposed High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) from when the exhaust gases leave the engine until they are deposited at atmospheric scales in the stratosphere. Estimates are given for the emissions, summarizing relevant earlier work (CIAP) and reviewing current propulsion research efforts. The chemical evolution and the mixing and vortical motion of the exhaust are analyzed to track the exhaust and its speciation as the emissions are mixed to atmospheric scales. The species tracked include those that could be heterogeneously reactive on the surfaces of the condensed solid water (ice) particles and on exhaust soot particle surfaces. Dispersion and reaction of chemical constituents in the far wake are studied with a Lagrangian air parcel model, in conjunction with a radiation code to calculate the net heating/cooling. Laboratory measurements of heterogeneous chemistry of aqueous sulfuric acid and nitric acid hydrates are also described. Results include the solubility of HCl in sulfuric acid which is a key parameter for modeling stratospheric processing. We also report initial results for condensation of nitric acid trihydrate from gas phase H2O and HNO3

Atg18 oligomer organization in assembled tubes and on lipid membrane scaffolds.

Autophagy-related protein 18 (Atg18) participates in the elongation of early autophagosomal structures in concert with Atg2 and Atg9 complexes. How Atg18 contributes to the structural coordination of Atg2 and Atg9 at the isolation membrane remains to be understood. Here, we determined the cryo-EM structures of Atg18 organized in helical tubes, Atg18 oligomers in solution as well as on lipid membrane scaffolds. The helical assembly is composed of Atg18 tetramers forming a lozenge cylindrical lattice with remarkable structural similarity to the COPII outer coat. When reconstituted with lipid membranes, using subtomogram averaging we determined tilted Atg18 dimer structures bridging two juxtaposed lipid membranes spaced apart by 80 Å. Moreover, lipid reconstitution experiments further delineate the contributions of Atg18's FRRG motif and the amphipathic helical extension in membrane interaction. The observed structural plasticity of Atg18's oligomeric organization and membrane binding properties provide a molecular framework for the positioning of downstream components of the autophagy machinery

From Macroscopic to Microscopic: Experimental and Computational Methods to Investigate Bio-tribology

Tribology is an important factor (among other factors) during biological interactions of devices and tissues. The paper discusses how new computational and experimental methods can be used to understand and improve the design and development of medical devices at macro and micro scales to sustain life beyond 50 years. We have used pre-clinical experiments and computational methods to understand interactions between orthopaedic implants at the macro scale. The computational model has been validated with experiments. Now this computational model can predict damage in implants for different patients. One such application was successfully tried and tested in collaboration with University National Autonomous Mexico. This methodology can be used in future to design patient specific, affordable (using 3D printing) and robust implants which will be useful for developing countries like Vietnam, India and Mexico. Improvement of catheter designs is important to reduce damage to the internal tissues while being used for cardiovascular problems. We are developing new experimental techniques (in micro scale) that can be used to understand the interaction of cells with the catheter material. These will help reduce the hospital costs incurred during longer stay of the patients admitted for cardiovascular related problems

Use of Native Grassland in Small-Scale Dairy Systems in the Highlands of Central Mexico. A Case Study

Small-scale dairy systems in Mexico comprise 78% of specialized dairy farms and provide 37% of national production. They are small farms with herds 3-35 cows plus replacements, and rely on family labour (Posadas-Domínguez et al., 2014). In the highlands, many farms have native grasslands, grazed during the rainy season, and supplemented with other feeds as maize straw, maize grain and maize ears. Native grasslands have not been studied in this context. This is a case study on the use of native grassland in a small-scale dairy farm. The objective was to determine how native grasslands are integrated in feeding milking dairy cows, and the feeding costs involved

p53 and bcl-2 expression in high-grade B-cell lymphomas: correlation with survival time.

B-cell high-grade lymphomas are heterogeneous in terms of histology, clinical presentation, treatment response and prognosis. As bcl-2 and p53 gene deregulations are frequently involved in several types of lymphoid malignancies, we aimed our investigation at the study of the relation between bcl-2 and p53 expression and survival probability in a group of 119 patients with B-cell high-grade lymphoma. These were obtained from the Virgen de la Salud Hospital, Toledo, Spain (73 cases), John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK (31 cases), and the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy (15 cases). The relation between bcl-2 protein expression and survival was small, depending on the primary localisation of the tumour (in lymph node of mucosae), and lacked a significant correlation with overall survival. In contrast with this, p53 expression was related to survival probability in our series, this relation being both significant and independent of histological diagnosis. p53-positive patients showed a sudden decrease in life expectancy in the first months after diagnosis. Multivariant regression analysis confirmed that the only parameters significantly related with survival were extranodal origin, which is associated with a better prognosis, and p53 expression, which indicates a poor prognosis. Simultaneous expression of bcl-2 and p53 was associated with a poorer prognosis than p53 alone. This is particularly significant for large B-cell lymphomas presenting in lymph nodes. The cumulative poor effect of both p53 and bcl-2 in large B-cell lymphomas, which is more significant in nodal tumours, could confirm the existence of a multistep genetic deregulation in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This indicates that the genetic mechanisms controlling apoptosis and their disregulation are critical steps in the progression of lymphomas

Bayesian prediction of lung and breast cancer mortality among women in Spain (2014-2020)

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the main cause of cancer mortality among women, and mortality from lung cancer (LC) is increasing among women. The purpose of the present study was to project the mortality rates of both cancers and predict when LC mortality will exceed BC mortality. METHODS: The cancer mortality data and female population distribution were obtained from the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Crude rate (CR), age-standardized rate (ASR), and age-specific rate were calculated for the period 1980-2013 and projected for the period 2014-2020 using a Bayesian log-linear Poisson model. RESULTS: All calculated rates were greater for BC than for LC in 2013 (CR, 27.3 versus 17.3; ASR, 13.5 versus 9.3), and the CR was not projected to change by 2020 (29.2 versus 27.6). The ASR for LC is expected to surpass that of BC in 2019 (12.9 versus 12.7). CONCLUSIONS: By 2020 the LC mortality rates may exceed those of BC for ages 55-74 years, possibly because of the prevalence of smoking among women, and the screening for and more effective treatment of BC. BC screening could be a good opportunity to help smokers quit by offering counseling and behavioral intervention