The growing demand for grapevine planting materials, due to growing global viticulture, is promoting research studies to improve vineyard sustainability. In greenhouse nurseries, peat is the most ...common growing medium component used although is an expensive and non-renewable material. Indeed, the reduction of peat exploitation is receiving great attention, and currently, several materials are being investigated as peat substitutes for composing the cultivation substrates. Biochar, a carbon-rich, recalcitrant charred organic co-product of the pyrolysis or gasification process, has emerged as a potentially promising replacement for soilless substrates in nursery plant material propagation. Although several studies carried out at greenhouse nurseries have shown that biochar, can improve plant growth, only a few studies have focused on the production of grapevine plant material. To fulfil this knowledge gap and push forward the sustainability of the nursery sector, we evaluated above and below-ground morpho-physiological traits of one-year-old potted grapevine cuttings growing with 30% volume of four different biochar types (i.e., from pyrolysis and gasification) mixed with commercial peat. The present study shows that biochar can be used in growing media mixes without adverse effects on roots, improves soil water retention and leaf water potential, and improves the effects on soil microbiology.
The majority of vaccine candidates in clinical development are highly purified proteins and peptides relying on adjuvants to enhance and/or direct immune responses. Despite the acknowledged need for ...novel adjuvants, there are still very few adjuvants in licensed human vaccines. A vast number of adjuvants have been tested pre-clinically using different experimental conditions, rendering it impossible to directly compare their activity. We performed a head-to-head comparison of five different adjuvants Alum, MF59 (R), GLA-SE, IC31 (R) and CAF01 in mice and combined these with antigens from M. tuberculosis, influenza, and chlamydia to test immune-profiles and efficacy in infection models using standardized protocols. Regardless of antigen, each adjuvant had a unique immunological signature suggesting that the adjuvants have potential for different disease targets. Alum increased antibody titers; MF59 (R) induced strong antibody and IL-5 responses; GLA-SE induced antibodies and Th1; CAF01 showed a mixed Th1/Th17 profile and IC31 (R) induced strong Th1 responses. MF59 (R) and GLA-SE were strong inducers of influenza HI titers while CAF01, GLA-SE and IC31 (R) enhanced protection to TB and chlamydia. Importantly, this is the first extensive attempt to categorize clinical-grade adjuvants based on their immune profiles and protective efficacy to inform a rational development of next generation vaccines for human use.
Modern autonomous cars run classic AUTOSAR applications alongside advanced driving assistance systems on a single-vehicle computer. Ensuring safety and predictability in such a complex system is ...challenging and requires temporal isolation between the various components. A promising solution is the POSIX-compliant QNX operating system: it meets the automotive standards for functional safety at the highest level (ISO 26262 ASIL-D) and provides temporal isolation through the Adaptive Partitioning Scheduler (APS), a resource reservation algorithm that guarantees processor bandwidth to groups of threads. These guarantees make it an ideal platform for composing diverse and complex applications on centralized vehicle computers. However, so far, there is no precise description or analysis of the APS reservation mechanism in real-time literature. In this paper, we provide the first description of the behavior of the APS from a real-time point of view and validate the results by running experiments on a real QNX platform. Based on the derived scheduler rules, we develop a response-time analysis to bound the end-to-end latency of event chains under APS. Finally, we evaluate different design strategies on a case study based on a real autonomous construction vehicle.
Background Cesarean sections (CS) are believed to be associated with greater risks of postpartum VTE. Our objective was to systematically review the evidence on this association and on the absolute ...risk of VTE following CS. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and conference proceedings from 1980 to November 2015 for reports on the associations of delivery methods with postpartum VTE and on the incidence of VTE following CS. Studies on thrombophilia or recurrent VTE were excluded, and the search was restricted to prospective studies when assessing the incidence of VTE. Pooled relative and absolute risks were estimated with random effects models. Results The search retrieved 28 mostly retrospective observational studies comparing risks of VTE following CS and following vaginal deliveries (VD) (> 53,000 VTE events) and 32 prospective studies reporting risks of VTE following CS (218 VTE events). Compared with VD, the relative risk of VTE following CS ranged from 1 to 22, with a meta-analytic OR of 3.7 (95% CI, 3.0-4.6). Adjustment for age and BMI had a marginal influence on the estimated pooled OR. Associations were observed for both elective and emergency CS, with stronger estimates of associations for emergency CS. The pooled incidence was 2.6 VTE per 1,000 CS (95% CI, 1.7-3.5) and was greater in studies with a longer and better follow-up in the postpartum period (4.3 per 1,000 CS). Conclusions The risk of VTE was fourfold greater following CS than following VD; seemed independent of other VTE risk factors; and was greater following emergency CS than following elective CS. On average, three in 1,000 women will develop a VTE following CS.
A novel control technique has been devised to obtain high dynamics responses from a multilevel power conditioning converter. The theory of variable structure control systems with sliding mode has ...been followed, taking into account several problems that may be encountered in space environments. The analytical study made provides general tools to design AC power conditioning systems for any application. The new control scheme, its mathematical analysis and digital simulation results relevant to a 115 V/400 Hz AC power system are presented and discussed.< >
The paper focuses on the design of a power interface for connecting a small power wind turbine to a three phase power plant. The proposed technique, which employs a current feed converter for feeding ...the utility grid through an unidirectional full bridge inverter, may be considered an alternative to a traditional voltage feed inverters.
The conditioning regimens with different alkylators at different doses can influence the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), but conclusive data are missing.
With the aim to ...analyze real-life allogeneic SCTs performed in Italy between 2006 and 2017 in elderly patients (aged >60 y) with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome, we collected 780 first transplants data. For analysis purposes, patients were grouped according to the type of alkylator included in the conditioning (busulfan BU-based; n = 618; 79%; treosulfan TREO-based; n=162; 21%).
No significant differences were observed in nonrelapse mortality, cumulative incidence of relapse, and overall survival, although in the TREO-based group, we observed a greater proportion of elderly patients (
< 0.001); more active diseases at the time of SCT (
< 0.001); a higher prevalence of patients with either hematopoietic cell transplantation-comorbidity index ≥3 (
< 0.001) or a good Karnofsky performance status (
= 0.025); increased use of peripheral blood stem cells as graft sources (
< 0.001); and greater use of reduced intensity conditioning regimens (
= 0.013) and of haploidentical donors (
< 0.001). Moreover, the 2-y cumulative incidence of relapse with myeloablative doses of BU was significantly lower than that registered with reduced intensity conditioning (21% versus 31%;
= 0.0003). This was not observed in the TREO-based group.
Despite a higher number of risk factors in the TREO group, no significant differences were observed in nonrelapse mortality, cumulative incidence of relapse, and overall survival according to the type of alkylator, suggesting that TREO has no advantage over BU in terms of efficacy and toxicity in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.
This paper presents a high dynamic induction motor drive system utilizing a fully digital direct field oriented controller. The drive is characterized by a sliding mode controller and by a stochastic ...filtering technique, the latter obtained by an extended Kalman filter (EKF), in the feedback loop. The EKF, in addition to supplying a reliable estimation of state variables, is able to identify and to correct in real-time the values of rotor resistance and of rotor constant time, in effect, becoming an adaptive state observer. The system can work both with or without a speed sensor. Some computer simulations are reported.
Purpose This study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of the 6F Angio-Seal (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, Minn) as a closure device for transbrachial artery access for endovascular ...procedures in diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia. Methods From January 2005 and September 2007, 1887 diabetic patients underwent interventional procedures in the lower limbs at a two diabetic foot centers. Patients presented with rest pain (16%), ulcers (80%), or gangrene (4%). Systemic anticoagulation with sodium heparin (70 IU/kg) was obtained for all patients at the beginning of the endovascular treatment. A total of 249 brachial arteries (238 patients) were evaluated for possible Angio-Seal use after endovascular recanalization of the leg. Color Doppler ultrasound imaging of the artery was obtained before revascularization only in patients with previous Angio-Seal placement in the brachial artery. No further imaging studies were done in the remaining brachial arteries where the Angio-Seal was deployed at the operator’s discretion. Impairment or disappearance of the radial pulse or onsets of hand ischemia or hand pain, or impairment of hand function during or at the end of the endovascular revascularization were all regarded as contraindications to Angio-Seal usage. Evidence of a highly calcified plaque of the brachial artery access site at the time of vessel puncture was regarded as an absolute contraindication to the Angio-Seal use. Patients were seen before discharge, at 1, 3, and 8 weeks after the procedure, and at 3-month intervals thereafter. Complications included hemorrhage, pseudoaneurysm, infection, and vessel occlusion. Results A total of 1947 Angio-Seal collagen plugs were deployed in 1709 diabetic patients (90.5%). The Angio-Seal was used for brachial artery closure in 159 patients (8.4%) in 161 procedures (159 in the left, 2 in the right brachial artery). In 79 patients (4.2%) in 88 procedures (87 in the left and 1 in the right brachial artery), the device was deemed contraindicated due to small vessel size in 73 patients (92.4%) or presence of calcium at the access site in five patients (6.3%). One patient (1.3%) refused the collagen plug closure after revascularization. The non-Angio-Seal group was evaluated for comparison. The success rate for achieving hemostasis in the Angio-Seal group was 96.9%. Five major complications (3.1%) at 30 days consisted of two puncture site hematomas >4 cm, two brachial artery occlusions, and one brachial artery pseudoaneurysm, with three patients requiring open surgery. Minor complications (7.50%) were three puncture site hematomas < 4 cm, three oozing of blood from the access site, and six patients had mild pain in the cubital fossa. No further complications were recorded in the 14-month follow-up (range 1-25 months) of a total of 140 patients. Conclusions This retrospective study shows that the 6F Angio-Seal is a valuable and safe vascular closure device for transbrachial access in diabetic patients undergoing interventional procedures for critical limb ischemia.
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