A New SVDD-Based Multivariate Non-parametric Process Capability Index

Process capability index (PCI) is a commonly used statistic to measure ability of a process to operate within the given specifications or to produce products which meet the required quality specifications. PCI can be univariate or multivariate depending upon the number of process specifications or quality characteristics of interest. Most PCIs make distributional assumptions which are often unrealistic in practice. This paper proposes a new multivariate non-parametric process capability index. This index can be used when distribution of the process or quality parameters is either unknown or does not follow commonly used distributions such as multivariate normal

A placebo-controlled pilot study of intensification of antiretroviral therapy with mycophenolate mofetil

PURPOSE: We studied the safety, tolerability, virologic, and immunologic effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) added to a stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the setting of low-level viremia. METHODS: MMF 500 mg BID or placebo was given to patients thought to be adherent on stable ART with plasma viremia between 200 and 4000 copies/mL. At week 4 unblinding was performed and patients on placebo were offered open-label MMF. RESULTS: Six patients were enrolled. At entry mean plasma HIV-1 RNA (VL) was 2.98 log(10 )copies/mL; mean CD4 count was 523. All subjects randomized to placebo elected to cross over to open label MMF. No significant adverse events were observed during MMF therapy. Three patients on MMF achieved VL < 50 copies/mL by week 4; a fourth had VL decline of > 0.5 log. Two patients on placebo had declines of VL. One of these had further decline on open label MMF. Cell surface markers of apoptosis, activation, and proliferation on CD4+ and CD8+ cells declined modestly or remained low. CD4 counts were stable at week 24. All but one subject had rebound of viremia by week 24, universally associated with missed doses of medication by pill count. CONCLUSION: MMF appears to be safe, and its administration lead to decreased T cell activation. During periods of adherence to therapy, the use of MMF was correlated with declines in viremia, but this small pilot study could not prove this association. Further study of MMF in patients with viremia should be considered for whom additional or alternative antiretrovirals are impractical

Disaster management and resilience in electric power systems: the case of Chile

Chile is one of the countries located at the Ring of Fire. This belt concentrates subduction zones such as between the Nazca and South America Tectonic Plate, which is the reason for the intense seismic and volcanic activity in Chile. The strongest earthquake in the last years (Mw 8.8), took place the 27th February 2010. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile. The official death toll was 521, while the number of missing was 56. The Government declared 6 regions as zone of Catastrophes: Valparaiso, Metropolitana,Maule, BioBio, and Araucania. It is estimated that the earthquake generated a power outage that affected the 93% of the country; therefore, the electricity and communications were initially interrupted, but later mostly restored. However, it took some days in the case of some locations. Electricity infrastructure is key for the function of critical services (health, traffic control, water supply), which are necessary for undertaking the emergency response tasks after an earthquake and/or a tsunami. In normal times, the electricity infrastructure is necessary to sustain human and economic wellbeing since it supplies energy to industrial, commercial financial sectors, communication networks, and hence almost all activities in modern societies. There are four electricity supply systems in Chile: the Central Interconnected System, the Norte Grande Interconnected System, the Aysén and Magallanes. Nevertheless, the biggest system regarding installed capacity (75%) and population served (93%) is the Central Interconnected System, therefore the most important. In this project we want to support the implementation of community resilience due to power outages caused by earthquakes and tsunamis. To achieve this aim we plan to collect and analyze qualitative data to identify the needs of the affected population due to the power outage and its coping strategies

Exogenous Short Chain Fatty Acid Effects in APP/PS1 Mice

Elucidating the impact of the gut microbiome on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an area of intense interest. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are major microbiota metabolites that have been implicated as a mediator of gut microbiome effects in the brain. Here, we tested the effects of SCFA-treated water vs. saline-treated water on APPswe/PSEN1dE9 mice maintained under standard laboratory conditions. Mice were treated with SCFAs from five months of age until ten months of age, when they were evaluated for microbiome profile, impaired spatial memory as evaluated with the radial arm water maze, astrocyte activation as measured by Gfap expression and amyloid burden as assessed by histochemistry and MSD ELISA. We report that SCFA treatment increased alpha-diversity and impacted the gut microbiome profile by increasing, in part, the relative abundance of several bacteria that typically produce SCFAs. However, SCFA treatment did not significantly affect behavior. Similarly, SCFAs did not affect cortical or hippocampal astrocyte activation observed in the APP/PS1 mice. Lastly, although robust levels of soluble and insoluble amyloid were present in the APP/PS1 mice, SCFA treatment had no effect on these indices. Overall, our findings are that SCFA treatment modifies the microbiome in a fashion that may increase further SCFA production. However, SCFA treatment did not alter behavior, astrocyte activation, nor amyloid neuropathology in APP/PS1 mice maintained with a conventional microbiome

High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing In Michigan Integrated Assessment Final Report

This report is part of the Hydraulic Fracturing in Michigan Integrated Assessment (IA) which has been underway since 2012. The guiding question of the IA is, “What are the best environmental, economic, social, and technological approaches for managing hydraulic fracturing in the State of Michigan?” The purpose of the IA is to present information that: • expands and clarifies the scope of policy options, and • allows a wide range of decision makers to make choices based on their preferences and values. As a result, the IA does not advocate for recommended courses of action. Rather, it presents information about the likely strengths, weaknesses, and outcomes of various options to support informed decision making. The project’s first phase involved the preparation of technical reports on key topics related to hydraulic fracturing in Michigan which were released by the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute in September 2013. This document is the final report for the IA. The IA report has been informed by the technical reports, input from an Advisory Committee with representatives from corporate, governmental, and non-governmental organizations, a peer review panel, and numerous public comments received throughout this process. However, the report does not necessarily reflect the views of the Advisory Committee or any other group which has provided input. As with preparation of the technical reports, all decisions regarding content of project analyses and reports have been determined by the IA Report and Integration Teams. While the IA has attempted to provide a comprehensive review of the current status and trends of high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), specifically, in Michigan (the technical reports) and an analysis of policy options (this report) there are certain limitations which must be recognized: • The assessment does not and was not intended to provide a quantitative assessment (human health or environmental) of the potential risks associated with HVHF. Completing such assessments is currently a key point of national discussion related to HVHF despite the challenges of uncertainty and limited available data–particularly baseline data. • The assessment does not provide an economic analysis or a cost-benefit analysis of the presented policy options. While economic strengths and/or weaknesses were identified for many of the options, these should not be viewed as full economic analyses. Additional study would be needed to fully assess the economic impact of various policy actions, including no change of current policy.U-M Graham Sustainability InstituteU-M Energy InstituteU-M Erb Institute for Global Sustainable EnterpriseU-M Risk Science CenterPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113663/1/HF-IA-Final-Report.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113663/2/HF-IA-Final-Exec-Summary.pdf-1Description of HF-IA-Final-Report.pdf : Full ReportDescription of HF-IA-Final-Exec-Summary.pdf : Executive Summar

Reducing Decisional Conflict and Enhancing Satisfaction with Information among Women Considering Breast Reconstruction following Mastectomy: Results from the BRECONDA Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Deciding whether or not to have breast reconstruction following breast cancer diagnosis is a complex decision process. This randomized controlled trial assessed the impact of an online decision aid [Breast RECONstruction Decision Aid (BRECONDA)] on breast reconstruction decision-making. Methods: Women (n = 222) diagnosed with breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, and eligible for reconstruction following mastectomy, completed an online baseline questionnaire. They were then assigned randomly to receive either standard online information about breast reconstruction (control) or standard information plus access to BRECONDA (intervention). Participants then completed questionnaires at 1 and 6 months after randomization. The primary outcome was participants' decisional conflict 1 month after exposure to the intervention. Secondary outcomes included decisional conflict at 6 months, satisfaction with information at 1 and 6 months, and 6-month decisional regret. Results: Linear mixed-model analyses revealed that 1-month decisional conflict was significantly lower in the intervention group (27.18) compared with the control group (35.5). This difference was also sustained at the 6-month follow-up. Intervention participants reported greater satisfaction with information at 1- and 6-month follow-up, and there was a nonsignificant trend for lower decisional regret in the intervention group at 6-month follow-up. Intervention participants' ratings for BRECONDA demonstrated high user acceptability and overall satisfaction. Conclusions: Women who accessed BRECONDA benefited by experiencing significantly less decisional conflict and being more satisfied with information regarding the reconstruction decisional process than women receiving standard care alone. These findings support the efficacy of BRECONDA in helping women to arrive at their breast reconstruction decision

Genome-to-genome analysis highlights the effect of the human innate and adaptive immune systems on the hepatitis C virus

Outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and treatment depend on viral and host genetic factors. Here we use human genome-wide genotyping arrays and new whole-genome HCV viral sequencing technologies to perform a systematic genome-to-genome study of 542 individuals who were chronically infected with HCV, predominantly genotype 3. We show that both alleles of genes encoding human leukocyte antigen molecules and genes encoding components of the interferon lambda innate immune system drive viral polymorphism. Additionally, we show that IFNL4 genotypes determine HCV viral load through a mechanism dependent on a specific amino acid residue in the HCV NS5A protein. These findings highlight the interplay between the innate immune system and the viral genome in HCV control

What is the role of ethics in accreditation documentation from a global view?

Ethics in engineering has long been an important element in engineering programmes, however these subjects are often taught at a basic learning level with little attempt to connect to demonstrative learning outcomes. In recent years there has been a step change in the importance of ethics as an integral part of engineering programmes and is reflected in the text of accreditation documents. In this paper we expand our analysis from an earlier study, which focused on four European countries, to understand the role of ethics on a more global scale. We conducted a multi-country analysis on how and where ethics features in accreditation documents in twelve countries across five continents (Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France/Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, UK and USA). We identified explicit or implicit references to ethics education, extracted verbs relating to learning outcomes, and compared definitions of key terms. A comparison to Bloom’s taxonomy showed considerably higher frequency of verbs linked to ethics teaching associated to lower levels of cognitive learning. Definitions of terms relating to the process of accreditation were often lacking in documents, highlighting a need for setting terms of reference. This study highlights differences in how ethics is described in accreditation documents. However, more needs to be done to explicitly highlight ethics as an integral part of engineering education. Relying on implicit links to ethics leaves the role of ethics open to interpretation, resulting in uneven emphasis in the translation of ethics within programme designs