Indicator function and complex coding for mixed fractional factorial designs

In a general fractional factorial design, the $n$-levels of a factor are coded by the $n$-th roots of the unity. This device allows a full generalization to mixed-level designs of the theory of the polynomial indicator function which has already been introduced for two level designs by Fontana and the Authors (2000). the properties of orthogonal arrays and regular fractions are discussed

Measurement errors with low-cost citizen science radiometers

The KdUINO is a Do-It-Yourself buoy with low-cost radiometers that measure a parameter related to water transparency, the diffuse attenuation coefficient integrated into all the photosynthetically active radiation. In this contribution, we analyze the measurement errors of a novel low-cost multispectral radiometer that is used with the KdUINO.Peer Reviewe

Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) in the pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis-associated pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Myth or reality?

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of skin and multiple internal organs and severe functional and structural microvascular alterations. SSc is considered to be the prototypic systemic fibrotic disorder. Despite currently available therapeutic approaches SSc has a high mortality rate owing to the development of SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), complications that have emerged as the most frequent causes of disability and mortality in SSc. The pathogenesis of the fibrotic process in SSc is complex and despite extensive investigation the exact mechanisms have remained elusive. Myofibroblasts are the cells ultimately responsible for tissue fibrosis and fibroproliferative vasculopathy in SSc. Tissue myofibroblasts in SSc originate from several sources including expansion of quiescent tissue fibroblasts and tissue accumulation of CD34+ fibrocytes. Besides these sources, myofibroblasts in SSc may result from the phenotypic conversion of endothelial cells into activated myofibroblasts, a process known as endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). Recently, it has been postulated that EndoMT may play a role in the development of SSc-associated ILD and PAH. However, although several studies have described the occurrence of EndoMT in experimentally induced cardiac, renal, and pulmonary fibrosis and in several human disorders, the contribution of EndoMT to SSc-associated ILD and PAH has not been generally accepted. Here, the experimental evidence supporting the concept that EndoMT plays a role in the pathogenesis of SSc-associated ILD and PAH will be reviewed

Modelling the effect of vertical mixing on bottle incubations for determining in situ phytoplankton dynamics. II. Primary production

The estimation of in situ phytoplankton primary production is pivotal to many questions in biological oceanography and marine ecology both in a local and global context. Applications range from earth system modelling, the characterisation of aquatic ecosystem dynamics, or the local management of water quality. A common approach for estimating in situ primary production is to incubate natural phytoplankton assemblages in clear bottles at a range of fixed depths and to measure the uptake of carbon (14C) during the incubation period (typically 24 h). One of the main concerns with using fixed-depth bottle incubations is whether stranding samples at fixed depths biases the measured CO2 fixation relative to the 'true' in situ mixed conditions. Here we employ an individual based turbulence and photosynthesis model, which also accounts for photoacclimation and -inhibition, to examine whether the in vitro productivity estimates obtained from fixed-depth incubations are representative of the in situ productivity in a freely mixing water column. While previous work suggested that in vitro estimates could either over- or underestimate the in situ productivity, we show that the errors due to arresting the incubation bottles at fixed depths are indeed minimal. We present possible explanations for how previous authors could have arrived at contradictory results and discuss whether they might be artefacts related to the particular sampling protocol used. We discuss the errors associated with chlorophyll-based incubation methods for determining in situ phytoplankton growth rates in Ross et al. (2011; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 435:13-31). © Inter-Research 2011