Introduction: Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an aggressive life-threatening activation of the immune system triggered by an underlying condition. Use of chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR-T) to treat relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) is associated with cytokine release syndrome (CRS), Immune Effector Cell Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) and development of secondary HLH. Application of HLH scoring systems such as the H-score or HLH-2004 criteria to identify CAR-T triggered HLH is not validated in this setting. Inability to promptly recognize the development of secondary HLH in CAR-T patients and to distinguish it from CRS may lead to delay in HLH specific therapy and increased mortality. We analyzed the utility of applying the H-score and the HLH-2004 criteria to identify possible patients with HLH post-CAR-T for R/R DLBCL.
 Methods: A single center retrospective analysis of 75 patients with R/R DLBCL following CAR-T was performed. Using a peak ferritin of 500 mcg/L or higher within 30 days of CAR-T administration, 43 out of 75 patients were identified at risk for HLH. The H-score and HLH-2004 criteria were applied retrospectively. Measurement of NK activity was not available for any patients and soluble IL2 was collected intermittently. The mean H-score was calculated, and two sample t-test performed to evaluate for a difference in the mean H-score between low versus high grade CRS, low versus high grade ICANS, as well as presence versus absence of cytopenias at days 30, 90 and 180. Low grade CRS/ICANS was defined as 1, and high grade as 2 or higher. CRS was graded per Lee 2014 criteria and ICANS per CTCAEv.4. The 43 patients were then subdivided by H-score threshold of 169 into H-score Low (< 169) and H-score High (≥ 169). The threshold of 169 was used given a prior validation study showing optimal sensitivity and specificity for identifying acquired HLH in adult patients with an H-score equal to or higher than 169. Both Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) were defined as time from CAR-T infusion until an event of last follow up. Kaplan-Meier curves were produced to describe the distribution of PFS and OS between two subpopulations of low and high H-Score.
 Results: Median peak ferritin was 1571.8 mcg/L (range: 375 mcg/L - >50,000 mcg/L, table 1). Median H-score was 135 (range 61 -250). Four patients were treated with HLH directed therapy receiving steroids with either tocilizumab, siltuximab and/or anakinra. Of these 4 patients, only 2 met five HLH-2004 criteria. All 4 patients had H-scores above 169 (209, 211, 228 and 250). Of these 4 patients, one died from complications thought secondary to HLH. Fourteen patients (14/43, 32%) had an H-score >169. Ten patients did not require any HLH directed therapy and had no clinical evidence of HLH. The mean H-score was not different between patients with low vs high grade CRS (148.2 vs 141.8, p=0.7) or low vs high grade ICANS (145.9 vs 142.6, p=0.8). No statistical correlation was seen between H-score and cytopenias at any time point. There was no significant difference in PFS or OS between the H-score low vs high subgroups (p=0.7, p=0.1 respectively, figure 1 and 2). Patients with higher H-score tended to have longer length of hospitalization for CAR-T (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.289).
 Conclusions: In patients with R/R DLBCL post CAR-T, the use of either the H-score or application of HLH-2004 criteria had low utility in identifying possible HLH in patients who screened in based on peak ferritin within 30 days of CAR-T administration. While apparent differences between the H-score high and low categories may not reach statistical significance due to the small number of patients, our exploratory analysis does not support the use of H-Score to evaluate for HLH post-CAR-T. The immediate post-CAR-T period is characterized by a high inflammatory state, which likely results in high H-scores. Results from our study suggest a need for further characterization of HLH following CAR-T and the role for a CAR-T specific HLH scoring system to distinguish secondary HLH from CAR-T related inflammation in this specific patient population.

 Hardy: American Gene Technologies: Other: DSMB Member; Kite/Gilead: Other: Advisory Board Member; Incyte Corporation: Other: Advisory Board Member.


A theoretical analysis of a two‐stage transcritical CO2 cooling cycle is presented. The effect of a two‐stage cycle with intercooling process on the system coefficient of cooling performance is presented for various gas cooler pressures. However, the performance comparison between one‐stage and two‐stage cycles is presented for same operating conditions. Gas cooler pressure, compressor isentropic efficiency, gas cooler efficiency, intercooling quantity and refrigerant outlet temperature from the gas cooler are used as variable parameters in the analysis. It is concluded that the performance of the two‐stage transcritical CO2 cycle is approximately 30% higher than that of the one‐stage transcritical CO2 cycle. Hence, the two‐stage compression and intercooling processes can be assumed as valuable applications to improve the transcritical CO2 cycle performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The recognition of human activity (or action) in videos has elicited significant
attention in recent years given its potential use in many real-life applications. Human
Action Recognition (HAR) is typically applied in fields such as human–computer
interaction, surveillance, content-based video retrieval, and sports event analysis.
HAR is a complex process because characteristics such as gender, height, body
shape, and age considerably affect the visual reproduction/representation of captured
actions. In practical applications, changes in viewpoint are common and
fundamentally unavoidable given the inherent limitations of camera technology or
the inevitable dynamism of human motion. When such changes are implemented, the
recognition rate of current HAR approaches dramatically decreases. This problem is
typically mitigated by the use of cameras equipped with multiple fields of views,
which provide richer information than that derived from single-view cameras. Even
with such innovations, nonetheless, ensuring accurate correlation and acquiring
multi-view learning data remain complicated challenges.
This work proposes four methods to advance the field of HAR. The Shape-based
features are extracted from frames silhouette by using proposed Global Silhouette
Shape Representation (GSSR) method. This GSSR is suitable given that silhouettes
present spatial information on actions over time. Concatenation, as a data fusion
technique, is also applied to create a multi-view feature vector from a combination of
single-view feature vectors. In other words, a matrix of multi-view features is
generated for each action. Maximum-Distance-among-Feature-Vectors (MDFV)
technique, as a frame selection method, is employed to choose a subset of frames (or
feature vectors) with the maximum difference among them. This strategy is based on
the removal of frames with mostly similar features. Relevant and suitable features
are selected using Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) technique. This
research likewise develops a Distance-based-Matrix-Regardless-of-Row-Priority
(DMRRP) classifier, which is driven by the idea that if two action sequences depict
motion performed by the same or different individuals, then the sum (or mean) of the
minimum distances between each individual frame of sequence 1 and all the frames of sequence 2 reflects the similarity between the two actions. This classifier can
recognize actions captured from different views.
Finally, this study evaluates the performance of a proposed Multi-View Human
Action Recognition Based On Shape-Based Feature Extraction and Distance-Based
Classifier (MHARSD) in single- and multi-view HAR. To evaluate this approach, an
experiment that involves two publicly available multi-view HAR datasets (i.e.,
MuHAVi and IXMAS) is conducted to determine the quality of recognition that the
method produces for different actions. MHARSD supports the recognition of a wide
range of human actions. In all evaluations, it exhibits a recognition accuracy higher
than that achieved by 2D multi-view HAR state-of-the-art methods.


This study examines the Phoenician and Punic tombs discovered in the Maltese Islands from various aspects. The first chapter considers the historical and archaeological background of the Phoenicians in Malta between 700 B.C. and A.D. 100. The second part (Chapters 2 and 3) deals with the correlation between the distribution of tombs and geomorphology, water resources, soils and land-use; this section also discusses which areas of the Maltese Islands were likely to be inhabited during this period. The third section of this study (Chapter 4) concentrates on the type of society which emerges from the burial evidence during the Phoenician Period. The fourth part (Chapters 5 and 6) is concerned with the dating and utilization of tombs, while it also estimates the living and buried population of the Maltese Islands; this section also attempts to calculate a potential population for the Maltese archipelago from different land-use figures. The final part of this dissertation examines with different maps the location of Punic urban and rural settlements in the Maltese Islands in relation to later historical settlement patterns during the Roman and Byzantine eras, the Middle Ages and the Modern Period.


Dental treatment of older, multimorbid patients generally requires specific gerostomatological knowledge. In addition to curative aspects, dental concepts for older people should also included preventive aspects. It is also important that both the immediate and future medical situations of the patient are included. The dental functional capacities as well as the subjective and relativised objective treatment requirement should be taken into account in the treatment decision-making process, which should be participation-based between the dentist, patient and relatives. The initial treatment using removable dentures at an old age can present challenges to both the dentist and patient. The concept of the incremental denture is an effective procedure for treating older, multimorbid patients and to reduce possible problems with adaptation.


For application system based on single-chip microcomputer (SCM), software design becomes more and more difficult than hardware design. Most of the college students can scheme out hardware circuits, but seldom of them can write out high-quality code for comprehensive system. Thinking and methodology are the key factors deciding the code quality. This article analyzes current situation of programming teaching for SCM, then discusses the particularity of thinking and methodology for SCM programming. The teaching contents were reformed by introducing new thinking and methodology. The applications of new thoughts and methods were demonstrated by three examples: multi-petal structure, key-jitter elimination without time-consuming and programming method based on messages. The practice showed that the teaching reform expanded the students' thinking and improved their capabilities to write high-quality programs.


For decades India has been the scene of outbursts of religious violence, thrusting many ordinary Hindus and Muslims into bloody conflict. This work analyzes the psychological roots of Hindu-Muslim violence and examines the subjective experience of religious hatred in the author's native land. Sudhir Kakar discusses the profoundly enigmatic relations that link individual egos to cultural moralities and religious violence. His psychological approach offers a framework for understanding the kind of ethnic-religious conflict that characterizes the turmoil in India. Using case studies, he explores cultural stereotypes, religious antagonisms, ethnocentric histories and episodic violence to trace the development of both Hindu and Muslim psyches. Kakar argues that in early childhood the social identity of every Indian is grounded in traditional religious identifications and communalism. Together these bring about deep-set psychological anxieties and animosities toward the other. For Hindus and Muslims alike, violence becomes morally acceptable when communally and religiously sanctioned. As the changing pressures of modernization and secularism in a multicultural society grate at this entrenched communalism, and as each group vies for power, ethnic-religious conflicts ignite. Sudhir Kakar is also the author of "The Analyst and the Mystic: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Religion and Mysticism", "Intimate Relations: Exploring Indian Sexuality" and "Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and its Healing Traditions", all published by the University of Chicago Press.


The simulation of a turbulent wall jet flow over a rectangular cavity is realised by the low Re stress-omega model. FLUENT 6.3 CFD code was used as the solver. The structured grid was built using Gambit 2.3. A preliminary study of a wall jet flow and a wall jet backward facing step interaction has been undertaken to validate the turbulence model. The numerical approach reproduces fairly the experimental results. A wall jet flow over rectangular cavities of different aspect ratios was investigated. The cavity aspect ratio effect on the flow structure evolution, particularly on the reattachment phenomenon, was examined in this paper. The results of this study show that the flow structure is very sensitive to the cavity aspect ratio. The reattachment length in the wall jet incoming flow case is very short compared to that of the boundary layer incoming flow case.


Abstract
Female Swiss mice were exposed to methylmercury in the drinking water for 15 weeks. The mice were administered concentrations of methylmercury ranging from 0 to 2.0 micrograms/mL mercury. After three weeks of the 15 week exposure period, the mice were administered urethan (1.5 mg/g) intraperitoneally. Pulmonary adenoma formation was evaluated 12 weeks later. Methylmercury exposures of 0.2 and 0.5 micrograms/mL did not affect the number of adenomas, but 2.0 micrograms/mL mercury caused a significant increase in adenoma production. A dose-dependent increase in the mean tumor diameter was seen at methylmercury exposures up to 0.5 micrograms/mL. No further increase in diameter was seen at higher exposures (2.0 micrograms/mL). The changes in adenoma production were seen at exposure levels of methylmercury which did not cause any clinical manifestations. Animal weight gains and water consumption were not affected. In addition, urethan-induced sleeping times which reflect the rate of urethan metabolism or excretion remained unchanged.


With the advanced capabilities of mobile devices and the success of car navigation systems, interest in pedestrian navigation systems is on the rise. A critical component of any navigation system is a map database, which represents a network (e.g., road networks for car navigation) and supports key functionality such as map display, geocoding, and routing. Road networks, mainly due to the popularity of car navigation systems, are well defined and publicly available. However, in pedestrian navigation systems, as well as other applications including urban planning and physical activity studies, road networks do not adequately represent the paths that pedestrians usually travel. Currently, there is a void in literatures discussing the challenges, methods, and best practices for pedestrian network map generation. This coupled with the increased demand for pedestrian networks is the prime motivation for development of new approaches and algorithms to automatically generating pedestrian networks. Three approaches, network buffering, using existing road networks, collaborative mapping, using Global Positioning System (GPS) traces collected by volunteers, and image processing, using high-resolution satellite and laser imageries, were implemented and evaluated with a pedestrian network baseline as a ground truth. The results of the experiments indicate that these three approaches, while differing in complexity and outcome, are viable for automatic pedestrian network map generation. The recommendation of a suitable approach for generating pedestrian networks for a given set of sources and requirements is provided.


We perform spin-polarized density functional theory calculations for a hydrogen atom interacting exohedrally with a (5,5) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). We also perform full three-dimensional (3D) quantum dynamics calculations of the H atom bound rovibrational states. We initially focus on the four sites of highest symmetry, along which we compute potential energy surface (PES) values at 33 separate, nonuniformly spaced radial values. These 132 geometries are sufficient to define the primary potential interaction regions. We find a weak physisorptive region between 2.5 and 3.5 A from the SWNT wall, with a maximum well depth of 51 meV, relative to the desorption limit. We also find a chemisorptive region, extending from about 1.0 out to 1.5 A from the SWNT wall. The maximum well depth of 0.755 eV occurs at 1.15 A from the SWNT wall, nearly directly above a carbon atom. A small barrier of 54 meV lies between these two binding regions. There are also two types of transition states that lie between adjacent chemisorption wells. In addition to the high-symmetry sites, a detailed and accurate characterization of the PES requires density functional theory calculations along a large number of interstitial sites-18 in all. Using these 18x33 geometries, and exploiting the full D(10h) symmetry of the system, we fit a global analytical PES, using a Fourier basis in the cylindrical coordinates, with radially dependent expansion coefficients (rms error 3.8 meV). We then perform a mixed spectral basis/phase-space optimized discrete variable representation calculation of all bound rovibrational H atom eigenfunctions and energy levels. We also discuss ramifications for the possible use of SWNTs as hydrogen storage devices.


Nurturant behavior toward dead conspecifics has been documented in several free-ranging marine and terrestrial mammals but still remains undocumented and poorly understood for most species. This study describes observations of adults carrying dead calves and juveniles in 7 odontocetes (toothed cetaceans) species and discusses the subject in mammals in general. Observations are based on 14 events from 3 oceans and constitute the 1st records for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), killer whales (Orcinus orca), Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), as well as presenting additional records for Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) and shortfinned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Information on how the adults supported and carried the dead conspecifics, on the gender of both adults and dead young, and on the age class of the dead young, is presented. Moreover, a comparison with terrestrial mammals, including a compilation of published literature, and a discussion on possible hypotheses to explain this particular type of behavior are given. The present study helps to corroborate that adults mourning their dead young is a common and globally widespread behavior in long-lived and highly sociable/cohesive species of mammals.


Hydro-electric turbines operating all over the world generate enormous amount of heat during their operation due to the friction between turbine shaft and guide bearings. Oil and grease have long been considered as one of the primary methods to lubricate and transfer the heat from oil to water. This thesis work outlines the optimization of finned tube oil cooler for turbine guide bearing application by effective utilization of area so as to extract and deliver more heat as compared to the existing system. The quest is to enhance the cooling capacity of the finned tube oil cooler by changing the fin material from aluminum to copper. This complete optimization and development provides the same operational reliability without any risk of accidental or operational damage to the environment.


Czech municipalities were given important responsibilities for housing policies during the post-communist transformation processes after 1989, which resulted in a diversifi cation of strategies. Rudoltice near Lanškroun in Pardubice is a specifi c case of a municipality that chose to prioritise extensive municipal housing construction. The municipality used government subsidies to construct a new neighbourhood called Zámeček, which, with its nearly 1000 inhabitants, caused the local population to double between 2006 and 2009. In this article, the author explores the roots of this large-scale project of municipal housing construction by specifi cally combining its national, regional, and local contexts. The local municipality's decisions and its ambitions and expectations for growth and prosperity were embedded in the micro-regional context of the successful economic transformation and development it had experienced since the 1990s and were made possible by changes in national housing policies and the devolution of policy decisions to the municipalities. Using the concept of (new) socio-spatial formation this article analyses the neighbourhood of Zámeček as a case of residential segregation. It argues that, even though its population is still relatively heterogeneous compared to other segregated localities in the Czechia, the neighbourhood is being shaped by an ongoing process of segregation. The specifi c supply of affordable housing in Zámeček meets a demand for housing from low income households in other regions where municipalities do not provide affordable housing.


The issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a focus of the World Health Organization, which proposes educational interventions targeting the public and healthcare professionals. Here, we present the first attempt at a regionwide multicomponent campaign in Sicily (Italy), called "Obiettivo Antibiotico", which aims to raise the awareness of prudent use of antibiotics in the public and in healthcare professionals. The campaign was designed by an interdisciplinary academic team, and an interactive website was populated with different materials, including key messages, letters, slogans, posters, factsheets, leaflets, and videos. The campaign was launched in November 2018 and, as of 21 December 2018, the website had a total of 1159 unique visitors, of which 190 became champions by pledging to take simple actions to support the fight against AMR. Data from social media showed that the audience was between 18 and 54 years of age, with a high proportion of female participants (64%). Interestingly, the LinkedIn page received more than 1200 followers, and Facebook 685 followers. The number of actions taken (pledges) by the audience was 458, evenly divided between experts (53%) and the general public (47%). Additional efforts are needed to reach more people, thus future efforts should focus on further promotion within the Sicilian region to sustain the engagement with the campaign.


Currently, the Brown-Schlesinger process is still regarded as the most common and mature method for the commercial production of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). However, the metallic sodium, currently produced from the electrolysis of molten NaCl that is mass-produced by evaporation of seawater or brine, is probably the most costly raw material. Recently, several reports have demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing green electricity such as offshore wind power to produce metallic sodium through electrolysis of seawater. Based on this concept, we have made improvements and modified our previously proposed life cycle of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and ammonia borane (NH3BH3), in order to further reduce costs in the conventional Brown-Schlesinger process. In summary, the revision in the concept combining the regeneration of the spent borohydrides and the used catalysts with the green electricity is reflected in (1) that metallic sodium could be produced from NaCl of high purity obtained from the conversion of the byproduct in the synthesis of NH3BH3 to devoid the complicated purification procedures if produced from seawater; and (2) that the recycling and the regeneration processes of the spent NaBH4 and NH3BH3 as well as the used catalysts could be simultaneously carried out and combined with the proposed life cycle of borohydrides.


This paper uses Habermas' model of dialogue and the public sphere to provide a critical examination of organizational diversity management. The paper argues that, in spite of the dialogic and inclusive claims made by the diversity movement, its basic framework and methods serve to limit and repress productive dialogue on race rather than produce effective organizational change. The diversity movement represents an important ideological strategy that seeks to re‐assert the privacy of the corporate sphere and its employment decisions, making its emergence a significant element of the general social‐political attempt to manage and contain racial conflict and social contradiction.


Oscillators are often difficult to analyze or simulate, because they generate waveforms that can span a range of widely separated time scales. We present a general oscillator formulation that separates slow and fast dynamics without approximations, and captures amplitude and frequency modulation in a natural and compact manner. To handle frequency-modulation effectively, we make use of a novel concept, warped time, within a multitime partial differential equation framework. The equations incorporate an explicit time-varying frequency variable that matches intuitive notions of changing frequency in a frequency-modulated signal. The formulation is useful for both hand analysis and numerical simulation.


The problem of predicting a sequence x1, x2, .... where each xi belongs to a finite alphabet A is considered. Each letter xt+1 is predicted using information on the word x1, x2, ...., xt only. We use the game theoretical interpretation which can be traced to Laplace where there exists a gambler who tries to estimate probabilities for the letter xt+1 in order to maximize his capital . The optimal method of prediction is described for the case when the sequence x1, x2, .... is generated by a stationary and ergodic source. It turns out that the optimal method is based only on estimations of conditional probabilities. In particular, it means that if we work in the framework of the ergodic and stationary source model, we cannot consider pattern recognition and other complex and interesting tools, because even the optimal method does not need them. That is why we suggest a so-called nonprobabilistic approach which is not based on the stationary and ergodic source model and show that complex algorithms of prediction can be considered in the framework of this approach. The new approach is to consider a set of all infinite sequences (over a given finite alphabet) and estimate the size of sets of predictable sequences with the help of the Hausdorff dimension. This approach enables us first, to show that there exist large sets of well predictable sequences which have zero measure for each stationary and ergodic measure. (In fact, it means that such sets are invisible in the framework of the ergodic and stationary source model and shows the necessity of the new approach.) Second, it is shown that there exist quite large sets of such sequences that can be predicted well by complex algorithms which use not only estimations of conditional probabilities.


A critical step in virtual dental treatment planning is to accurately delineate all tooth-bone structures from CBCT with high fidelity and accurate anatomical information. Previous studies have established several methods for CBCT segmentation using deep learning. However, the inherent resolution discrepancy of CBCT and the loss of occlusal and dentition information largely limited its clinical applicability. Here, we present a Deep Dental Multimodal Analysis (DDMA) framework consisting of a CBCT segmentation model, an intraoral scan (IOS) segmentation model (the most accurate digital dental model), and a fusion model to generate 3D fused crown-root-bone structures with high fidelity and accurate occlusal and dentition information. Our model was trained with a large-scale dataset with 503 CBCT and 28,559 IOS meshes manually annotated by experienced human experts. For CBCT segmentation, we use a five-fold cross validation test, each with 50 CBCT, and our model achieves an average Dice coefficient and IoU of 93.99% and 88.68%, respectively, significantly outperforming the baselines. For IOS segmentations, our model achieves an mIoU of 93.07% and 95.70% on the maxillary and mandible on a test set of 200 IOS meshes, which are 1.77% and 3.52% higher than the state-of-art method. Our DDMA framework takes about 20 to 25 minutes to generate the fused 3D mesh model following the sequential processing order, compared to over 5 hours by human experts. Notably, our framework has been incorporated into a software by a clear aligner manufacturer, and real-world clinical cases demonstrate that our model can visualize crown-root-bone structures during the entire orthodontic treatment and can predict risks like dehiscence and fenestration. These findings demonstrate the potential of multi-modal deep learning to improve the quality of digital dental models and help dentists make better clinical decisions.


In modern manufacturing contexts, process monitoring is an important tool aimed at ensuring quality standard fulfilment whilst maximising throughput. In this work, a monitoring system comprised of an infrared (IR) camera was employed for tool state identification and surface roughness assessment with the objective of reducing environmental impacts of a milling process. Two data processing techniques, based on statistical parameters and polynomial fitting, were applied to the temperature signal acquired from the IR camera during milling operations in order to extract significant features. These features were inputted to two different neural network based procedures: pattern recognition and fitting, for decision making support on tool condition and surface roughness evaluation respectively. These capabilities are discussed in terms of reducing waste products and energy consumption whilst further improving productivity.


With governments around the world pushing for an ever increasing shift towards renewable energy production, large numbers of controllable distributed energy resources are starting to appear. Already a multitude of proposed control solutions have seen the light of day, but most are focused solely on the control itself and not the more practical network- and data management issues that follows trying to handle such huge portfolios. This papers covers a cloud based solution to the aforementioned issues, greatly aiding aggregators scale to meet future demands. It also includes a flexibility interface that are currently being researched by iPower, that is mapped to the well tested standard of IEC 61850 as additional sub-nodes. By mapping to existing standards, no major changes would be needed to adapt existing systems.


Innovations using emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things), are said to improve productivity and quality of life. On the other hand, the diffusion of such innovation involves risks and uncertainties regarding safety. Generally, these risks are managed by government by means of regulation. Yet it increasingly falls short on governing emerging technology due to innovations' global connectivity, commercialization and heightened risk & uncertainty. These pose challenges to firms for commercialization because emerging innovations often do not come under the existing product categories nor corresponding regulations. This study answers how product based on emerging technology commercialize, overcoming existing regulatory barriers on safety, using firm strategies and role of standards played, through an examination of the case of Cyberdyne, a successful medical/healthcare robotics company in Japan. Cyberdyne developed and commercialized the world's first product using cybernics in wearable medical/healthcare device. The case illustrates the increasing complexity of safety regulations and role of standards for firms to innovate applying emerging technologies. It concludes with an exploration of policy considerations regarding the regulation in dealing with emerging technologies under Industry 4.0.


An implicit link adaptation technique based on hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ) and soft-combining is considered for transmission of joint photographic experts group 2000 (JPEG2000) images over wireless channels. Adaptation is carried out utilizing an objective perceptual image quality metric that takes into account the human perception. Retransmissions focus on the region of interest (ROI) part of the JPEG2000 image to efficiently utilize the bandwidth. Numerical results show that the combination of the proposed perceptual image quality metric with link adaptation provides robust link performance while meeting satisfactory quality constraints.


The principal actors in acne are the sebaceous gland, keratinocytes of the follicle and skin microbiome/innate immunity. Current acne treatments are frequently accompanied by side effects or may cause antibacterial resistance. New formulations and emerging treatments with novel mechanisms of action and improved formulations have recently been made available or are currently under development. This review provides an update on the most recent advances in topical or systemic acne therapy related to recent data on the pathophysiology of acne. A review of the most recent literature about new and emerging acne treatments since 2016 listed in the PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov database was performed by a group of dermatologists interested in acne (GEA). Several novel treatments have been made available or are currently under development, including Clascosterone, Trifarotene and Sarecycline, as well as more effective and better tolerated formulations of existing compounds, such as Minocycline, Tretinoin, Tazarotene and Lidose-isotretinoin, and emerging acne therapies (including hyaluronic acid, cannabidiol, modulators of the skin microbiota, insulin-like growth factor, vaccines, bacteriophages, probiotics and antimicrobial peptides), targeting the sebaceous gland and its activity, inflammation or keratinocytes of the follicle and skin microbiome including Cutibacterium acnes. Recently, in addition to other fixed combinations, a fixed combination of adapalene and benzoyl peroxide that targets acne scars has been made available for the first time. The newly available products and other potentially emerging treatment options will increase the armamentarium of acne therapies and potentially reduce its prevalence worldwide.


To the succession of bacteria and fungi colonizing it, wood consists of a series of conveniently oriented holes surrounded by food. The degradation of wood leading to the utilization of that food supply takes place in a number of clearly defined stages, each of which results from the activity of a particular group of organisms. The success of the entire process is governed by the moisture content of the wood. This has to be high enough to promote a flow path for the products of enzyme action yet low enough to prevent water logging, which might produce an anaerobic habitat hostile to the normal wood-decay organisms. Wood in soil contact takes up an equilibrium moisture content with its surroundings, so that a post or pole will be wet below ground level and comparatively dry above it. Capillary action takes water along the conducting elements of the wood, but once above ground level evaporation will ensure flow through the wood from the high water potential in the soil to a low water potential in the atmosphere. Soil nutrients are carried by the water and subsequent attack by wood-rotting organisms will occur mainly at about ground level where supplies of atmospheric oxygen, soil water and nutrients are plentiful. The initial colonizers are bacteria, some of which destroy the pit membranes, thereby increasing aeration of the wood by gaseous diffusion. They facilitate access to the supplies of nutrient in the wood by the subsequent scavengers, the primary moulds and sapstain fungi. Later still the true wood-rotting fungi, the soft, white and brown rots, make their appearance; each of these has its own particular pattern of cell-wall breakdown. The latter two groups ultimately dominate the soft rots and open up the structure of the wood cell walls. The partial decay of the walls will finally permit the cellulolytic secondary moulds to gain access to and therefore compete for the carbohydrate contents of the wall. The situation out of ground contact (for example, window joinery), is similar, moisture being equally important and the occurrence of a similar sequence of colonizing organisms, suggesting that the structure and composition of the wood itself has a part to play in selecting the 'pecking order'.


Competitive balance is seen as crucial to the viability of professional sports leagues, and it has been a central
concern of sports economists, industry practitioners and fans. But the concept is complex and ill-defined. The theoretical approach in this thesis is to first analyse competitive balance in a simple league context. It is shown that even in a closed round-robin league with a single prize (i. e. league championship), there are three
dimensions of competitive balance: win dispersion, performancc persistence and prize concentration. Further extensions to this three-dimensional approach are required when the analysis moves to complex real-world league structures which are typically multiprize tournaments,with host-season playoffs and often open merit hierarchies with
promotion und relegation. A new concept of competitive intensity is introduced.

The three-dimensional approach is applied to the empirical analysis of competitive balance in European (association) football and the North American Major Leagues, It is found that cross-league comparisons of competitive balance are dependent on the dimension analysed. Win dispersion is better in the Big Five European domestic football leagues compared to the Major Leagues, but the reverse is found for
championship concentration. The Major Leagues are also found to be more competitive in respect of the concentration of post-season playoff qualification. Differences in competitive balance are found between the European domestic football leagues. The causes of these cross-league differences are investigated with regression analysis. Again the results are highly dependent on the specific dimension of competitive balance. Win dispersion is significantly associated with national geographic and
economic characteristics as well as league structure. Time-series analysis is undertaken to study changes over time in competitive balance in the top divisions of the Norwegian
and English football leagues. The results are most significant for the English league, and run counter to the predictions of the invariance principle.


This paper explicates docudrama about the Cold War in the Philippines produced during the 1950s. The films, a documentary and a feature film, both funded and scripted by Washington but staged by leading Filipino filmmakers and actors, fabricated Cold War panic by hybridizing the transnational codes of melodrama with the discursive truth claim (i.e. evidentiary force) of documentary cinema. The resulting syncretic cinematic practice, to which the contemporary term docudrama may be productively applied, is in many registers both doubled (e.g., double-voiced) and split (e.g., stylistically bifurcated), and thus riddled with both ideological and formal issues.


Introduction
There is substantial number of patients needing palliation for symptomatic bone metastasis. While multiple treatment options are available at this time, external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is still one of the cornerstones for managing this symptom. There are numerous available fractionations and schedules that have been studied and been utilized in palliative EBRT, which include single fraction EBRT, short course EBRT and longer course EBRT. Current reviews showed that the single and multiple fractionation EBRT showed similar pain relief with more retreatment for single fraction. The optimal radiation dose and fractionation for bone metastases are yet to be defined.
ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to report the perceived effectiveness and utilization of different fractionation schemes among Filipino radiation oncologists in the treatment of painful bone metastases.
Materials and MethodsAn in-person survey containing questions on perception and utilization different fractionations of EBRT for bone metastasis was given to radiation oncologists and residents registered in the roster of Philippine Radiation Oncology Society during the annual meeting. Follow up email and phone call were made in case of non-response. Descriptive statistics, analyses of difference between different fractionation schemesusing ANOVA and correlation of perceived effectiveness and utilization among respondents were reported at 95% level of significance.
ResultsAll residents and 43 out of the 66 (65%) radiation oncology consultants completed the survey with a total response rate of 77%. Among longer course EBRT, 30 Gy in 10 fractions was deemed to be effective by the majority of the respondents (91%) followed by 37.5Gy in 15 fractions (61%) and 40Gy in 20 fractions (59%). Among shorter course EBRT, only about half (53%) perceived 8Gy in single fraction to be effective, followed by 20Gy in 5 fractions (47%) and 36Gy in 6 fractions (26%). More respondents perceived fractions ≥ 10 to be more effective that shorter course treatment in bone metastasis. Almost all of the respondents reported to have utilized 30 Gy in 10 fractions followed by 40 Gy in 20 fractions (65%) and 37.5Gy in 15 fractions (65%). There is less respondents that reported to have utilized shorter fractionation schedule with only 37%, 33% and 15% have used 8 Gy in single fraction, 20 Gy in 5 fractions and 36 Gy in 6 fractions in their practice.
ConclusionThe result is in parallel with that done in the US, Canada and Europe that showed preference for multiple fractionation EBRT for bone metastasis. The majority of the radiation oncologists still defaults to utilizing 30 Gy in 10 fractions in treating bone metastasis. There is a discordance between perceived effectiveness and utility in actual practice. Despite almost half of the respondents believed that shorter fractionationschedules are effective in providing palliation for bone metastasis, this does not translate to their clinical practice. With the current emphasis for cost effective medicine especially in low to middle income countries, short course radiotherapy should be considered in adequately selected patients. Focus on palliative care in radiation oncology training and continuing educational sessions may be beneficial to increase knowledge, information dissemination and subsequent utilization of short course. There is also a need to explore the present barriers against short course RT.


In this paper, we propose a new method to identify and to locate buried metallic object in ElectroMagnetic Induction (EMI) data based on the Kernel Change Detection (KCD) algorithm. The signature of the object in the EMI data is typically of low amplitude. Particularly, in the case where two objects are located at dierent depths, the amplitude of the deeper buried object is negligible compared to that of the other object. This would result in the fact that, the EMI system can not detect this object and consequently increases miss rate or False Negative Rate (FNR). The aim of the proposed method is to calculate a decision index for each EMI measurement in a so-called hypotheses space using KCD algorithm . The amplitude of these decision indexes in the case of objects at dierent depths are in the same range. The data resulting from this space are easier to process. To validate the proposed method, we have tested it on real EMI data derived from a series of measurements on real objects.


A historical problem for indirect exoplanet detection has been contending with the intrinsic variability of the host star. If the variability is periodic, it can easily mimic various exoplanet signatures, such as radial velocity (RV) variations that originate with the stellar surface rather than the presence of a planet. Here we present an update for the HD 99492 planetary system, using new RV and photometric measurements from the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey. Our extended time series and subsequent analyses of the Ca ii H&K emission lines show that the host star has an activity cycle of ∼13 years. The activity cycle correlates with the purported orbital period of the outer planet, the signature of which is thus likely due to the host star activity. We further include a revised Keplerian orbital solution for the remaining planet, along with a new transit ephemeris. Our transit-search observations were inconclusive.


Abstract

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework to assist in understanding how the immigrant family is impacted by recent changes to immigration policy in Canada. We contend that neoliberalism, broadly defined, is a helpful lens through
which to comprehend some of the specific policies as well as discursive outcomes which have real effects on immigrant families. Based on our findings from an in-depth literature review, our goal is to identify and summarize the recent changes to the Canadian policy environment and to develop a critical conceptual framework through which to understand policy change in relation to families and immigrants.

Key Words: families, neoliberalism, policy change, social policy, multiculturalism, gender, race, neoconservatism

Acknowledgements
The research for this paper was supported by a Partnership Development Grant titled "Integration Trajectories of Immigrant Families" by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.


Although curvature of biological surfaces has been considered from mathematical and biophysical perspectives, its molecular and developmental basis is unclear. We have studied the cinmutant of Antirrhinum, which has crinkly rather than flat leaves. Leaves of cin display excess growth in marginal regions, resulting in a gradual introduction of negative curvature during development. This reflects a change in the shape and the progression of a cell-cycle arrest front moving from the leaf tip toward the base. CIN encodes a TCP protein and is expressed downstream of the arrest front. We propose that CIN promotes zero curvature (flatness) by making cells more sensitive to an arrest signal, particularly in marginal regions.


Paleozoic rotation of the Siberian craton along transform faults on the western Laurussian margin is a hypothesis that incorporates geologic and paleomagnetic evidence. The hypothesis could ultimately explain the origins of allochthonous Paleozoic terranes in the western North American Cordillera and northeast Russia, and supports a Precambrian connection of the Siberian craton to southwest North America. The hypothesized rotation may have opened a marginal sea leading to deposition of nearly identical early Paleozoic shelf sequences on the conjugate Cordilleran and Verkhoyansk margins. The model proposes that tectonic shearing transferred a series of terranes from Laurussia to the Siberian plate. The transforms evolved into convergent boundaries in the middle and late Paleozoic. The displaced terranes were ultimately accreted into the Cordillera and orogenic belts in northeast Russia.


Antigen-specific I region-restricted, interleukin 2-producing T cell hybridomas were produced by fusing GAT-specific T cell blasts with BW5147. Two antigen-specific phenotypes were identified, one autoreactive and one nonautoreactive. All of the antigen-specific and autoreactive clones were H-2 restricted, mapping to the IA subregion by genetic analysis and monoclonal antibody inhibition. Both the antigen- specific and autoreactive stimulation are the property of a single cell and required no known exogenous antigens.


Abstract In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed all pediatric orthopedic surgeons in Saudi Arabia using an anonymous electronic questionnaire composed of 23 items to identify the rate of occupational injuries and obtain other relevant information. Thirty-nine participants completed the questionnaire (response rate: 83%). Participants who sustained occupational injuries throughout their careers represented 82.5%. The most injured areas were the hands, eyes, and back by 54.5%, 24.2%, and 15.2%, respectively. Approximately 11.1% were injured while operating on infected patients. Approximately 30.3% reported their injuries to their institution. We concluded that the rate of occupational injuries among pediatric orthopedic surgeons is very high and underreported.


Summary The distribution of sex hormone-binding globulin-like antigens (SHBG-LA) in normal and neoplas tic human breast tissues was investigated by immunohistochemistry, employing a monospecific polyclonal antiserum against highly purified human SHBG and an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method in formalin-fixed par affin embedded tissue sections. In normal breast tissues the staining of SHBG-LA was present exclusively in the cyto plasm of epithelial cells of ductal and ductular types. Nuclei as well as stromal and lymphatic tissues remained un stained. While the staining was positive in all cases of intra ductal carcinoma, only 4 out of 15 infiltrating carcinomas revealed SHBG-LA. The demonstration of a plasma sex steroid binding globulin in the cytoplasm of endocrine tar get cells is consistent with the hypothesis that steroid-bind ing globulins are able to enter target cells. The apparent loss of this specific cell function in infiltrating carcinomas may result from dedifferentiation and change of cell membrane properties occurring during the process of neoplastic pro gression.


The 18-wheeler (18w) gene found in Drosophila
melanogaster directs epithelial cell migration during embryonic development
and affects salivary gland morphogenesis. Homozygous 18w mutant embryos have
abnormal salivary glands. To identify genes interacting with 18w during
epithelial organ development we utilize the observation that embryos
heterozygous both for 18w and for a gene that interacts with 18w
produce defective salivary glands.


The primary sex-determining signal in Caenorhabditis elegans is the ratio of X chromosomes to sets of autosomes (X/A ratio), normally 1.0 in hermaphrodites (XX) and 0.5 in males (XO). XX triploids (X/A = 0.67) are males, but if these animals carry a partial duplication of the X chromosome such that X/A approximately equal to 0.7, they develop as intersexes that are sexually mosaic. We have analyzed these mosaics using Nomarski microscopy and in situ hybridization to obtain information on whether sex determination decisions can be made independently in different cells and tissues, and when these commitments are made. The observed patterns of male and female cells in individual animals indicate that sex determination decisions can be influenced by anterior-posterior position and that sex determination decisions can be made as late as the third larval stage of postembryonic development. Although these decisions clearly can be made independently in different lineages, they show substantial biases toward one sex or the other in individual animals. We interpret these results to suggest that sex determination in C. elegans is not entirely cell autonomous.


PURPOSE
Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FT-IRM), which allows simultaneous detection of biochemical changes in the various cellular compartments, was used as a new analytical tool to study early radiation- and oxidation-induced cellular damage at the molecular level in single human cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
HaCaT keratinocytes were given a single dose of 6 Gy (137Cs) or 650 microM H2O2, neither of which is cytotoxic (neutral red assay) but both of which result in less than 10% clonogenic survival, and deposited on zinc sulphur (ZnS) windows for infra-red (IR) spectra acquisition, immediately and 2 h after treatment. DNA damage was assessed by comet assays in alkaline conditions.

RESULTS
Comet assays showed that the yield of DNA damage was higher after H2O2 treatment than after gamma-irradiation. The comparison between spectra of irradiated and H2O2-treated cells showed common changes, but H2O2 treatment presented a broader spectrum of cellular oxidation than ionizing radiation. The bands characteristic of deoxyribose/ribose in nucleic acids centered at 966 and 997 cm(-1), the bands characteristic of nucleic acid bases centered at 1572, 1599, and 1691 cm(-1), as well as the bands characteristic of ordered secondary structure of DNA centered at 1713-1716 cm(-1), were changed in absorbance, sometimes accompanied by a shift. The bands characteristic of proteins centered at 1515, 1530, 1544 and 1640 cm(-1) were changed in absorbance indicating a decrease in secondary structure of proteins. Moreover, the absorbance of the bands at 1515 and 1630 cm(-1) was correlated the yield of reactive oxygen species. Two hours after both treatments most changes were persistent, suggesting either irreversible or not easily repaired damage or persistent oxidative stress.

CONCLUSION
As we previously demonstrated in radiation-induced apoptosis studies, these results show that FT-IRM, in correlation with other cellular biology techniques, might be useful for assessing immediate radiation- and oxidative-induced damage to nucleic acids and proteins in single human cells.


PICO question
In routine canine caesareans, is alfaxalone a superior anaesthetic induction agent than propofol in increasing the rate of survival and vigour of neonates?

Clinical bottom line
Category of research question
Treatment
The number and type of study designs reviewed
Three randomised positive clinical trials have compared the efficacy between alfaxalone and propofol in routine canine caesarean sections for increased neonatal survival and vigour
Strength of evidence
Weak
Outcomes reported
Although two studies found alfaxalone to be associated with higher Apgar scores for neonates than propofol, each study nonetheless revealed positive vigour and high survival rates from the use of either alfaxalone or propofol. The evidence is too weak to suggest that one induction agent is superior to another. The selection between the two induction agents may not be the main concern in regard to neonatal depression and 24 hour survival post-delivery, provided that the entire canine caesarean protocol is thoroughly and carefully studied
Conclusion
Text here

How to apply this evidence in practice
The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient's circumstances and owners' values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources.
Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care.


The gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus) is one of the species of most importance to fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly in the coastal region of Tabasco State, where it is captured abundantly almost all year round in shallow coastal zones. Although, there is neither ecological nor biological information about this species in the coastal zone of Tabasco State. This study aims to describe the feeding habits of gafftopsail catfish. Seasonal changes in the diet and its relation with reproductive period will also be discussed. Analyzes of stomachs contents of 430 individuals (97 females and 68 males for dry season, 100 females and 38 males for rainy season and 83 females and 44 males for nortes season) obtained from two commercial landings located in the Chiltepec municipality, Paraiso, Tabasco along one year (May 1996 to April 1997). The numerical percentage (%N), weight percentage (%W) and frequency occurrence indexes were calculated for the groups preys. These three indexes were comparing with the Kendall concordance coefficient, concluding that three indexes provide the same information about importance of prey inside diet, using the %F for posteriors analysis. Brachyurans were the more important preys inside the annual diet of species, reached a maximum frequency of occurrence during dry season (74.6 %F for females and 92.7 %F for males). Few seasonal changes in diet of both sexes were observed, with a progressive increase of occurrence of fishes and diminution of stomatopods and penaeid shrimps. No significant differences were finding in total diet between females and males. The variation of the proportion of fullness stomachs and fullness weight index along the year can be related with the reproductive behavior of species.


In Kenya, over 24 million plastic bags are used monthly, half of which end up in the solid waste mainstream. Plastic bags now constitute the biggest challenge to solid waste management in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Nairobi is home to three million, three hundred people. They are ingested by livestock endangering their health and even causing death; they choke soils and are slow biodegraders. The study therefore endeavoured to meet the following objectives: to determine the sources of plastic wastes in Nairobi City and; to determine the factors contributing to the problem of plastic bags waste. A sample of 380 respondents was drawn from the target population using nonprobabilistic approach. The age of the participants ranged from 13-60 years. A questionnaire with both structured and unstructured items was used for data collection. Interviews and observations were also made to enrich information from the questionnaire. The instruments were piloted to determine their validity and reliability. The study established that: households contribute the bulk of the solid waste which included; plastic bottles, carton boxes, metals, glassware, and sharp objects with plastic bags waste forming the bulk of the total waste. Main sources of the waste included plastic industries, supermarkets, shops, hotels, and hospitals. Main factors that contribute to accumulation of plastic wastes included: lack of adherence to the guidelines on solid waste management by stakeholders in the city, failure of the City Council of Nairobi to address the problem of plastic bag waste due to weak policies, and industries and supermarkets that produce and release large volumes of plastic bags to the consumers. The study therefore recommended that: consumers to be educated on the health hazards that emanate from poor disposal of plastic wastes and the Kenya government to legislate sound laws on plastic waste management to strengthen the by-laws for effective reinforcement in the city solid waste management. The government should encourage the establishment of plastic waste recycling industries to assist in plastic waste management.


It has been estimated that nearly half of the world's population is at the risk of contracting malaria with sub Saharan Africa being the most risky area. The existing frontline malaria control interventions are not only expensive but also become ineffective owing to the emergence of insecticide and drug resistance. It calls for an innovative approach in terms of potential and reliable vaccine as an additional tool. Over centuries, the public health experts have been actively engaged to formulate a safe, affordable and potential malaria vaccine and accordingly a notable achievement has also been attained. However, many challenges are required to be flagged immediately and effectively to devise an ideal prophylactic malaria vaccine. Therefore, the global community has to remain waiting quite a few more years to build a wannabe malaria‐free world in the near future.


Low-power consumption has emerged as a very important issue in the design of integrated circuits in CMOS technology. The basic idea behind low-power RISC-like architectures is to reduce the number of executed instructions and clock cycles for the execution of a given task. In addition to these architectural issues, important power savings have been obtained by lowering the supply voltage, by pipelining, by adopting gated clock techniques as well as by using hierarchical memories.


Content Distribution Networks have been attracted a great deal of attraction in recent years. Replica placement problems (RPPs) as one of the key technologies in the Content Distribution Networks have been widely studied. In this paper, we propose an optimization model with server storage capacity constraints for the RPPs . Furthermore, part of the objective function is represented as a Multiple Minimum Cost Flow Model for the first time. E fficient algorithms are designed to minimize the total network cost . The algorithms include three parts: replication algorithm preprocess, constraint P -median model and algorithm of solving constraint P -median models. Correctness of the algorithms is proved by two theorems. In the simulation, we compare our algorithms to other heuristic methods num e rically. The results show that our algorithms perform better with less cost. Future work should be concentrated on the more meticulous models with other resources constraints of the RPPs.


Direct observation techniques were used to determine the antibiotic effects of eight actinomycete species on Helminthosporium sativum in soil and in vitro. In actinomycete-inoculated sterilized soils, the inhibition of germination of fungal spores corresponded with the degree of inhibition of the fungus produced by the same actinomycetes in Petri plate culture. The effects of the actinomycetes on the vegetative growth of H. sativum in soybean-supplemented soils varied with the individual actinomycetes and, with one exception, were identical with the effects caused by the actinomycete antibiotics in vitro. These hyphal changes in soil included: suspension of further mycelial development; lysis; characteristic morphological effects such as stunting, distortion, excessive branching and the formation of hyphal protuberances. Lysis of the fungal hyphae only occurred in the presence of soil and was shown to be due to the combined effect of the antibiotic and some unidentified soil factor. Evidence was also obtained which demonstrated the ability of the actinomycetes to produce antibiotics in unsupplemented soils. Additional proof of antibiotic activity in soil was obtained by using the antibiotic actinomycin and strains of Streptomyces antibioticus, the organism responsible for its production. In Petri plate culture, both crystalline actinomycin and the actinomycetes produced a characteristic swelling, distortion and stunting of the vegetative growth of Helminthosporium sativum. When introduced into sterile soils, identical morphological changes were evidenced by the fungus in the presence of either the pure antibiotic or the actinomycetes.


INTRODUCTION
In 2009 hypovitaminosis D was highly prevalent in a population of Swiss rheumatology patients (86%). We aimed to evaluate the evolution of vitamin D status in the same population two years later, after the results of the first study were disseminated to local physicians and patients, in order to determine the evolution of the problem and the impact of physician information.

METHOD
Patients in our rheumatology clinic were screened for 25-OH vitamin D. Results were categorised as: deficient (<10 ng/ml or <25 nmol/l), insufficient (10 to 30 ng/ml or 25 to 75 nmol/l) or normal (>30 ng/ml or >75 nmol/l). We also used another cut-off of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l). We evaluated the evolution of 25-OH vitamin D dosages and vitamin D3 prescriptions between 2008 and 2011 in our institution and the number of publications on vitamin D in three important medical journals of the French speaking part of Switzerland.

RESULTS
Compared with 2009, significantly more patients had normal results in 2011. Fifty-two percent of patients had levels >20 ng/ml in 2009 and 66% in 2011, difference statistically significant (p = 0.001). During the years separating the two study periods the number of 25-OH vitamin D dosages and the prescription of high doses of vitamin D3 increased in our hospital. In addition the number of publications on vitamin D increased between 2008 and 2011.

CONCLUSION
We concluded that lower prevalence in hypovitaminosis D is certainly related to better adherence to daily supplements, and to better information and awareness of the physicians about hypovitaminosis D.


As Latin America and the Caribbean bounce back from a sanitary crisis of historic proportions, the search is on for policies that can accelerate recovery while boosting long-term growth. In a scenario of tight fiscal constraints, trade and integration (T&I) policies seem to fit this description. There are particularly high expectations in some policy circles that the benefits of T&I policies will be boosted by an impending reorganization of global value chains. Yet little is known about the relevance, shape, and impacts of this reorganization. Will this lead to reshoring, nearshoring, or some slightly modified version of the status quo? Will this benefit the region? This paper takes a stab at answering these questions. It begins with a critical review of the most frequently cited drivers of the reorganization. This is then followed by an analytical exercise that uses the 20182019 US import tariff hike as a quasi-natural experiment. The results seem more consistent with modest trade and investment gains for the region, associated with incremental rather than major adjustments to global value chains. It concludes by arguing that whatever the future brings, minimizing trade and investment costs is likely to remain the regions dominant strategy.


The aim of this thesis was to test existing theories concerning biocompatibility of polymeric materials, and in the process to try and identify the major factors which pertain to their use as bioseparation matrices. The surface chemistry of cellulose and poly(tetrafluoroethyIene) based bioseparation materials have been examined. We have been able to demonstrate a direct link in the case of the cellulose materials between the crystallinity and the accessibility of the hydroxyl groups which are the primary sites of functionalization. In addition, the effect of processing conditions on the pore structure of an amorphous cellulose matrix was demonstrated and this has been shown to have a direct consequence for the protein binding characteristics of the material. The functionalisation of PTFE has been achieved by reaction with sodium naphthalenide, which lead to the defluorination of the PTFE surface and the formation of a unsaturated carbonised layer containing oxygenated functionalities. The reaction has also been shown to alter the morphology of PTFE membranes as evidenced by AFM analysis. In the case of powdered PTFE we observed the formation of a microporous layer, however this was found to revert back to a fluorinated layer with gentle heating. A novel insight in to the defluorination reaction was obtained using the bombardment of PTFE and PVDF with a Na atom beam under ultra-high vacuum conditions. This demonstrated the single valence electron mechanism of the reaction and also showed the formation of NaF at the surface of the polymer. The formation of CF(_3) groups was attributed to the nucleophilic attack of fluoride ions from molecular NaF species formed at the initial stages of the reaction.


Germline mutations of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-interacting protein (AIP) gene confer a predisposition to pituitary adenomas (PA), usually in the setting of familial isolated PA. To provide further insights into the possible role of AIP in pituitary tumour pathogenesis, the expression of AIP and AHR was determined by real-time RT-PCR and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a large series of PA (nZ103), including 17 with AIP mutations (AIP mut ). Variable levels of AIP and AHR transcripts were detected in all PA, with a low AHR expression (P!0.0001 versus AIP). Cytoplasmic AIP and AHR were detected by IHC in 84.0 and 38.6% of PA respectively, and significantly correlated with each other (PZ0.006). Nuclear AHR was detected in a minority of PA (19.7%). The highest AIP expression was observed in somatotrophinomas and non-secreting (NS) PA, and multivariate analysis in somatotrophinomas showed a significantly lower AIP immunostaining in invasive versus non-invasive cases (PZ0.019). AIP expression was commonly low in other secreting PA. AIP immunostaining was abolished in a minority of AIP mut PA, with a frequent loss of cytoplasmic AHR and no evidence of nuclear AHR. In contrast, AIP overexpression in a subset of NS PA could be accompanied by nuclear AHR immunopositivity. We conclude that down-regulation of AIP and AHR may be involved in the aggressiveness of somatotrophinomas. Overall, IHC is a poorly sensitive tool for the screening of AIP mutations. Data obtained on AHR expression suggest that AHR signalling may be differentially affected


Network performance tomography involves correlating end-to-end performance measures over different network paths to infer the performance characteristics on their intersection. Multicast based inference of link-loss rates is the first paradigm for the approach. Existing algorithms generally require numerical solution of polynomial equations for a maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE), or iteration when applying the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. The purpose of this note is to demonstrate a new estimator for link-loss rates that is computationally simple, being an explicit function of the measurements, and that has the same asymptotic variance as the MLE, to first order in the link-loss rates


During the last few years, the rise in woody biomass burning (BB) for household heating has caused an increase in PM mass concentrations, particularly for the fine fraction, in Europe, as reported by the European Environmental Agency. Estimating the contribution from biomass combustion to airborne particulate matter is therefore an important issue in air quality governance, due to its potential health and environmental impacts.
Wood burning's contribution to PM10 was estimated in winter at a rural site in southern Italy by means of two independent methods: source apportionment analysis with Positive Matrix Factorization (BBPMF) and the macro tracer approach, based on levoglucosan concentrations (BBLevo). PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected every 24 h and every 8 h, respectively, and analyzed to determine the organic and elemental carbon, levoglucosan, inorganic ions and elements.
The results obtained via these methods showed good agreement (r = 0.85), with a linear correlation slope of about 1, and provide a reliable assessment of the BB contribution.
Woody biomass combustion contributed significantly to the PM10 (on average, slightly less than 30% of the total mass) during winter. The combination of the independent methods proposed here may be used as a methodology for refining the BB contribution to air pollution.


We describe methods for continual prediction of manufactured product quality prior to final testing. In our most expansive modeling approach, an estimated final characteristic of a product is updated after each manufacturing operation. Our initial application is for the manufacture of microprocessors, and we predict final microprocessor speed. Using these predictions, early corrective manufacturing actions may be taken to increase the speed of expected slow wafers (a collection of microprocessors) or reduce the speed of fast wafers. Such predictions may also be used to initiate corrective supply chain management actions. Developing statistical learning models for this task has many complicating factors: (a) a temporally unstable population (b) missing data that is a result of sparsely sampled measurements and (c) relatively few available measurements prior to corrective action opportunities. In a real manufacturing pilot application, our automated models selected 125 fast wafers in real-time. As predicted, those wafers were significantly faster than average. During manufacture, downstream corrective processing restored 25 nominally unacceptable wafers to normal operation.


This Article has two main aims: to provide a critical consideration of this contemporary antitrust "revival" from an explicitly political–economic perspective and to point toward some theoretical resources that might facilitate such an assessment.Part II looks backward at the evolution and application of competition law in the banking sector over the relatively longue duree. In this Part, I invoke the concept of "exception" to understand how antitrust policy has developed, and my chief interlocutors are the perhaps unlikely figures of Giorgio Agamben and Karl Marx. Part III looks forward and considers the central question around which the recent resurgence of interest in antitrust ultimately revolves: can (and should) antitrust law help in tackling the TBTF problem? The tentative conclusion is that unless we are prepared to fundamentally rethink the purpose of competition law—and in relation to this, the nature of capitalist competition itself— then the answer must be no. This is not because (as some commentators have argued) TBTF is not an antitrust issue. Rather, it is because antitrust theory and practice are today thoroughly economized, whereas the competition between large banks appears to be largely non-economic. In making this argument, I appeal not to Agamben and Marx, but to Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy, and most directly of all to the theorist whose name this symposium bears, Adolf Berle.


We studied the usefulness of a p63/P504S immunostain "cocktail" in evaluation of prostate biopsy specimens containing atypical acini suspicious for adenocarcinoma (AASA), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HPIN), and small foci of adenocarcinoma and tested the sensitivity and specificity of the immunostain with tissue microarrays (TMAs) constructed from prostatectomy and lymphadenectomy specimens. We selected 40 cases containing a focus of adenocarcinoma (14 cases), AASA (7 cases), AASA with HPIN (7 cases), HPIN (6 cases), and atypical favor benign (6 cases). After p63/P504S immunostaining, 13 cases (33%) were reclassified: AASA with HPIN to HPIN only in 5 cases (13%), atypical favor benign to benign in 4 cases (10%), AASA to adenocarcinoma in 2 cases (5%), and atypical favor benign to AASA and atypical favor benign to HPIN in 1 case (3%) each. The diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was supported by immunostain in 14 cases.

In TMA studies, the p63/P504S immunostain for adenocarcinoma and HPIN had sensitivity values of 97.2% and 86.2%, respectively, and specificity values of 99.7% and 81.6%, respectively. P504S stained 64 (74%) of 87 cores of metastatic cancers, and no p63-positive cells were identified in the metastases. The p63/P504S immunohistochemical stain is a sensitive, specific marker for prostatic adenocarcinoma and HPIN and useful in the evaluation of AASA in biopsy specimens.


In this paper, the behaviours of three types of MR fluids under quasi-static loadings in tension mode were investigated. One type of water-based and two types of hydrocarbon-based MR fluids were activated by a magnetic field generated by a coil using a constant value of DC electrical current. Experimental results in terms of stress-strain relationships showed that the MR fluids had distinct unique behaviours during the tension process. A high ratio of solid particles to carrier liquid in the MR fluid is an indication of high magnetic properties. The water-based MR fluid had a relatively large solid-to-liquid ratio. At a given applied current, a significant increase in tensile stress was obtained in this fluid type. On the other hand, the hydrocarbon-based MR fluids had relatively lower solid to liquid ratios, whereby, less increases in tensile stress were obtained. The behaviours of MR fluids were dependent on the relative movement between the solid magnetic particles and the carrier fluid. A complication occurs because, in the presence of a magnetic field, there will be a tendency of the carrier fluid to stick with the magnetic particle


Clitoria ternatea L. is a member of the family Fabaceae, commonly known as 'Aparajita' or Girikarnika. It is a perennial climber widely used in the traditional Ayurvedic system of Indian medicine for treating a wide variety of ailments. Nowadays available drugs for the management of pains, fever, and inflammation like conditions are having many adverse effects; hence there is need for the drugs from other safer sources which will be highly safer having little or no side effects. For this purpose, Clitoria ternatea Linn leaves (Fabaceae) were screened for its phyto and pharmacological especially analgesic properties using hotplate and tail immersion method with mice. The analgesic study of Clitoria ternatea Linn leaves showed that the petroleum ether extract of the leaves have significant activity compared to pentazocin which is used as a standard. Generally Tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins are responsible for the analgesic and antiinflammatory activities in many medicinal plants; hence phytoconstituents from plant leaves are also Short Research Article Chavan et al.; BJPR, 6(4): 255-260, 2015; Article no.BJPR.2015.066 256 studied. These results may explain the use of the plant for the management of pains and its related ailments in the region where it is commonly found.


Abstrak

PT Gramedia Media Asri is a retail book, stationary, educational tools, and other
media seller company. As a sales company of retail book, stationary, educational
tools, and other media the employees demanded to give a satisfying service onto
customer. A good communication process are needed well so the employees work
as they mean to be. Communication needed to aim company objectives, and as a
medium that can motivate the employees to actively giving their idea, experience,
and ability to done their jobs to ease the realization of employees good
productivity.
The problem that happened at PT Gramedia Asri Media Branch Bandar Lampung
is the realization of sales that have not reached the target that is equal to 86.19%
per month while the tolerance limit of 100%. Low levels of work discipline is
shown through the research object is the high level of absenteeism that is equal to
0.62% in Year 2009. Tolerance limits are given by PT Gramedia Asri Media UBL
Branch of 0.50%. Lack of discipline berngakibatkan employee can not achieve the
sales target, so that the problem formulated in this research is whether the
communication has an influence on employee discipline at PT Gramedia Asri
Media Branch Bandar Lampung?
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of communication on the
discipline of employees at PT Gramedia Asri Media Branch Bandar
Lampung.Data used are primary data obtained directly from the PT Gramedia
Asri Media UBL Branch within one year (2009) in the form of data on the number
employee absenteeism data, the period of meetings and media or communication
devices used by the company. In addition, data obtained from the questionnaire
distributed to 57 respondents of all employees of PT Gramedia Asri Media branch
of Bandar Lampung.
The hypothesis proposed in this study is the existence of a positive influence on
the discipline of communication between workers at PT Gramedia Asri Media
Branch Bandar Lampung
The analytical tool used in this study is a qualitative analysis and quantitative
analysis. Qualitative analysis was done by analyzing the problem based on some
theory of human resource management, especially regarding the influence of
communication on work discipline, and then linked with data from the distributing
questionnaires to employees
PT Gramedia Asri Media branch of Bandar Lampung.
The quantitative analysis performed using simple linear regression formula.
Koefisisen standard regression of 0.342 or 34.2%. The result of simple regression
equation as follows: Y = 25.920 +0.287 X. This means that if the communication
(X) value is 0 then discipline the employee (Y) 25,920 positive value, and if
communication has increased a variable then the variable of work discipline
employees has increased by 0287 means that for 28.7% of communication have an
influence on employee discipline, while the remaining influenced by variables
outside ini.Hal research this means that the rise or increased communication, the
discipline of employees is increasing.
Qualitative analysis found that employees are pressured to superior leadership.
This question represents the variable effectiveness of communication. This shows
an error message in the lead in delivering communication between superiors and
subordinates. The method of leadership in communication between the leadership
with employee raises employees become depressed. Leadership is less severe if
the employee made a mistake. Things like this certainly make the discipline of
employees in the company is not too good.
Hypothesis test obtained that the test is performed by looking at the numbers Sig.f
count on SPSS Anova table. Based on the calculation of SPSS, derived figures for
0009 counted Sig.F <0.05 so that means that the hypothesis can be accepted
which affect communication discipline workers at PT Gramedia Asri Media
branch of Bandar Lampung.
The advice can be given that leaders need to use effective means of
communicating with employees so that employees are not depressed, so that the
information given to employee well-conveyed. Leadership must be firm to the
employee if the employee made a mistake.


The Iowa Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (IAGAP) began in 2001 to identify areas in the state where fish species richness lacked adequate protection under existing land ownership and management regimes. Another ma in goal of the project was to create fish prediction data for Iowa streams and rivers. To accomplish these goals, the Iowa GAP team prepared an assortment of datasets that led to the creation of three main datasets: Iowa streams and rivers; Iowa fish habitat models for 157 species; Iowa land stewardship (ownership and management). When the project began, there were few statewide datasets available that provided the type of data needed for this project. Conse quently, much effort was devoted to building the previously mentioned key data layers at a sufficiently fine scale and resolution for subsequent analysis. The exception to this statement was land stewardship; it had been created for the terrestrial GAP project. It need ed minimal editing to serve as a dataset for IAGAP. At the completion of the project, these data became freely available, with the intent that they will be used by those responsible for managing the state's valuable natural resources, and by the public, so that everyone can be better informed. With this in mind, we emphasize that these data are dyna mic, and in some places, already out of date. Nonetheless, the data and analyses which constitute IAGAP represent an important first step toward understanding the status of fish biodiversity and conservation in Iowa. Disciplines Geographic Information Sciences | Natural Resources Management and Policy This report is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cfwru_reports/6


Research Purposes: Brands are one of the important influences on our life that appear everywhere and have great impact on the way we see our world. There are several kinds of brands and numerous perspectives existing about the brand concept. However, the concept of company brand, or corporate brand, is a new topic in the literature and only in 90s was the company brand concept assessed by some communication and branding consultants. Doubtless, one of the most discussed issues in the brand literature is general brand building process. There are many studies that have been done on the general brand building process, regardless the type of the brands, which can be found by Western scholars such as Aaker (1996), de Chernatony (2001), Knox and Bickerton (2003), and Urde (2003). Even though, there are numerous models of the branding process in the literature, the lack of empirical testing has always been the source of critiques for all of them. One of the recent researches on the corporate branding was done by Ted Karlsson, Ph.D. at Umea University. He divided the internal corporate brand process from general corporate branding process and studied it separately. He came up with a model which is based on the theories mentioned above. However, there are no studies that have been done by scholars on internal corporate brand building process at higher education institutions. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the internal corporate brand building process at Linkoping University and, to examine Ted Karlsson's model for its applicability in LiU case. Methodology The type of the research is descriptive. In order to fulfill the research purpose, the researchers have used the deductive approach and adapted the case study strategy as a research strategy. Both secondary and primary data have been used in the research. Findings In the conclusion, researchers come up with the model of internal corporate brand building process of LiU. The researchers found that Linkoping University has been taking the whole steps of the internal corporate brand building process as it is described in the literature. LiU internal corporate brand building case study approved the reliability and the validity of the model presented by Ted Karlsson in 2006.


The legal issue in this thesis is the Law for Child Protection Practice Against
Child Trafficking (Trafficking) in Riau Islands Province. The purpose of this
study is to determine the condition of the practice of child trafficking in the Riau
Islands Province, and to find out how the legal protection of children from child
trafficking in the Riau Islands Province, the research method used is the study of
literature and research in the field. Legal protection for children against the
practice of child trafficking (trafficking) in Riau Islands Province should be done
as much as possible by interested parties, in this case further optimize the role of
institutions, particularly the Department of Justice and Human Rights Province as
an institution that shaded areas of law and promptly endorsed the draft Regional
Regulation of Riau Islands Province, on the Prevention of Trafficking in Women
and Children (trafficking) and more socializing Act - Act No. 23 of 2004 on the
Elimination of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons.


Our current view of the biological membrane is summarized in the fluid-mosaic model which pictures membrane proteins as floating in a sea of phospholipids, the latter being organized as a bilayer (Singer & Nicolson, 1971). The phospholipids, with their hydrophobic fatty acyl chains, provide the basic permeability barrier for the membrane and at the same time provide a structural support for the various membrane proteins. Despite the apparent simplicity of their role, the phospholipid composition of the membranes is highly complex, from which one of two opposite conclusions can be drawn. One is that the composition of the membrane is finely balanced to produce a fully functional membrane and that each species of phospholipid is present for a distinct purpose. Alternatively, it can be argued equally well that the complexity of lipid composition reflects the relative unimportance of the lipid composition for membrane function, so that many chemically distinct lipid species can be used to produce a membrane which is functionally competent. Clearly these two different views will produce different interpretations of any dietary effects on lipid composition and membrane function. Because of the sheer complexity of most biological membranes, both of the lipid and the protein components, answers about the basic properties of membranes are most likely to come from studies of highly simplified model systems. Fortunately we have a good model for the phospholipid bilayer portion of the membrane in the liposome that can be made by mixing phospholipids with water. Depending on the details of preparation, these 'liposomes' consist either of vesicles surrounded by a single lipid bilayer, or of a number of concentric bilayers. We are not as fortunate when it comes to simplified membrane-protein systems, as relatively few membrane proteins have been purified in amounts sufficient for detailed biochemical study. Here I will concentrate on one of the best understood of these proteins, the [Ca2+, Mg2+]ATPase that can be purified from muscle sarcoplasmic


In this paper, we propose a novel framework to translate a portrait photo-face into an anime appearance. Different from existing translation methods which do not designate specific styles, we aim to synthesize anime-faces which are style-consistent with a given reference anime-face. However, unlike typical translation tasks, such anime-face translation is particularly challenging due to the large and complex variations of appearances among anime-faces. Existing methods often fail to transfer the styles of reference anime-faces to the generated anime-faces, or introduce noticeable artifacts/distortions in the local shapes of their generated anime-faces. We propose a novel GAN-based anime-face translator, called AniGAN, to synthesize high-quality anime-faces. Specifically, a new generator architecture is proposed to simultaneously transfer color/texture styles and transform local facial shapes into anime-like counterparts based on the style of a reference anime-face, while preserving the global structure of the source photo-face. New normalization functions are designed for the generator to further improve local shape transformation and color/texture style transfer. Besides, we propose a double-branch discriminator to learn domain-specific distributions through individual branches and learn cross-domain shared distributions via shared layers, helping generate visually pleasing anime-faces and effectively mitigate artifacts/distortions. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate the superiority of our method over state-of-the-art methods.


Suberin is the biopolymer giving cork (oak bark) its hydrophobic and resistant characteristics. It acts as a diffusion barrier in bark and roots of plants. Similarly to lignin, it is a phenolic polymer with good affinity to cellulose and other wood polysaccharides, but it also contains polyaliphatic and strongly hydrophobic elements. In order to produce a lignin derivative similar to suberin, a desired lignin starting material should be of low molecular weight and have a high content of hydroxylic phenolic groups. By means of cross flow nanofiltration of softwood kraft pulping black liquor and pH-precipitation with diluted sulphuric acid, such a lignin has been obtained. Due to the fact that too much organics entering the recovery boiler frequently is the bottleneck for pulp production increases, a removal of part of the lignin can be economically very favourable. By using this lignin together with linola oil, a linseed oil with a large amount of unsaturated structures, an attempt was made to create a new hydrophobic lignin derivative similar to suberin. The product was analysed with FT-IR, Fourier Transformed Infra Red Spectroscopy and GPC, Gel Permeation Chromatography. The suberin like material obtained from this lignin could be polymerised on thermo mechanical pulp fibres by means of Mn(III)-driven phenolic coupling. The ability of the suberin monomers to act as a hydrophobic paper coating was evaluated with contact angle measurements and the results indicate that this lignin derivative was potentially of interest due to its capability to interact well with wood fibres and make paper hydrophobic.


Backgrounds and Aims APECED is a rare autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the Autoimmune Regulator gene. A significant proportion of patients also have gastrointestinal symptoms, including malabsorption, chronic diarrhea, and obstipation. The pathological background of the gastrointestinal symptoms remains incompletely understood and involves multiple factors, with autoimmunity being the most common underlying cause. Patients with APECED have increased immune responses against gut commensals. Our objective was to evaluate whether the intestinal microbiota composition, predicted functions or fungal abundance differ between Finnish patients with APECED and healthy controls, and whether these associate to the patients' clinical phenotype and gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods DNA was isolated from fecal samples from 15 patients with APECED (median age 46.4 years) together with 15 samples from body mass index matched healthy controls. DNA samples were subjected to analysis of the gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, imputed metagenomics using the PICRUSt2 algorithm, and quantitative PCR for fungi. Extensive correlations of the microbiota with patient characteristics were determined. Results Analysis of gut microbiota indicated that both alpha- and beta-diversity were altered in patients with APECED compared to healthy controls. The fraction of Faecalibacterium was reduced in patients with APECED while that of Atopobium spp. and several gram-negative genera previously implicated in biofilm formation, e.g. Veillonella, Prevotella, Megasphaera and Heamophilus, were increased in parallel to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis in imputed metagenomics. The differences in gut microbiota were linked to patient characteristics, especially the presence of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusions Gut microbiota of patients with APECED is altered and enriched with predominantly gram-negative bacterial taxa that may promote biofilm formation and lead to increased exposure to LPS in the patients. The most pronounced alterations in the microbiota were associated with more severe gastrointestinal symptoms.


The transference of the genetic markers and the presence of DNA plasmidial in 240 cultures of Escherichia coli was investigated. The strains were originated from Waste Treatment Plant (inffluent and effluents) located in Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro. By conjugation analysis, E. coli K 12 allowed the isolation of the transconjugants resistant to antibiotics Su, Sm, Tc, Cm, Ap; heavy metals (Cu, Hg and Zn) and colicinogenic factors (Ia, Ib and V) mainly in coliforms isolated Cm and Ap from the terminals of the treatment plant. The percentual distribution of the plasmids was prevalent in the cultures of E. coli originated from material collected in the effluents and reached a rate higher than 65%.


The MEXTAR® software is a mathematical tool able to predict the physicochemical state of a wine. Solving rigorously physicochemical equilibria, including complexation ones, it enables to simulate various operations endured by a wine: tartaric precipitations, acid addition, acid removal, malolactic fermentation. Using only classical chemical analytic determinations, namely, pH, total acidity, tartaric acid and potassium content, MEXTAR® computes the physicochemical state of a wine before and after the endured operation: pH and total acidity, tartaric salts supersaturation and the associated saturation temperature taking into account both the ionic activity coefficients and the complexed fraction of the involved ions, amount of tartaric salts that can be precipitated to obtain either a supersaturation chosen by the user at a given temperature or a chosen final saturation temperature, required amount of acidification or desacification chemical substances to reach a chosen pH or total acidity. The article describes the theoretical background upon which MEXTAR® has been developed and details the computation procedures associated to the simulation of the operations described above. Iterative processes are used to determine the various parameters enounced above. They aim in particular at the verification of the electroneutrality of the sample. However, at first electroneutrality is rarely verified because the wine chemical analytical determination is never exhaustive. Therefore, we introduce the concept of «vinic acid» to compensate the negative ion deficit of usual wine chemical analytical determination. This «vinic acid» is describe as a diacid with a fixed second dissociation constant (pK 2 = 5) and a first dissociation constant determined automatically by MEXTAR®. This enables MEXTAR® to simulate accurately experimental tartaric precipitations for several samples. Thanks to the predicting capacity of MEXTAR®, the correlation between the total polyphenol content (IPT) in red wines and the difficulty to stabilise high IPT wine with respect to tartaric salts is confirmed. Finally, malolactic fermentations are also well simulated. A validation of MEXTAR® for the acid addition or removal has yet to be done when reliable experimental data are available.