Shan Gao (Gao 2011) recently presented a critical reconsideration of a paper I wote (Uffink 1999) on the subject of protective measurement. Here, I take the occasion to reply to his objections.

We read with interest the paper by Shan et al. [1] in a recent issue. It is an interesting paper concluding that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) omp18 is indirectly affecting long term bacterial colonization by successfully influencing IFN-γmediated immune response. Nevertheless, we found that some statements could not support the final conclusion. H. pylori infects the gastric mucosal layer of...

The Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan contains multiple moraines and drift from late Quaternary glaciations. The spatial/temporal distribution of the glaciers inferred from the moraines suggests that the main factor controlling glacier advance here was the availability of moisture. The dominant modern climatic signatures in northern Central Asia include orographic thunderstorms in summer, cold and dry Si...

The question of the population status of a species is closely connected to its position in the range and internal structure of the area it occupies. Of particular importance in the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) range is the Tian Shan area, where the population numbers are still estimated to be higher than in other regions (Bold and Dorzhzunduy, 1976; Braden, 1982; Heptner, Sludsky, 1972; Green,...

Changes of glaciers and glacial lakes and their causes were examined in the Hengduan Shan from 1990 to 2014, based on Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images. A total glacier area of 1298.8 ± 62.1 km and glacial lake area of 255.8 ± 31.6 km were inventoried in 2014. The area of glaciers declined at an average rate of −0.40 ± 0.26% a, while glacial lakes expanded at average rate of +0.12 ± 0.03% a over the p...

We present an efficient method for inferring facts from a propositional knowledge base, which is not required to be in conjunctive normal form. This logically-incomplete method, called propositional fact propagation, is more powerful and efficient than some forms of boolean constraint propagation. Hence, it can be used for tractable deductive reasoning in many AI applications, including various...

BACKGROUND Gilbert's syndrome is a chronic or recurrent mild unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia caused by decreased activity of UDP glucuronosyltranferase (UGT1A1). The most common cause of Gilbert's syndrome in Caucasians is homozygous variant of the A(TA)7TAA promoter polymorphism. Alleles with five or eight TA repeats have also been described, but they are very rare in Caucasian populations. ...

Two new species of Nazeris Fauvel collected from Daming Shan, Guangxi Province, are described and illustrated: N. damingshanus Hu & Li, sp. n., N. longilobus Hu & Li, sp. n. An identification key to the Nazeris species from Guangxi is provided.