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Detecting sputum pyocyanin (PYO) with a competitive immunoassay is a promising approach for diagnosing Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections. However, it is not possible to perform a negative control to evaluate matrix-effects in competitive immunoassays, and the highly complex sputum matrix often interferes with target detection. Here, we show that these issues are alleviated by performing competitive immunoassays with a paper biosensor. The biosensing platform consists of a paper reservoir, which contains antibody-coated gold nanoparticles, and a substrate containing a competing recognition element, which is a piece of paper modified with an albumin-antigen conjugate. Detection of PYO with a limit of detection of 4.7·10-3 µM and a dynamic range between 4.7·10-1 µM and 47.6 µM is accomplished by adding the sample to the substrate with the competing element and pressing the reservoir against it for 5 min. When tested with patient samples, the biosensor was able to qualitatively differentiate spiked from non-spiked samples, whereas ELISA did not show a clear cut-off between them. Furthermore, the relative standard deviation was lower when determining sputum with the paper-based biosensor. These features, along with a mild liquefaction step that circumvents the use of harsh chemicals or instruments, make our biosensor a good candidate for diagnosing Pseudomonas infections at the bedside through the detection of sputum PYO.

Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF-CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.

Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF-CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.

Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF-CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.

Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF-CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.

Polymers are often combined with magnetostrictive materials to enhance their toughness. This study reports a cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-based composite paper containing dispersed CoFe2O4 particles (CNF-CoFe2O4). Besides imparting magnetization and magnetostriction, the incorporation of CoFe2O4 particles decreased the ultimate tensile strength and increased the fracture elongation of the CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. CNF was responsible for the tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper. Consequently, the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties and tensile properties of CNF-CoFe2O4 composite paper can be controlled by changing the mixture ratio of CNF and CoFe2O4 particles.

Light-weight paper products that contain less fibres, but with a maintained bulk and improved strength properties, are highly desirable due to the low cost of raw materials and improved logistics of packaged goods. In this respect, the adsorption capacity of dry strength additives onto fibres, which is affected by the surface charge of said fibres, is very important for the development of these mechanically robust paper products. The influence of the surface charge on the adsorption of strength additives was investigated for, dissolving grade fibres, kraft fibres and kraft fibres modified with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with different surface charge densities, but the same fibre dimensions. The strength additives investigated were cationic starch (CS), anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) and polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), containing CS and APAM. A linear relationship was found between the surface charge of the fibres and the saturated adsorbed amount of CS. However, when either APAM or PECs adsorbed as secondary layers onto the CS, no correlation between cellulose charge and the saturation adsorption could be observed. The adsorption of APAM was dramatically affected by the pre-adsorbed amount of CS, whereas PECs were less influenced. Moreover, the additives improved the tensile strength (60%) and strain at break (> 100%) of handsheets formed with the kraft fibres and adsorbed APAM. It was also found that CS/APAM increased the sheet density while CS/PECs lowered it. In conclusion, the gained fundamental understanding of these adsorption of additives is of significant importance to facilitate the industrial development of sustainable low-cost high-end packaging products. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.], QC 20221027

Pulp refining is an essential process step prior to paper production. The contribution of fines production during refining to the resulting paper strength so far has mostly been considered qualitatively. A quantitative and experimental evaluation regarding their effect has not yet been published. Unbleached softwood kraft pulp was refined using a PFI mill and a disc refiner at different refining intensities. Prior to handsheet forming, fines were removed in a lab scale pressure screen from one part of the refined and unrefined samples in order to investigate the difference in tensile strength between sheets with and without fines, which were furthermore produced with and without additional wet pressing. It was found, that fines formed in a disc refiner at 250 kWh/t are responsible for up to 25% of the breaking length increase, while the PFI mill at 10,000 revolutions fines only contribute to a maximum of 12%. In terms of fines efficiency, the disc refiner was able to achieve higher results compared to the PFI mill, which however might be attributed to the higher fibre flexibilization in the PFI mill. Thus fines formed in the refining process are of high importance for strength development especially for the disc refiner., QC 20230523

This paper aims to understand complex social events that arise when communicating general concepts in the digital space. Today, we get informed through many different channels, at different times of the day, in different contexts, and on many different devices. In addition to that, more complexity is added by the bidirectional nature of the communication itself. People today react very quickly to specific topics through various means such as rating, sharing, commenting, tagging, icons, tweeting, etc. Such activities generate additional metadata to the information itself which become part of the original message. When planning proper communication we should consider all this. In such a complicated environment, the likelihood of a message's real meaning being received in a distorted or confused way is very high. However, as we have seen recently during the Covid-19 pandemic, at times, there is the need to communicate something, somewhat complicated in nature, while we need to make sure citizens fully understand the actual terms and meaning of the communication. This was the case faced by many governments worldwide when informing their population on the rules of conduct during the various lockdown periods. We analyzed trends and structure of social network data generated as a reaction to those official communications in Italy. Our goal is to derive a model to estimate whether the communication intended by the government was properly understood by the large population. We discovered some regularities in social media generated data related to "poorly" communicated issues. We believe it is possible to derive a model to measure how well the recipients grasp a specific topic. And this can be used to trigger real-time alerts when the need for clarification arises., QC 20220408Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-3-030-95470-3; 978-3-030-95469-7

Double-roll compaction is a process to create extensible paper and paperboard suitable for replacing plastic in 3D forming applications. Understanding the macro- and micro-mechanisms governing the compaction process allows increasing the stretch potential while maintaining sufficient strength and bending stiffness. In this work, we approach the compaction process of paperboard with micro-mechanical methods featuring the unprecedented level of details otherwise inaccessible with currently available experimental tools. The loading scheme is based on experiments and continuum level simulations. The different levels of compaction and their continuous impact on the fibers’ geometry, void closures, and irreversible deformation of the fibers are thoroughly characterized. We find that the structural changes are concentrated in the fibers oriented within 30 degrees of the direction of compaction. The deformation accumulates primarily in the wall of the fibers in the form of irreversible strains. The spring-back effect beyond the compaction is negligible. For the first time, the role of normal and frictional fiber-to-fiber interactions in the compaction process is investigated and quantified. The frictional interaction between the fibers has a surprisingly low impact on the outcome of the compaction process, and the normal interaction between the fibers has a dominant response. The consequence of this finding is potentially limited impact of the surface modifications targeting the friction., QC 20220331

Purpose of Review: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common forms of arthritis in the general population, accounting for more pain and functional disability than any other musculoskeletal disease. There are currently no approved disease modifying drugs for OA. In the absence of effective pharmacotherapy, many patients with OA turn to nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals, including collagen derivatives. Collagen hydrolyzates and ultrahydrolyzates are terms used to describe collagens that have been broken down into small peptides and amino acids in the presence of collagenases and high pressure. Recent Findings: This article reviews the relevant literature and serves as a White Paper on collagen hydrolyzates and ultrahydrolyzates as emerging supplements often advertised to support joint health in OA. Collagen hydrolyzates have demonstrated some evidence of efficacy in a handful of small scale clinical trials, but their ability to treat and reverse advanced joint disease remains highly speculative, as is the case for other nutritional supplements. Summary: The aim of this White Paper is to stimulate research and development of collagen-based supplements for patients with OA and other musculoskeletal diseases at academic and industrial levels. This White Paper does not make any treatment recommendations for OA patients in the clinical context, but simply aims to highlight opportunities for scientific innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, which are crucial for the development of novel products and nutritional interventions based on the best available and published evidence.

Cellulose fibers are a major industrial input, but due to their irregular shape and anisotropic material response, accurate material characterization is difficult. Single fiber tensile testing is the most popular way to estimate the material properties of individual fibers. However, such tests can only be performed along the axis of the fiber and are associated with problems of enforcing restraints. Alternative indirect approaches, such as micro-mechanical modeling, can help but yield results that are not fully decoupled from the model assumptions. Here, we compare these methods with nanoindentation as a method to extract elastic material constants of the individual fibers. We show that both the longitudinal and the transverse elastic modulus can be determined, additionally enabling the measurement of fiber properties in-situ inside a sheet of paper such that the entire industrial process history is captured. The obtained longitudinal modulus is comparable to traditional methods for larger indents but with a strongly increased scatter as the size of the indentation is decreased further., QC 20220214Not duplicate with DiVa 1585095

This paper examines the personal and professional experiences of the five arts leaders who co-wrote the foundation document for Australia’s first national curriculum in the Arts. Their personal and professional backgrounds, which were explored during in depth interviews, drove the complex collaborative process that informed the first iteration of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. Though each couched their responses in the context of their background and arts discipline, they shared an awareness of the important role of the Arts in providing the analytical tools for children and young people to identify and subsequently challenge social injustice. The findings, which are presented as a group narrative using a Narrative Inquiry approach, reveal how the five arts leaders’ individual lived experience, disciplinary experience and expertise, and commitment to collaborative leadership informed their approach. It was one driven by their shared belief that all Australian students, regardless of their background, are entitled to a quality arts education.

Tissue paper softness relies on two major factors, the bulk softness, which can be indicated by the elasticity of the sheet, and surface softness. Measurement of surface softness is complicated and often requires a multi-step process. A key parameter defining surface softness is the topography of the surface, particularly the crepe structure and its periodicity. Herein, we present a novel approach to measure and quantify the tissue paper surface crepe structure and periodicity based on the detection of waviness along the sample using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSM) and X-ray tomography (XRT). In addition, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to characterize the tissue paper surface. We demonstrate that surface topography is directly correlated to the erosion of the doctor blade, which is used to remove the dry tissue paper from the Yankee cylinder. Because of its accuracy and simplicity, the laser confocal microscopy method has the potential to be used directly on the production line to monitor the production process of the tissue paper. XRT revealed more structural details of the tissue paper structure in 3D, and it allowed for the reconstruction of the surface and the internal structure of the tissue paper.

The International Conference on Agile Software Development (XP) was established almost sixteen years ago. Based on data from Scopus database, a total of 789 papers have been published in between years of 2002 and 2018. We employed bibliometrics analysis and topic modeling with R/RStudio to analyze these published papers from various dimensions, including the most active authors, collaboration of authorship, most cited papers, used keywords and trends of probable topics from the titles and abstracts of those papers. The results show that the first five years of XP conference cover nearly 40% of the papers published until now and almost 62% of the XP papers have been cited at least once. Mining of XP conference paper titles and abstracts result in these hot research topics: “Coordination”, “Technical Debt”, “Teamwork”, “Startups” and “Agile Practices”, thus strongly focusing on practical issues and problems faced by the practitioners in the industry. The results highlight the most influential researchers and institutions, and the collaboration between the authors in the conference papers. The approach applied in this study can be extended to other software engineering venues and can be applied to large-scale studies.

This paper provides a comparative study about seasonal influence on editorial decisions for papers submitted to two peer review journals. We distinguish a specialized one, the Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society (JSCS) and an interdisciplinary one, Entropy. Dates of electronic submission for about 600 papers to JSCS and 2500 to Entropy have been recorded over 3 recent years. Time series of either accepted or rejected papers are subsequently analyzed. We take either editors or authors view points into account, thereby considering magnitudes and probabilities. In this sample, it is found that there are distinguishable peaks and dips in the time series, demonstrating preferred months for the submission of papers. It is also found that papers are more likely accepted if they are submitted during a few specific months—these depending on the journal. The probability of having a rejected paper also appears to be seasonally biased. In view of clarifying reports with contradictory findings, we discuss previously proposed conjectures for such effects, like holiday effects and the desk rejection by editors. We conclude that, in this sample, the type of journal, specialized or multidisciplinary, seems to be the drastic criterion for distinguishing the outcomes rates.

This paper provides a comparative study about seasonal influence on editorial decisions for papers submitted to two peer review journals. We distinguish a specialized one, the Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society (JSCS) and an interdisciplinary one, Entropy. Dates of electronic submission for about 600 papers to JSCS and 2500 to Entropy have been recorded over 3 recent years. Time series of either accepted or rejected papers are subsequently analyzed. We take either editors or authors view points into account, thereby considering magnitudes and probabilities. In this sample, it is found that there are distinguishable peaks and dips in the time series, demonstrating preferred months for the submission of papers. It is also found that papers are more likely accepted if they are submitted during a few specific months—these depending on the journal. The probability of having a rejected paper also appears to be seasonally biased. In view of clarifying reports with contradictory findings, we discuss previously proposed conjectures for such effects, like holiday effects and the desk rejection by editors. We conclude that, in this sample, the type of journal, specialized or multidisciplinary, seems to be the drastic criterion for distinguishing the outcomes rates.

Background A central construct in Schema Therapy (ST) is that of a schema mode, describing the current emotional-cognitive-behavioral state. Initially, 10 modes were described. Over time, with the world-wide increasing and broader application of ST to various disorders, additional schema modes were identified, mainly based on clinical impressions. Thus, the need for a new, theoretically based, cross-cultural taxonomy of modes emerged. Methods An international workgroup started from scratch to identify an extensive taxonomy of modes, based on (a) extending the theory underlying ST with new insights on needs, and (b) recent research on ST theory supporting that modes represent combinations of activated schemas and coping. Results We propose to add two emotional needs to the original five core needs that theoretically underpin the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), i.e., the need for Self-Coherence, and the need for Fairness, leading to three new EMSs, i.e. Lack of a Coherent Identity, Lack of a Meaningful World, and Unfairness. When rethinking the purpose behind the different ways of coping with EMS-activation, we came up with new labels for two of those: Resignation instead of Surrender, and Inversion instead of Overcompensation. By systematically combining EMSs and ways of coping we derived a set of schema modes that can be empirically tested. Conclusions With this project, we hope to contribute to the further development of ST and its application across the world.

There is now a wide agreement that reforms of the architecture of the Eurozone (EZ) are needed, reforms aimed at fostering further integration of economic policy and governance. Behind the plea for “more Europe”, divergences loom large across member states. The cleavage is normally represented in geographic mode, the Northern EZ countries (NEZ) on one side, the Southern EZ countries (SEZ) on the other. It is quite clear that divergences have more to do with economy and polity than with geography. Suspicion runs high and mutual trust runs low between SEZ and NEZ. In these circumstances, it is extremely difficult to reform the EZ, while the conditions are set for populist, sovereigntist, anti-European movements to thrive. However the COVID pandemic may turn out to be a catalyst of reforms. We first attempt at understanding the legacy of the EZ crisis of the 2010s and its mismanagement by appealing to the present “consensus view”. This effort will help the reader focusing on why NEZ and SEZ disagree and to find out whether and how they can agree. Second, we try to build on this common narrative in order to identify the possible consensus changes in the EZ rules and institutions.

Background A central construct in Schema Therapy (ST) is that of a schema mode, describing the current emotional-cognitive-behavioral state. Initially, 10 modes were described. Over time, with the world-wide increasing and broader application of ST to various disorders, additional schema modes were identified, mainly based on clinical impressions. Thus, the need for a new, theoretically based, cross-cultural taxonomy of modes emerged. Methods An international workgroup started from scratch to identify an extensive taxonomy of modes, based on (a) extending the theory underlying ST with new insights on needs, and (b) recent research on ST theory supporting that modes represent combinations of activated schemas and coping. Results We propose to add two emotional needs to the original five core needs that theoretically underpin the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), i.e., the need for Self-Coherence, and the need for Fairness, leading to three new EMSs, i.e. Lack of a Coherent Identity, Lack of a Meaningful World, and Unfairness. When rethinking the purpose behind the different ways of coping with EMS-activation, we came up with new labels for two of those: Resignation instead of Surrender, and Inversion instead of Overcompensation. By systematically combining EMSs and ways of coping we derived a set of schema modes that can be empirically tested. Conclusions With this project, we hope to contribute to the further development of ST and its application across the world.

Background: Information about airborne pollen concentrations is required by a range of end users, particularly from the health sector who use both observations and forecasts to diagnose and treat allergic patients. Manual methods are the standard for such measurements but, despite the range of pollen taxa that can be identified, these techniques suffer from a range of drawbacks. This includes being available at low temporal resolution (usually daily averages) and with a delay (usually 3–9 days from the measurement). Recent technological developments have made possible automatic pollen measurements, which are available at high temporal resolution and in real time, although currently only scattered in a few locations across Europe. Materials & Methods: To promote the development of an extensive network across Europe and to ensure that this network will respond to end user needs, a stakeholder workshop was organised under the auspices of the EUMETNET AutoPollen Programme. Participants discussed requirements for the groups they represented, ranging from the need for information at various spatial scales, at high temporal resolution, and for targeted services to be developed. Results: The provision of real-time information is likely to lead to a notable decrease in the direct and indirect health costs associated with allergy in Europe, currently estimated between €50–150 billion/year.1 Discussion & Conclusion: A European measurement network to meet end user requirements would thus more than pay for itself in terms of potential annual savings and provide significant impetus to research across a range of disciplines from climate science and public health to agriculture and environmental management., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is one of the most promising emerging treatments for B-cell malignancies. Recently, two CAR T-cell products (axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel) have been approved for patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia; many other CAR-T constructs are in research for both hematological and non-hematological diseases. Most of the patients receiving CAR-T therapy will develop fever at some point after infusion, mainly due to cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The onset of CRS is often indistinguishable from an infection, which makes management of these patients challenging. In addition to the lymphodepleting chemotherapy and CAR T cells, the treatment of complications with corticosteroids and/or tocilizumab increases the risk of infection in these patients. Data regarding incidence, risk factors and prevention of infections in patients receiving CAR-T cell therapy are scarce. To assist in patient care, a multidisciplinary team from hospitals designated by the Spanish Ministry of Health to perform CAR-T therapy prepared these recommendations. We reviewed the literature on the incidence, risk factors, and management of infections in adult and pediatric patients receiving CAR-T cell treatment. Recommendations cover different areas: monitoring and treatment of hypogammaglobulinemia, prevention, prophylaxis, and management of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections as well as vaccination prior and after CAR-T cell therapy.

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) seem to be at increased risk for more severe COVID-19 infection and associated complications due to their immunocompromised state, the older age and comorbidities. The European Myeloma Network has provided an expert consensus statement in order to guide therapeutic decisions in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient education for personal hygiene and social distancing measures, along with treatment individualization, telemedicine and continuous surveillance for early diagnosis of COVID-19 are essential. In countries or local communities where COVID-19 infection is widely spread, MM patients should have a PCR test of nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 before hospital admission, starting a new treatment line, cell apheresis or ASCT in order to avoid ward or community spread and infections. Oral agent-based regimens should be considered, especially for the elderly and frail patients with standard risk disease, whereas de-intensified regimens for dexamethasone, bortezomib, carfilzomib and daratumumab should be used based on patient risk and response. Treatment initiation should not be postponed for patients with end organ damage, myeloma emergencies and aggressive relapses. Autologous (and especially allogeneic) transplantation should be delayed and extended induction should be administered, especially in standard risk patients and those with adequate MM response to induction. Watchful waiting should be considered for standard risk relapsed patients with low tumor burden, and slow biochemical relapses. The conduction of clinical trials should continue with appropriate adaptations to the current circumstances. Patients with MM and symptomatic COVID-19 disease should interrupt anti-myeloma treatment until recovery. For patients with positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2, but with no symptoms for COVID-19, a 14-day quarantine should be considered if myeloma-related events allow the delay of treatment. The need for surveillance for drug int

This book features a selection of best papers from 13 workshops held at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, AAMAS 2017, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in May 2017. The 17 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in this volume. They cover specific topics, both theoretical and applied, in the general area of autonomous agents and multiagent systems.

The contamination in groundwater due to the presence of uranium is nowadays a subject of concern due to the severe health problems associated with renal failure, genotoxicity and cancer. The standard methods to detect uranium require time-consuming processes and expensive non-portable equipment, so these measurements are rarely performed in-field, which increases the time until water samples are analysed. Furthermore, the few portable methods available do not allow quantitative analysis and the detection limit is often not low enough to reach the recommendations for drinking water (30 ppb or 126 nM of uranium). For the first time, we propose a portable, fast, inexpensive and sensitive paper-based biosensor able to detect in situ U(VI) in water samples: U(VI) selective gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow strips. Antibody-coated gold nanoparticles are used as labels in the proposed lateral flow system because of their biocompatibility; in addition, these nanoparticles provide high sensitivity due to their intense plasmonic effect. The antibody used in the assay recognizes soluble U(VI) complexed to the chelator, 2,9-dicarboxyl-1,10-phenanthroline (DCP). Because of the small size of the U(VI)-DCP complex, this assay employs a competitive format that reaches a limit of detection of 36.38 nM, lower than the action level (126 nM) established by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking waters.

Barrier, mechanical and thermal properties of porous paper substrates dip-coated with nanocellulose (NC) were studied. Sorbitol plasticizer was used to improve the toughness, and citric acid cross-linker to improve the moisture stability of the coatings. In general, the addition of sorbitol increased the barrier properties, maximum strength and toughness as well as the thermal stability of the samples when compared to the non-modified NC coatings. The barrier properties significantly improved, especially for plasticized NC coating’s, where the oxygen permeability value was as low as 0.7 mL μm day−1 m−2 kPa−1 at 49% RH and the water vapor permeability was reduced by 60%. Furthermore, we found that the cross-linked plasticized NC coating had a smoother surface (50% lower roughness) compared to non-modified ones. This study shows that the environmentally friendly additives sorbitol and citric acid had positive effects on NC coating properties, increasing its potential use in paper-based packaging applications.

The Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae (PVC) super-phylum contains, in addition to the three name-giving phyla, the Lentisphaerae and Kirimatiellaeota, as well as some uncultured candidate phyla, such as the Candidatus Omnitrophica. PVC bacteria have recently attracted attention from the scientific community for the peculiar characteristics that they display. For the third time, the PVC scientific community met recently at their bi-annual conference (http://pvcbacteria.org/pvcmeeting17/). In this special section, we would like to share some of the exciting results that were presented at this meeting.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health, MindCare 2015, held in Milan, Italy, in September 2015. The 23 full papers and 6 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 40 submissions. The papers deal with the use of technologies in favor of maintaining and improving mental wellbeing. They focus on building new computing paradigms and on addressing a multitude of challenges in mental healthcare, for example in psychiatric and psychological domains with emphasis on new technologies, such as video and audio technologies and mobile and wearable computing.

Preservation of documentary heritage is one of the biggest challenges facing paper conservators today. The singular properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) lead us to propose to reinforce paper with BC sheets. In the first part of this study, the reinforcing capability of BC was tested on model papers of well-known fiber composition. The aim of the present study was to verify the suitability of rebuilding degraded old papers with BC. The degraded papers were characterized before and after the reinforcement. In addition, lined samples were characterized before and after an aging process in order to study the stability in time. The same methodology was used with Japanese paper (JP), a material commonly used by paper conservators, in order to compare both materials as reinforcement. Mechanical properties of paper lined with BC are as good as those obtained with JP. Papers lined with BC have more marked modifications on their optical properties than those restored with JP. Nevertheless, letters in books lined with BC are more legible. Moreover, only the papers restored with BC show high changes in porosity. The aging process leads to a slight decrement in burst index. Changes on tear index and optical properties with the aging process depend on the paper to be restored. This study suggests that BC improves deteriorated paper quality, without altering the information contained therein, and that this improvement is maintained over time. Hence, BC is a promising alternative material for the restoration of paper. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 11th International Workshops on Coordination, Organizations, Institutions and Norms in Agent Systems, COIN 2015. The workshops were co-located with AAMAS 2015, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2015, and with IJCAI 2015, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July 2015. The 23 full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 initial submissions for inclusion in this volume. The papers cover a wide range of topics from work on formal aspects of normative and team based systems, to software engineering with organizational concepts, to applications of COIN based systems, and to philosophical issues surrounding socio-technical systems. They highlight not only the richness of existing work in the field, but also point out the challenges and exciting research that remains to be done in the area.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health, MindCare 2015, held in Milan, Italy, in September 2015. The 23 full papers and 6 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 40 submissions. The papers deal with the use of technologies in favor of maintaining and improving mental wellbeing. They focus on building new computing paradigms and on addressing a multitude of challenges in mental healthcare, for example in psychiatric and psychological domains with emphasis on new technologies, such as video and audio technologies and mobile and wearable computing.