Rutting measurements are a significant part of scientific research on the impact of forest vehicles on the forest soils and damage to the forest transport infrastructure. Although photogrammetric ...methods of measurement or measurements based on LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data are increasingly being used for rutting measurements, the previous research conducted using these methods indicated the challenge of recording water-filled ruts. For this reason, it is necessary to define a reliable method of rutting field measurement in lowland forest stands characterized by a high level of groundwater that fills the ruts shortly after the passage of forest vehicles. This research analyzed the measurement accuracy using a total station and a GNSS RTK device with a CROPOS correction base in relation to the measuring rod that represented the reference method. Based on recorded and processed data, ruts are displayed in two ways: as net and as gross value of rut depth. The analysis of net rutting revealed a statistically significant difference between the calculated rut depths based on measurements with a GNSS RTK device and other methods. On average, the net rutting measured by the GNSS RTK device was 2.86 cm smaller than that of the reference method. When calculating the gross rutting, which consisted of the net rut depth and the bulge height, no statistically significant difference was found between the measurement methods used. Based on this result, the bulge height was also analyzed, and showed a statistically significant difference between the data recorded by the GNSS RTK device and other methods. It can be concluded that measuring the depth of ruts with a total station gives accurate data and represents the optimal modern field measurement method for the same or similar terrain conditions. In contrast, the GNSS RTK device, which constantly gives higher elevation points, can be used to measure gross rutting.
Croatian pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) populations represent southern range peripheral populations, often viewed as sources of valuable diversity and drought-resistant ecotypes. At the same ...time, they endure stronger selection pressures as a result of climate change. The leaves of 20 individuals per population (17) were sampled in a field trial and analyzed using 10 nuclear and 9 chloroplast SSRs to determine the level of intrapopulation genetic variability and genetic differentiation. Analysis with nSSRs revealed deviation from HWE in seven populations. AMOVA showed a high intra-population diversity (98.53%) and a small but statistically significant inter-population differentiation. Isolation by distance explained 19.6% of differentiation. Average FST between populations was low (0.013) compared with usual values for peripheral populations. Populations were rich in cpSSR haplotypes, confirming the hotspot of diversity caused by the encounter of recolonization routes. Unbiased haplotype diversity (HE) from 9 chloroplast SSRs and 325 individuals was (HE = 0.440). Sixty-six different haplotypes were grouped in three maternal lineages by both a median-joining network and a neighbor-joining algorithm. AMOVA for cpSSRs showed statistically significant diversity among populations (70.23%), suggesting genetic differentiation, but also a probable anthropogenic effect. AMOVA of nSSRs within and between lineages showed that original recolonization patterns of nuclear diversity were subsequently erased by gene flow.
Every day, more people are becoming infected and dying from exposure to COVID-19. Some countries in Europe like Spain, France, the UK and Italy have suffered particularly badly from the virus. Others ...such as Germany appear to have coped extremely well. Both health professionals and the general public are keen to receive up-to-date information on the effects of the virus, as well as treatments that have proven to be effective. In cases where language is a barrier to access of pertinent information, machine translation (MT) may help people assimilate information published in different languages. Our MT systems trained on COVID-19 data are freely available for anyone to use to help translate information (such as promoting good practice for symptom identification, prevention, and treatment) published in German, French, Italian, Spanish into English, as well as the reverse direction.
Selenium (Se), an essential trace element for human and animal health, is covalently incorporated into amino acids, acts as a cofactor for antioxidant enzymes, and is involved in the maintenance of ...the immune system. The main goal of this investigation was to show the effect of Se supplementation, at levels slightly higher than the recommended values, combined with natural zeolite clinoptilolite on Se deposition in tissues (muscle and liver) and on the immune and antioxidative status of supplemented growing pigs. The experiment was carried out during a 98 d period on 60 pigs. Pigs were fed a standard feed mixture based on corn and soybean and were divided into four groups, according to the level of dietary selenium supplementation as follows: C-0.3 mg/kg DM organic Se, E1-0.5 mg/kg DM sodium selenite, E2-0.5 mg/kg DM organic selenium; E3-0.5 mg/kg DM organic Se+0.2% zeolite. Higher (
P
< 0.05) selenium concentrations were determined in the muscle and liver in growing pigs fed with higher organic Se in combination with zeolite compared to the lower organic Se concentration. Addition of organic Se increased (
P
< 0.05) Se deposition in muscle and liver compared to the equal amount of inorganic Se (E2 vs. E1). Higher organic Se in combination with natural zeolite addition increases (
P
< 0.05) proportion of pigs' cluster of differentiation (CD)45
+
compared to the same amount of inorganic Se and lower organic Se addition. The proportion of CD45
+
and CD4
+
lymphocytes was higher (
P
< 0.05) in E3 group compared to the other groups. Higher (
P
< 0.05) proportion of CD21
+
lymphocytes were measured in the E2 and E3 groups compared with the other groups. The highest (
P
< 0.01) activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in pig erythrocytes was observed in the E3 group, while higher (
P
< 0.05) activity of glutathione reductase (GR) was in all experimental groups related to the control one. A dietary addition of 0.5 mg/kg DM of organic Se in combination with zeolite (0.2% DM) has increased (
P
< 0.05) Se deposition in liver, muscle, and blood, compared to the dietary addition of 0.3 mg/kg DM of the organic Se.
This work presents an extensive comparison of language-related problems for neural machine translation (NMT) and phrase-based machine translation (PBMT) for German-to-English, English-to-German and ...English-to-Serbian. The explored issues are related both to the characteristics of the languages as well as to the (machine) translation process and, although related, go beyond typical translation error classes. It is shown that the main advantage of the NMT approach consists of better generating verb forms, avoiding verb omissions, as well as better handling of English noun collocations and negation. It is also shown that the main obstacles for the NMT system are prepositions, translation of English (source) ambiguous words and generating English (target) continuous and perfect tenses. In addition, preliminary experiments show that a number of issues are complementary, i.e., not occurring in the same segments and/or in the same form. This means that a combination or hybridisation of the NMT and PBMT approaches is a promising direction for improving both types of systems.
Immunotherapy with the chimeric anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody dinutuximab, combined with alternating granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and intravenous interleukin-2 (IL-2), improves ...survival in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. We aimed to assess event-free survival after treatment with ch14.18/CHO (dinutuximab beta) and subcutaneous IL-2, compared with dinutuximab beta alone in children and young people with high-risk neuroblastoma.
We did an international, open-label, phase 3, randomised, controlled trial in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma at 104 institutions in 12 countries. Eligible patients were aged 1–20 years and had MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma with stages 2, 3, or 4S, or stage 4 neuroblastoma of any MYCN status, according to the International Neuroblastoma Staging System. Patients were eligible if they had been enrolled at diagnosis in the HR-NBL1/SIOPEN trial, had completed the multidrug induction regimen (cisplatin, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and etoposide, with or without topotecan, vincristine, and doxorubicin), had achieved a disease response that fulfilled prespecified criteria, had received high-dose therapy (busulfan and melphalan or carboplatin, etoposide, and melphalan) and had received radiotherapy to the primary tumour site. In this component of the trial, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive dinutuximab beta (20 mg/m2 per day as an 8 h infusion for 5 consecutive days) or dinutuximab beta plus subcutaneous IL-2 (6 × 106 IU/m2 per day on days 1–5 and days 8–12 of each cycle) with the minimisation method to balance randomisation for national groups and type of high-dose therapy. All participants received oral isotretinoin (160 mg/m2 per day for 2 weeks) before the first immunotherapy cycle and after each immunotherapy cycle, for six cycles. The primary endpoint was 3-year event-free survival, analysed by intention to treat. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01704716, and EudraCT, number 2006-001489-17, and recruitment to this randomisation is closed.
Between Oct 22, 2009, and Aug 12, 2013, 422 patients were eligible to participate in the immunotherapy randomisation, of whom 406 (96%) were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n=200 to dinutuximab beta and n=206 to dinutuximab beta with subcutaneous IL-2). Median follow-up was 4·7 years (IQR 3·9–5·3). Because of toxicity, 117 (62%) of 188 patients assigned to dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 received their allocated treatment, by contrast with 160 (87%) of 183 patients who received dinutuximab beta alone (p<0·0001). 3-year event-free survival was 56% (95% CI 49–63) with dinutuximab beta (83 patients had an event) and 60% (53–66) with dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 (80 patients had an event; p=0·76). Four patients died of toxicity (n=2 in each group); one patient in each group while receiving immunotherapy (n=1 congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension due to capillary leak syndrome; n=1 infection-related acute respiratory distress syndrome), and one patient in each group after five cycles of immunotherapy (n=1 fungal infection and multi-organ failure; n=1 pulmonary fibrosis). The most common grade 3–4 adverse events were hypersensitivity reactions (19 10% of 185 patients in the dinutuximab beta group vs 39 20% of 191 patients in the dinutuximab plus subcutaneous IL-2 group), capillary leak (five 4% of 119 vs 19 15% of 125), fever (25 14% of 185 vs 76 40% of 190), infection (47 25% of 185 vs 64 33% of 191), immunotherapy-related pain (19 16% of 122 vs 32 26% of 124), and impaired general condition (30 16% of 185 vs 78 41% of 192).
There is no evidence that addition of subcutaneous IL-2 to immunotherapy with dinutuximab beta, given as an 8 h infusion, improved outcomes in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who had responded to standard induction and consolidation treatment. Subcutaneous IL-2 with dinutuximab beta was associated with greater toxicity than dinutuximab beta alone. Dinutuximab beta and isotretinoin without subcutaneous IL-2 should thus be considered the standard of care until results of ongoing randomised trials using a modified schedule of dinutuximab beta and subcutaneous IL-2 are available.
European Commission 5th Frame Work Grant, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Fondation ARC pour la recherche sur le Cancer.
► Novel low temperature method for the synthesis of ZnO/ZnWO4 rod-like nanoparticles. ► PL showed strong UV band peaked at 3.30eV and a visible band at 2.71 and 2.53eV. ► Variations of the two PL ...bands were observed for different excitation wavelengths. ► Band-gap energies of ZnO/ZnWO4 nanoparticles were found to be 3.62 and 3.21eV. ► Photocatalytic behaviour of ZnO is dependent on the formation of ZnWO4 phase.
Zinc oxide (ZnO)/zinc tungstate (ZnWO4) rod-like nanoparticles with diameters in the range of 6–11nm and length of about 30nm were synthesized by a low temperature soft solution method at 95°C in the presence of non-ionic copolymer surfactant. It was found that their crystallinity was enhanced with the increase of heating time from 1h up to 120h. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements showed very strong, narrow UV band peaked at 3.30eV and a broad visible band peaking at 2.71eV with a shoulder at about 2.53eV, for λexc<300nm. Quite large variations in the intensities of the two PL bands were observed for different excitation wavelengths. The intensity of the main visible band decreases with decreasing excitation energy and disappears when samples are excited λ=320nm (Eexc=3.875eV). We found that observed optical properties originate from ZnO phase. UV band gap PL had high intensity for all applied excitations, probably induced by ZnWO4 phase presence on the surface. In addition, two values were found for direct band-gap energy of ZnO/ZnWO4 rod-like nanoparticles 3.62 and 3.21eV, determined from reflectance spectrum. The photocatalytic behaviour of ZnO is strongly dependent on the formation of ZnWO4 phase, of the obtained rod-like nanoparticles.
PDF
