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Established as a sub-discipline of Chemical Engineering in the 1960s by the late Professor R.W.H. Sargent at Imperial College London, Process Systems Engineering (PSE) has played a significant role in advancing the field, positioning it as a leading engineering discipline in the contemporary technological landscape. Rooted in Applied Mathematics and Computing, PSE aligns with the key components driving advancements in our modern, information-centric era. Sargent’s visionary foresight anticipated the evolution of early computational tools into fundamental elements for future technological and scientific breakthroughs, all while maintaining a central focus on Chemical Engineering. This paper aims to present concise and concrete ideas for propelling PSE into a new era of progress. The objective is twofold: to preserve PSE’s extensive and diverse knowledge base and to reposition it more prominently within modern Chemical Engineering, while also establishing robust connections with other data-driven engineering and applied science domains that play important roles in industrial and technological advancements. Rather than merely reacting to contemporary challenges, this article seeks to proactively create opportunities to lead the future of Chemical Engineering across its vital contributions in education, research, technology transfer, and business creation, fully leveraging its inherent multidisciplinarity and versatile character.

Abstract: Over the last years, the use of eco-friendly and human skin-friendly regular textile materials has been of high interest in building textile-based triboelectric generators (TEGs). However, although the triboelectricity phenomenon can be commonly experienced when simply removing a cloth, most of the research applies considerable force loads between the triboelectric surfaces, a condition that is not met on garments. In this study, the primary objective was to compare the triboelectric potentials of six selected textile samples of identical knitting patterns, but different materials under a number of repeated cycles of contact, sliding, and separation, as they would behave if they were parts of a TEG on a garment under real usage conditions. All the sample combinations provided firmly different voltage outputs following exponential increases until they reached different plateaus of saturation. This work wishes to help toward the use of ordinary, eco-friendly, and human skin-friendly textile materials as options for wearable TEGs on garments. Graphical abstract: Highlights: This study investigates the triboelectric potentials of regular textiles in wearable energy generators, comparing different materials under real-world conditions to explore their effectiveness in generating voltage through natural movements. Discussion:

Why develop a versatile triboelectric generator prototype that imitates garment usage in real-life scenarios such as by a walking person? What distinct advantages does this approach offer?

What motion should be executed by a triboelectric generator device to imitate the natural movements on the garment of a walking human? How does this mechanism introduce friction into the prevalent vertical contact separation mode of triboelectric generators?

How can we compare the triboelectric outcomes across various samples of textile materials as if they were used under real conditions?

What are the potentials of using regular knitted fabrics in wearable triboelectric generators?

A 32-year-old multigravida woman, with known familial hypokalaemic periodic paralysis, underwent spinal anaesthesia for an elective lower segment caesarean section. There are several case reports in the literature discussing the optimal anaesthetic technique. In the past there has not been an emphasis on aggressive and early potassium replacement. A target level to commence replacement of potassium at 4.0 mmol/L or less is proposed. Careful preoperative preparation, frequent perioperative monitoring and early potassium replacement resulted in no perioperative episodes of weakness in this case, in contrast with other case reports where potassium was either not monitored or not replaced early enough, resulting in postoperative attacks. Another factor to consider in hypokalaemic periodic paralysis is the avoidance of triggers, including certain medications. Misoprostol was used in this instance to avoid potential electrolyte derangements from other uterotonics.

As core components of an aircraft engine, turbine blades are featured by complex curved surface with strict precision requirements in multistage manufacturing processes (MMPs). Hence, reliable quality prediction and parameter optimization strategy on MMPs have long been in great demand. However, most techniques focus on the precision improving of single-stage single-product manufacturing systems; these improvements are difficult to implement in MMPs with coordinate transformations among multiple machines. In this article, we propose a noninvasive feature-based quality prediction and parameter optimization framework for high-precision MMPs. In particular, rather than retrofitting sensors onto machinery after installation, this study presents an executable and noninvasive solution by using coordinate measuring machine (CMM) data as input features for prediction. Based on features of different stages of machining, a sequential multistep deep learning architecture is developed to predict the final product quality. A preheating optimization algorithm, modified from a local gradient search method, is used for the optimization of key initial machining features, which results are further improved by the L-BFGS method, thus increasing the final production quality. To estimate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, experiments are carried out on two series of aviation turbine blades with complex curved surfaces from the Wuxi Turbine Blade Company Ltd. China. CMM data at key stages (i.e., blade root milling and comprehensive accurate milling) are used as inputs to predict the final geometrical errors. Comparison results verify that the proposed framework achieves the smallest root mean square error at 0.030 mm and 0.032 mm for two blades, respectively.

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: „Fast-track-Konzepte“ werden fast ausschließlich bei größeren viszeralchirurgischen Operationen diskutiert, während sie bei „kleineren“ Routineeingriffen weitgehend unberücksichtigt bleiben. Hierzu gehört z. B. auch die Leistenbruchoperation, die in Deutschland jährlich etwa 150.000- bis 200.000-mal durchgeführt wird, im Klinikum Lünen als transabdominale präperitoneale Hernienplastik (TAPP). Es war das Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung, das perioperative Management bei Leistenbruch-TAPP-Operation zu analysieren und dann so zu optimieren, dass die Liegezeit der Patienten verkürzt wird, aber Behandlungsqualität und Zufriedenheit der Patienten erhalten bleiben. Methodik: Mit Genehmigung der Ethikkommission wurden insgesamt 249 Patienten mit TAPP untersucht. In den ersten beiden Studienabschnitten wurden Probleme im perioperativen Management erst retrospektiv (n=129), dann prospektiv (n=60) identifiziert; anschließend wurde das perioperative Management optimiert. Hierzu wurde ein „TAPP-Score“ entwickelt, der die Parameter Alter, American-Society-of-Anesthesiologists- (ASA-)Klassifikation, Ausmaß (einseitig oder beidseitig) und Schwierigkeitsgrad des Eingriffs sowie das postoperative Schmerzniveau erfasst. Der Score wurde 24 h nach der Operation erhoben und definierte klare Kriterien für die Entlassung am zweiten postoperativen Tag. Zusätzlich erhielten alle Patienten am Operationsabend standardisiert 10 mg Natriumpicosulfat, um einer postoperativen Darmatonie entgegenzuwirken. Im dritten Studienabschnitt (n=60) wurde der Einfluss dieser Maßnahmen auf Liegezeit, Schmerzmittelbedarf, Komplikationsrate sowie Zufriedenheit der Patienten (anhand des PPP33-Fragebogens) erfasst. Ergebnisse: Die demographischen Daten der Patienten waren in allen 3 Studienabschnitten vergleichbar. Das Durchschnittsalter der Patienten lag bei etwa 60 Jahren (Variationsbreite 22–92 Jahre). Durch den Optimierungsprozess wurden 72% der Patienten bereits am zweiten postoperativen Tag entlassen, davor waren dies lediglich 5% der Patienten gewesen. Dadurch wurde die postoperative Liegezeit (einschließlich Operationstag) signifikant von 4,2±0,6 auf 3,3±0,6 Tage gesenkt. Beschwerden im Sinne einer postoperativen Darmatonie wurden initial bei etwa 60% der Patienten beobachtet. Hier konnte durch die standardisierte Natriumpicosulfatgabe erreicht werden, dass bis zum ersten postoperativen Tag 92% der Patienten abgeführt hatten. Die Komplikationsrate war insgesamt sehr gering und wurde durch die frühere Entlassung nicht beeinflusst, ebenso wenig das Patientenwohlbefinden. Bei der poststationären Nachuntersuchung gaben 81% der Patienten den zweiten postoperativen Tag als idealen Entlassungszeitpunkt an. Schlussfolgerungen: Die vorliegende Untersuchung zeigt, dass es durch recht einfache Maßnahmen möglich ist, die stationäre Verweildauer nach laparoskopischer Leistenbruchoperation um einen Tag zu reduzieren, ohne dass dadurch das Patientenwohlbefinden leidet oder mehr Komplikationen auftreten. Entscheidende Maßnahmen sind die Einführung und die konsequente Anwendung klarer Kriterien, anhand derer die Entlassfähigkeit der Patienten frühzeitig nach der Operation festgelegt werden kann. Darüber hinaus klagen viele Patienten nach laparoskopischer Leistenbruchoperation über eine postoperative Darmatonie, sodass diese Patienten erst verspätet entlassen werden. Dieses Problem konnte durch die standardisierte Verabreichung von Natriumpicosulfat am Abend des Operationstages vollständig gelöst werden.

The growing number of emerging medical technologies and sophistication of modern medical devices (MDs) that improve both survival and quality of life indexes are often challenged by alarming cases of vigilance data cover-up and lack of sufficient pre- and post-authorization controls. Combining Quality with Risk Management processes and implementing them as early as possible in the design of MDs has proven to be an effective strategy to minimize residual risk. This article aims to discuss how the design of MDs interacts with their safety profile and how this dipole of intended performance and safety may be supported by Human Factors Engineering (HFE) throughout the Total Product Life-Cycle (TPLC) of an MD in order to capitalize on medical technologies without exposing users and patients to unnecessary risks.

Purpose This study intends to add to previous reports on acute corneal graft rejection following anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 vaccination, providing data to corroborate a possible causative relationship between anti-COVID-19 immunization and corneal graft rejection, regardless of vaccine or graft type.Methods and Results This report describes 4 cases of acute-onset rejection as early as 5 days following the first dose of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 vaccine types not yet referred for corneal allograft. Patients were individually given the Moderna messenger RNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine (2 patients) and the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, AZD1222 (2 patients).Conclusions Even though a direct causative effect is hard to prove, temporal proximity between anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 vaccines of different types and consecutive reports of corneal graft rejection indicates the need for further investigation. Consistent advice must be given to corneal transplant patients regarding such risk.

The stimulation of deep brain structures has thus far only been possible with invasive methods. Transcranial electrical temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel, noninvasive technology that might overcome this limitation. The initial proof-of-concept was obtained through modeling, physics experiments and rodent models. Here we show successful noninvasive neuromodulation of the striatum via tTIS in humans using computational modeling, functional magnetic resonance imaging studies and behavioral evaluations. Theta-burst patterned striatal tTIS increased activity in the striatum and associated motor network. Furthermore, striatal tTIS enhanced motor performance, especially in healthy older participants as they have lower natural learning skills than younger subjects. These findings place tTIS as an exciting new method to target deep brain structures in humans noninvasively, thus enhancing our understanding of their functional role. Moreover, our results lay the groundwork for innovative, noninvasive treatment strategies for brain disorders in which deep striatal structures play key pathophysiological roles.

Graphical abstract:

Assessment is the process of comparing the actual to the expected behavior of a business phenomenon and judging the outcome of the comparison. The ${{\sf assess}}$assess querying operator has been recently proposed to support assessment based on the results of a query on a data cube. This operator requires (i) the specification of an OLAP query to determine a target cube; (ii) the specification of a reference cube of comparison (benchmark), which represents the expected performance; (iii) the specification of how to perform the comparison, and (iv) a labeling function that classifies the result of this comparison. Despite the adoption of a SQL-like syntax that hides the complexity of the assessment process, writing a complete assess statement is not easy. In this paper we focus on making the user experience more comfortable by letting the system suggest suitable completions for partially-specified statements. To this end we propose two interaction modes: progressive refinement and auto-completion, both starting from an assess statement partially declared by the user. These two modes are evaluated both in terms of scalability and user experience, with the support of two experiments made with real users.

Modern data analysis applications require the ability to provide on-demand integration of data sources while offering a flexible and user-friendly query interface. Traditional techniques for answering queries using views, focused on a rather static setting, fail to address such requirements. To overcome these issues, we propose a fully-fledged data integration approach based on graph-based constructs. The extensibility of graphs allows us to extend the traditional framework for data integration with view definitions. Furthermore, we also propose a query language based on subgraphs. We tackle query answering via a query rewriting algorithm based on well-known algorithms for answering queries using views. We experimentally show that the proposed method yields good performance and does not introduce a significant overhead.

Industry 4.0 aims to transform chemical and biochemical processes into intelligent systems via the integration of digital components with the actual physical units involved. This process can be thought of as addition of a central nervous system with a sensing and control monitoring of components and regulating the performance of the individual physical assets (processes, units, etc.) involved. Established technologies central to the digital integrating components are smart sensing, mobile communication, Internet of Things, modelling and simulation, advanced data processing, storage and analysis, advanced process control, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, and virtual and augmented reality. An essential element to this transformation is the exploitation of large amounts of historical process data and large volumes of data generated in real-time by smart sensors widely used in industry. Exploitation of the information contained in these data requires the use of advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies integrated with more traditional modelling techniques. The purpose of this paper is twofold: a) to present the state-of-the-art of the aforementioned technologies, and b) to present a strategic plan for their integration toward the goal of an autonomous smart plant capable of self-adaption and self-regulation for short- and long-term production management.

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis that has spread to almost every country in the world and has affected all aspects of human life. All sporting events - including the Tokyo Olympics, for the first time in the history of the modern Games - have been canceled or postponed without any clear indication of how or when they will be resolved. The present study focused on Greek runners and variables that influence decision-making when deciding which race to compete in during the COVID-19 season. The study used a set of data from 621 Greek respondents who answered the electronic questionnaire of this study. Research hypotheses were tested. The modeling and processing of the data was done by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results confirmed that there are some issues of the race destination and the conditions, which concern the Greek runners due to the pandemic. The conclusions are useful mainly for the practitioners and the authorities involved in the organization of races to organize safe events that will attract runners and therefore tourists and visitors to their areas.

The ability of certain dyestuffs to change colour in a predictable and reversible way with the change in temperature is a property that can be well utilized in smart textiles. Accurate and repeatable determination of the chromatic response of the dye stuff and as an extension of the textile material dyed using these dyes in a significant step towards developing such smart textiles. In this regard the current research project proposes a method for investigating the thermochromic properties of textiles using a custom made testing setup, that includes a digitally controlled heating and cooling equipment as well as a set up to obtain the chromatic response of the textiles every 0.5 °C. Moreover, the proposed set up allows for the investigation of heating/ cooling cycling of the specimens, to confirm the repeatability of the chromatic response of the specimens.

All cancers emerge after a period of clonal selection and subsequent clonal expansion. Although the evolutionary principles imparted by genetic intratumour heterogeneity are becoming increasingly clear1, little is known about the non-genetic mechanisms that contribute to intratumour heterogeneity and malignant clonal fitness2. Here, using single-cell profiling and lineage tracing (SPLINTR)—an expressed barcoding strategy—we trace isogenic clones in three clinically relevant mouse models of acute myeloid leukaemia. We find that malignant clonal dominance is a cell-intrinsic and heritable property that is facilitated by the repression of antigen presentation and increased expression of the secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor gene (Slpi), which we genetically validate as a regulator of acute myeloid leukaemia. Increased transcriptional heterogeneity is a feature that enables clonal fitness in diverse tissues and immune microenvironments and in the context of clonal competition between genetically distinct clones. Similar to haematopoietic stem cells3, leukaemia stem cells (LSCs) display heritable clone-intrinsic properties of high, and low clonal output that contribute to the overall tumour mass. We demonstrate that LSC clonal output dictates sensitivity to chemotherapy and, although high- and low-output clones adapt differently to therapeutic pressure, they coordinately emerge from minimal residual disease with increased expression of the LSC program. Together, these data provide fundamental insights into the non-genetic transcriptional processes that underpin malignant clonal fitness and may inform future therapeutic strategies.

ABSTRACTThis study is to develop a conceptual model linking motivation, involvement, and changes in travel style to the selection of destinations and choice of events among amateur participants involved in small-scale sports events. Partial least squares and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were implemented to test this model, based on the responses collected during a local athletic event in Greece. A longitudinal study was conducted to better establish the effectiveness of the proposed model utilising two data sets of the same 99 non-professional athletes, representing the vast majority of participants in the Sfendami small-scale running events held in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The results showed that the influences of destination and event choice factors on involvement were not significant while the effect from changes in travel style were significant for both 2014 and 2016 cases. Two of the four hypotheses were verified and useful managerial insights for small-scale event managers are suggested for supporting the viability of small-scale local sport events.

Let Xbe a finite-dimensional Banach space; we introduce and investigate a natural generalization of the concepts of Hadwiger number H(X) and strict Hadwiger number H′(X). More precisely, we define the antipodal Hadwiger number Hα(X)as the largest cardinality of a subset S⊆SX, such that ∀x≠y∈S∃f∈BX∗with 1≤f(x)-f(y)andf(y)≤f(z)≤f(x)forz∈S.The strict antipodal Hadwiger number Hα′(X)is defined analogously. We prove that Hα′(X)=4for every Minkowski plane and estimate (or in some cases compute) the numbers Hα(X)and Hα′(X), where X=ℓpn,1

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic disease driven by gain-of-function variants in activin receptor–like kinase 2 (ALK2), the most common variant being ALK2R206H. In FOP, ALK2 variants display increased and dysregulated signaling through the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway resulting in progressive and permanent replacement of skeletal muscle and connective tissues with heterotopic bone, ultimately leading to severe debilitation and premature death. Here, we describe the discovery of BLU-782 (IPN60130), a small-molecule ALK2R206Hinhibitor developed for the treatment of FOP. A small-molecule library was screened in a biochemical ALK2 binding assay to identify potent ALK2 binding compounds. Iterative rounds of structure-guided drug design were used to optimize compounds for ALK2R206Hbinding, ALK2 selectivity, and other desirable pharmacokinetic properties. BLU-782 preferentially bound to ALK2R206Hwith high affinity, inhibiting signaling from ALK2R206Hand other rare FOP variants in cells in vitro without affecting signaling of closely related homologs ALK1, ALK3, and ALK6. In vivo efficacy of BLU-782 was demonstrated using a conditional knock-in ALK2R206Hmouse model, where prophylactic oral dosing reduced edema and prevented cartilage and heterotopic ossification (HO) in both muscle and bone injury models. BLU-782 treatment preserved the normal muscle-healing response in ALK2R206Hmice. Delayed dosing revealed a short 2-day window after injury when BLU-782 treatment prevented HO in ALK2R206Hmice, but dosing delays of 4 days or longer abrogated HO prevention. Together, these data suggest that BLU-782 may be a candidate for prevention of HO in FOP.

Cellular barcoding is a lineage-tracing methodology that couples heritable synthetic barcodes to high-throughput sequencing, enabling the accurate tracing of cell lineages across a range of biological contexts. Recent studies have extended these methods by incorporating lineage information into single-cell or spatial transcriptomics readouts. Leveraging the rich biological information within these datasets requires dedicated computational tools for dataset pre-processing and analysis. Here, we present BARtab, a portable and scalable Nextflow pipeline, and bartools, an open-source R package, designed to provide an integrated end-to-end cellular barcoding analysis toolkit. BARtab and bartools contain methods to simplify the extraction, quality control, analysis, and visualization of lineage barcodes from population-level, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics experiments. We showcase the utility of our integrated BARtab and bartools workflow via the analysis of exemplar bulk, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics experiments containing cellular barcoding information.

Background: Laparoscopic Incisional and Ventral Hernia Repair (LIVHR) is a safe and worldwide accepted procedure performed using absorbable tacks. The aim of the study was to evaluate recurrence rate in a long term follow-up and whether the results of laparoscopic IVH repair in the elderly (≥65 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients. Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine consecutive patients (74 women and 55 men, median age 67 years, range = 30-87 years) with ventral (N = 42, 32.5%) or post incisional (N = 87, 67.5%) hernia were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: group A (N = 55, 42.6%) aged <65 years and group B (N = 74, 57.4%) aged ≥65 years. Results: The mean operative time was not significantly different between groups (66.7 ± 37 vs. 74 ± 48.4 min, p = 0.4). To the end of 2016, seven recurrences had occurred (group A = 3, group B = 4, p = 1). Complications occurred in 8 (16%) patients in group A and 21 (28.3%) patients in group B. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results confirm that the use of absorbable tacks does not increase recurrence frequency and laparoscopic incisional and ventral repair is a safety procedure also in elderly patients.

Ibrutinib plus venetoclax is a highly effective combination in mantle cell lymphoma. However, strategies to enable the evaluation of therapeutic response are required. Our prospective analyses of patients within the AIM study revealed genomic profiles that clearly dichotomized responders and nonresponders. Mutations in ATMwere present in most patients who achieved a complete response, while chromosome 9p21.1–p24.3 loss and/or mutations in components of the SWI–SNF chromatin-remodeling complex were present in all patients with primary resistance and two-thirds of patients with relapsed disease. Circulating tumor DNA analysis revealed that these alterations could be dynamically monitored, providing concurrent information on treatment response and tumor evolution. Functional modeling demonstrated that compromise of the SWI–SNF complex facilitated transcriptional upregulation of BCL2L1(Bcl-xL) providing a selective advantage against ibrutinib plus venetoclax. Together these data highlight important insights into the molecular basis of therapeutic response and provide a model for real-time assessment of innovative targeted therapies.

The most common pattern of treatment failure of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) following CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR T), is a measurable residual disease (MRD) negative response followed by relapse. Whilst in a fraction of patients relapse is associated with loss of function mutations &/or deletions of the CD19 locus, a significant proportion of patients relapse with CD19+ disease. We hypothesised that this arises from a rare CAR T tolerant persister population that is able to survive the strong therapeutic pressure and seed relapse. To address this, we investigated the clonal origin and transcriptional dynamics of “CAR T tolerant persister cells” via time resolved clonal tracing of the progeny of individual B-ALL clones, using expressed molecular barcodes in an immunocompetent mouse model of CD19 targeting CAR T. We demonstrate that relapse is a pre-determined fate of rare B-ALL clones, which each adopt diverse, yet clone-specific, transcriptional phenotypes at relapse. Moreover, each diverse relapse phenotype appears to be underpinned by a shared, rare “origin of relapse” cell state that is common to all relapse-fated clones.

Research on the triboelectric phenomenon and its use in so‐called triboelectric generators (TEG) has often led scientists to study the various parameters involved in the production of electricity induced by the contact and friction of textile structures. Although the use of textile materials and structures to build textile‐based TEGs is of particular interest, thanks to the advantages they can offer, however, the parameter of ambient humidity acts intensively on triboelectricity, affecting their electric power outcomes. This study investigates the performance of purely textile‐based materials used in a TEG measuring device which combines vertical and sliding modes as if they are part of a wearable garment. Six single jersey‐knitted textile samples, of identical yarn linear densities, are prepared. One material (para‐aramid) is used as the reference sample and it is paired with the rest (cotton, modal, polyester, wool, and acrylic). Consequently, five material combinations are available for measuring under various relative humidity conditions. Through these test series which reflect how a textile‐based TEG would operate under real conditions when embedded in a garment, the results reveal the big impact of ambient humidity on the triboelectric voltage outcome. The use of textile materials and structures to build textile‐based triboelectric generators (TEGs) is of particular interest thanks to the advantages they can offer. Through these test series which reflect how a textile‐based TEG would operate under real conditions when embedded in a garment, results reveal the impact of ambient humidity on the triboelectric performance of six purely textile‐based materials.

In this paper, we study the factors that relate to the survival of a table in the context of schema evolution in open-source software. We study the history of the schema of eight open-source software projects that include relational databases and extract patterns related to the survival or death of their tables. Our study shows that the probability of a table with a wide schema (i.e., a large number of attributes) being removed is systematically lower than average. Activity and duration are related to survival too. Rigid tables, without any change to their schema, are more likely to be removed than tables that sustain changes. Durations of dead and survival tables demonstrate a mirror image: dead tables’ durations are mostly short, whereas survivor tables gravitate toward higher durations. Our findings are mostly summarized by a pattern, which we call electrolysis pattern, due to its diagrammatic representation, stating that dead and survivor tables live quite different lives: tables typically die shortly after birth, with short durations and mostly no updates, whereas survivors mostly live quiet lives with few updates—except for a small group of tables with high update ratios that are characterized by high durations and survival. Equally important is the evidence that schema evolution suffers from the antagonism of gravitation to rigidity, i.e., the tendency to minimize evolution as much as possible in order to minimize the resulting impact to the surrounding code. Several factors contribute to this observation: the absence of long durations in removed tables, the low percentage of tables whose schema size is scaled up or down, and the low numbers of tables with a high rate of updates, contrasted to the high numbers of tables with zero or few updates. We complement our findings with explanations and recommendations to developers.

ABSTRACTWhile bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines have been used for about 10 years, a nonavalent vaccine against HPV types 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52 and 58 has been recently approved by FDA and EMA and is now commercially available. The objective of our study was to evaluate the potential impact of the nonavalent vaccine on HPV infection and related low- and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, HSIL), compared to the impact of the quadrivalent vaccine, in a female population living in Sicily (Italy).Low estimates of HPV vaccine impact were calculated as prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52 and 58 genotypes, alone or in association, but excluding presence of other HPV types; high estimates were calculated as prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52 and 58 genotypes alone or in association, in the presence of other HPV types.The nonavalent HPV vaccine showed increased impact, compared to the quadrivalent vaccine. Estimates of potential impact varied from 30.9% (low estimate) to 53.3% (high estimate) for LSIL, and from 56.9% to 81,0% for HSIL. The proportion of additional cases potentially prevented by the nonavalent vaccine was 14.4%–23.8% for LSIL, and 19.0%–32.8% for HSIL.The benefit of the nonavalent vaccine compared to the quadrivalent vaccine was more than 80% for both low and high impact estimates for LSIL and more than 50% for both low and high impact estimates for HSIL.The present study confirms that the switch from a first generation HPV vaccines to a nonavalent vaccine would increase the prevention of cervical HSIL in up to 90% of cases.

A historical and theological journey in 12 steps, from the early Biblical origin to later Patristic and contemporary expression of the Orthodox liturgy, in order to uncover the social dimension of Christian liturgy. Some of the causes are analyzed in brief: the marginalization of the Antiochene tradition, an overdose eschatology, the “modern” understanding of the Bible, the gradual loss of the prophetic character of the Church, which is more evident in the Bible, and the marginalization – until the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church – of its witnessing responsibility, have resulted in a significant legacy that hinders any real Biblical and liturgical renewal. The experiment of the Church of Greece that launched nearly 20 years ago an official, albeit unsuccessful, liturgical renewal project. The final proposal is a combination of both this neglected prophetic character and the prevailing eschatological dimension of the Orthodox faith, with all that these imply for an authentic and genuine Orthodox liturgical practice.

This paper is focusing on how to eliminate the required time for importing all the necessary data into a farm management information system (FMIS). This process was automated by using ISO 11783 and SAE J1939 communication information from the tractor’s CAN-Bus. Using a data logger and a machine to machine (M2M) gateway inside the tractor’s cabin, CAN-Bus data were recorded and transmitted to the cloud-based server of the FMIS. There, a script was responsible for parsing and aggregating the raw machine data into specific agricultural tasks and then importing them into the FMIS. The operator could choose the type of the performed task by a number of switches connected with the digital inputs of the data logger.

This paper addresses the modeling and optimization of resource availability in car parks, serving different priority classes of customers. The authors examine various formulations of the problem concerning two general objectives: a) increasing the availability for high priority customers and b) maximizing the aggregate service level. In the current context, priority classes are specified according to different space reservation options provided by the parking management company (monthly parking, hourly parking, parking on demand, etc.). Based on actual historical traffic data and under certain methodological assumptions, they calculate the arrival and service rates for each class of customers. These are subsequently used as inputs in a Markov model that describes the evolution of the number of free parking spaces in time, given that some spaces are reserved for higher priority classes. Optimization techniques and OR heuristics are applied to deal with numerical aspects of the associated reservation planning issues.

Agricultural production management is entering into a new era where every day farmer’s decisions are supported by highly sophisticated Farm Management Information Systems (FMISs). The latter have evolved from simple record keeping software into complex systems that can manipulate large amounts of data and provide decision support capabilities. In this paper, the development of an FMIS, which utilizes new technologies, such as those which were introduced by the European initiative Future Internet Public-Private Partnership Program (FI-PPP), is described. The developed application is focused upon individual farmers or farmer cooperatives, who wish to perform precision agriculture via the usage of mobile devices and modern technology. The main focus is to perform farm financial analysis based on all farm transactions but also estimating profitability based upon fixed values that the farmer imports. The application was successfully tested on a winter wheat crop (Triticum aestivumL.) for one season, where all related costs were recorded.

Data-intensive ecosystems are conglomerations of data repositories surrounded by applications that depend on them for their operation. In this paper, we address the problem of performing what-if analysis for the evolution of the database part of a data-intensive ecosystem, to identify what other parts of an ecosystem are affected by a potential change in the database schema, and how will the ecosystem look like once the change has been performed, while, at the same time, retaining the ability to regulate the flow of events. We model the ecosystem as a graph, uniformly covering relations, views, and queries as nodes and their internal structure and interdependencies as the edges of the graph. We provide a simple language to annotate the modules of the graph with policies for their response to evolutionary events to regulate the flow of events and their impact by (i) vetoing (“blocking”) the change in parts that the developers want to retain unaffected and (ii) allowing (“propagating”) the change in parts that we need to adapt to the new schema. Our method for the automatic adaptation of ecosystems is based on three algorithms that automatically (i) assess the impact of a change, (ii) compute the need of different variants of an ecosystem’s components, depending on policy conflicts, and (iii) rewrite the modules to adapt to the change. We theoretically prove the coverage of the language, as well as the termination, consistency, and confluence of our algorithms and experimentally verify our methods effectiveness and efficiency.

The property of some materials to change their color in response to temperature changes is called thermochromism. A polymer fiber manufactured in such way that a thermochromic pigment is embedded in the polymeric matrix material develops accordingly thermochromic functionality and can be used as a temperature change indicator. The characterization of a polymer thermochromic fiber with respect to its color change in response to temperature change is presented in this paper. A specially developed characterization apparatus was developed for this purpose. The temperature span of the involved experiment was from 23.5°C (room temperature) to 60°C, while the tested fiber was found to be responsive regarding its chromatic variance mainly within the temperature range 30.5oC - 50oC. During the involved digital image processing, the chromatic shift of the sample was characterized according to the HSV (hue-saturation-value) color model. Fiber’s original color was found to change with temperature by presenting a monotonic reduction of saturation and value with temperature increase.

Previous studies have shown that the colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), stimulates the in vitro proliferation of a fetally-derived adherent, phagocytic and non-specific esterase positive placental cell population which stains positively for cytokeratin and Mac-1. Binding experiments were designed to test whether this is a direct effect of the factor on these cells. Binding/elution as well as autoradiography experiments, show that adherent placental cells specifically bind CSF-1. Based on the expression of the endothelial markers cytokeratin and vimentin three subpopulations of cells were isolated from the murine placenta: labyrinthine-derived trophoblasts (cytokeratin positive, vimentin negative), spongiotrophoblast-derived trophoblasts (cytokeratin positive, vimentin negative) and placental macrophages (cytokeratin negative, vimentin positive). 3H-Thymidine incorporation assays as well as binding experiments, showed that these cells simultaneously respond to and bind the macrophage-specific factor CSF-1. Furthermore, the results indicate that isolated trophoblasts have a low rate of growth and they are very sensitive to mitogenic stimulation, whereas placental macrophages alone have a high rate of growth and therefore are less sensitive to the mitogenic stimulus. These findings are in favour of the existence of an important cytokine regulatory network in the murine placenta, where two major cell populations may collaborate possibly via soluble factors to stimulate placental growth and thus fetal development.

Expanded perlite and raw perlites of various origins were examined using solid-state NMR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, as well as scanning electron microscopy, in an attempt to correlate the characteristics of aluminosilicate framework with the material’s expansion properties. The 27Al magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra indicated that aluminum atoms in perlite are mainly tetrahedrally coordinated in Q4structures not participating in the expansion process; two different octahedral Al species were also identified in perlite. Owing to the tetrahedra−octahedra transformations, perlite may be classified among the metastable materials. The 29Si MAS NMR and 1H–29Si CPMAS NMR spectra showed that Q3and Q4units are mostly abundant, a fact that explains the low cation exchange capacity of perlites. Deconvoluted FTIR and 29Si MAS NMR spectra are consistent regarding the relative Qnintensities which, together with the network geometry, determine the expansibility of raw perlites. The calculated variations of the Si–O–Si angle are more significant than those of the Si–O bond length, remarkably affecting the structure of the aluminosilicate network. Thus, perlite samples of increasingly fragmentary framework exhibit the highest expansion ratios. SEM micrographs monitored the expansion process differentiating between the low- and high-expansibility perlites.

The current work surveys 245 papers and research reports related to algorithms and methods inspired from nature for solving supply chain and logistics optimization problems. Nature Inspired Intelligence (NII) is a challenging new subfield of artificial intelligence (AI) particularly capable of dealing with complex optimization problems. Related approaches are used either as stand-alone algorithms, or as hybrid schemes i.e. in combination to other AI techniques. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Particle Swarm Optimization, Artificial Bee Colonies, Artificial Immune Systems and DNA Computing are some of the most popular approaches belonging to nature inspired intelligence. On the other hand, supply chain management represents an interesting domain of OR applications, including a variety of hard optimization problems such as vehicle routing (VRP), travelling salesman (TSP), team orienteering, inventory, knapsack, supply network problems, etc. Nature inspired intelligent algorithms prove capable of identifying near optimal solutions for instances of those problems with high degree of complexity in a reasonable amount of time. Survey findings indicate that NII can cope successfully with almost any kind of supply chain optimization problem and tends to become a standard in related scientific literature during the last five years.

Cancer-associated mutations promote the formation of pancreatic tumours after tissue injury, but how this occurs is unclear. Changes to chromatin in injured cells with such mutations explain this predisposition to malignancy.

This study examined the perceptions of small- and middle-size hotel entrepreneurs of the benefits and constraints of sustainability and business development. Results indicated that the hotel owners' interest in sustainable tourism development is related to how it can enable them to achieve environmental and social benefits for their enterprises. The basic reasons which inhibit them from adopting sustainable development practices are the high cost of investment and the uncertain payment of this cost. The major academic contribution of this study is the application of a model that integrates microperspectives to explore constraints and benefits related to sustainable development in the context of the hotel industry in Greece.

Self-service business intelligence is about enabling non-expert users to make well-informed decisions by enriching the decision process with situational data, i.e., data that have a narrow focus on a specific business problem and, typically, a short lifespan for a small group of users. Often, these data are not owned and controlled by the decision maker; their search, extraction, integration, and storage for reuse or sharing should be accomplished by decision makers without any intervention by designers or programmers. The goal of this paper is to present the framework we envision to support self-service business intelligence and the related research challenges; the underlying core idea is the notion of fusion cubes, i.e., multidimensional cubes that can be dynamically extended both in their schema and their instances, and in which situational data and metadata are associated with quality and provenance annotations.

The Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) flows are essential for the success of a data warehouse and the business intelligence and decision support mechanisms that are attached to it. During both the ETL design phase and the entire ETL lifecycle, the ETL architect needs to design and improve an ETL design in a way that satisfies both performance and correctness guarantees and often, she has to choose among various alternative designs. In this paper, we focus on ways to predict the maintenance effort of ETL workflows and we explore techniques for assessing the quality of ETL designs under the prism of evolution. We focus on a set of graph-theoretic metrics for the prediction of evolution impact and we investigate their fit into real-world ETL scenarios. We present our experimental findings and describe the lessons we learned working on real-world cases.The Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) flows are essential for the success of a data warehouse and the business intelligence and decision support mechanisms that are attached to it. During both the ETL design phase and the entire ETL lifecycle, the ETL architect needs to design and improve an ETL design in a way that satisfies both performance and correctness guarantees and often, she has to choose among various alternative designs. In this paper, we focus on ways to predict the maintenance effort of ETL workflows and we explore techniques for assessing the quality of ETL designs under the prism of evolution. We focus on a set of graph-theoretic metrics for the prediction of evolution impact and we investigate their fit into real-world ETL scenarios. We present our experimental findings and describe the lessons we learned working on real-world cases.

Recent studies of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have revealed a number of properties that, if managed appropriately, may positively assist a large number of reparative or regenerative cellular processes. Their ability to produce factors and hormones coupled with their colony forming unit (CFU) potential renders these cells a valuable cellular bank for several therapies. The mesenchymal endometriotic stem cell (MESC) also exhibits part of these general properties but, in a paradoxical way, is implicated in the onset of endometriosis and thus infertility, a condition that torments millions of women worldwide. Although, there is no clear distinction about the regenerative or disease causing potential between a healthy and a non-physiological MESC, its postulated way of action leading to endometriosis involves its migration to and invasion of ectopic tissue. Such action may entail either the escapement of the MESC from the immunological function of surveillance or a regulatory-type masking, like a class-II negative state, that hides it from immunological interception. Since the acquired information on MESCs is sparse, this essay will briefly review papers and the small number of patents available in order to provide insight relevant to the understanding of this cell's contradictory behavior, whilst the immunological properties of MESCs will be used to formulate a potential theoretical basis on how to obstruct the initiation of endometriosis.

Is Basel III a Panacea? Lessons from the Greek Sovereign Fiscal CrisisIn the period 2007-2009 the global economy faced the most severe crisis after the Great Recession of 1929. In the aftermath of the crisis a substantially revised version of Basel II, named Basel III, was proposed, introducing new, tighter capital adequacy and liquidity guidelines. Basel III constitutes the new basic embankment against a possible crisis in the future. The same period these discussions were taking place for the new global regulatory framework, the most severe sovereign debt crisis the country ever faced burst out in Greece. One of the main victims of the crisis is the country's banking sector which is sustaining great pressure in its profitability, volume of deposits and credit growth, amongst others. Having as a starting point the Greek banking sector and the effects of the fiscal crisis on it, this paper discusses the new Basel III guidelines and their possible implications in times of turmoil. The new framework can play a crucial role in deterring a new financial crisis; however it should not be regarded as a panacea for all the shortcomings of banking sectors.

Aim:Liver fibrosis involves excessive remodeling and deposition of fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which leads to malfunction of the organ, causing significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess whether levels of a type V collagen fragment, the propeptide CO5-1230, indicate the amount of collagen deposited during liver fibrosis.Methods:A specific competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure CO5-1230 levels. The sequence TAALGDIMGH located at the start of the C-terminal propeptide between amino acid position 1230′′ and 1239′′ (CO5-1230) of the αα2 chain was selected as the immunogen. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against this fragment. An assay developed using the biotin––streptavidin system was evaluated in two rat models of liver fibrosis: bile duct ligation (BDL) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-treated rats, for up to 20 weeks.Results:The ELISA was capable of measuring CO5-1230 in serum specifically, with an intra-assay variation of 3.46% and inter-assay variation of 5.09%. Mean CO5-1230 levels were significantly elevated in CCl4rats compared with controls [8 weeks: 57.4  ng/mL, controls 45.5  ng/mL (P  =  0.0020); 12 weeks: 81.3  ng/mL, controls 50.2  ng/mL (P  =  0.0020); 16 weeks: 85.1  ng/mL, controls 51  ng/mL (P  =  0055); 20 weeks: 92  ng/mL, controls 47.8  ng/mL (P  =  0.0033)]. CO5-1230 levels correlated with the total amount of collagen in sections from the injured livers, quantified from Sirius red stains (Spearman, R2  =  0.5580). In BDL rats, serum levels of CO5-1230 were also elevated compared with controls [2 weeks: 160.1  ng/mL, controls 78.9  ng/mL (P  =  0.0007); 4 weeks: 111.3  ng/mL, controls 62.2  ng/mL, (P  =  0.0068)] and showed a linear correlation to the total collagen content (Spearman, R2  =  0.3305).Conclusions:Increased serum levels of CO5-1230 were associated with the extent of collagen deposition in two different models of fibrotic processes in the liver. The data indicate that formation of type V collagen may be of value as a disease-specific diagnostic biomarker that reflects the total burden of disease. The amino acid sequence selected is located in the first 10 amino acids of the C-terminal propeptide section, which is a formation-specific region.

The aim of this review is to discuss the potential usefulness of a novel class of biochemical markers, designated neoepitopes. Neoepitopes are post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins and are derived by processes, such as protease cleavage, citrullination, nitrosylation, glycosylation and isomerization. Each PTM results from a specific local physiological or pathobiologial process. Identification of each modification to a tissue-specific protein may reveal a unique disease-specific biochemical marker. During cancer metastasis, the host tissue is extensively degraded and replaced by cancer-associated extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Furthermore, severe cellular stress and inflammation, caused by cancer, results in generation of PTMs, which will be distributed throughout the ECM. This gives rise to release of protein-specific fragments to the circulation. Here we highlight the importance of remodeling of the ECM in cancer and the generation of PTMs, which may be cancer specific and reflect disease progression; thus having potential for biochemical marker development.

This paper attempts to explain the immunologic nature of endometriosis from the stage of the endometriotic mesenchymal non-hematopoietic stem cell up to the inability of the immune system to intercept it for protecting the organism. Thus, the central dogma of this proposition is how to appropriately fortify the immune system using non-toxic and natural substances in order to render it fully functional and able to protect the organism. Therefore, the direct analogy of oncologic cases that share the same characteristics with endometriosis (metastasis and invasion, unrestrained growth, development of new blood vessels and decreased apoptosis) is given, including those which escape immune surveillance.The aim of this work is to gather, through an international collaboration, the inspirational ideas of most, if not all investigators interested in such a wide-scaled project to find ways to strengthen the immune system to fight against the migration and invasion of the endometriotic cell. It is obvious that, with the exception of the guidelines given herewith, all other suggestions to approach the specific problem are welcome in order to form powerful cohort centers that will work towards eradicating a disease which torments millions of women globally.

The appropriate deployment of web service operations at the service provider site plays a critical role in the efficient provision of services to clients. In this paper, the authors assume that a service provider has several servers over which web service operations can be deployed. Given a workflow of web services and the topology of the servers, the most efficient mapping of operations to servers must then be discovered. Efficiency is measured in terms of two cost functions that concern the execution time of the workflow and the fairness of the load distribution among the servers. The authors study different topologies for the workflow structure and the server connectivity and propose a suite of greedy algorithms for each combination.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ guidelines for the psychotherapy training of trainee psychiatrists include a supervised case experience in supportive psychotherapy. There is, however, a lack of clarity over the concept of supportive psychotherapy and how this might be taught and supervised, and this may discourage trainers from offering formal clinical supervision in this modality. In this article we briefly describe the history of supportive psychotherapy, the various ways in which it has been conceptualised, and some of the research in the area. We discuss the case for training and make practical suggestions for how this experience might be offered by consultant psychiatrists in an everyday psychiatric setting.

ABSTRACTIn this paper we provide the first biochemical evidence of the existence of a family of structure-related antimicrobial peptides, the siderophore-microcins, in the Enterobacteriaceaefamily. We isolated and characterized two novel siderophore-microcins, MccM and MccH47, previously characterized through genetic studies. MccM and MccH47 were expressed from several Escherichia colistrains containing the microcin gene clusters. The spectra of their bactericidal activities were found to be restricted to some species of the Enterobacteriaceae. MccM and MccH47 were unable to inhibit the growth of strains carrying mutations in the fepA, cir, and fiugenes, which showed the requirement of the iron-catecholate receptors for their recognition. The MccM and MccH47 peptide moieties contain 77 and 60 residues, respectively, and are derived from the microcin precursors McmA and MchB, respectively. In addition, both peptides carried a C-terminal posttranslational modification containing a salmochelin-like siderophore moiety also found in MccE492 (X. Thomas et al., J. Biol. Chem., 279:28233-28242, 2004). Interestingly, when MccM was isolated from E. coliNissle 1917, which lacks the two genes necessary for modification biosynthesis, it was devoid of posttranslational modification. Those two genes could be complemented by their homologues from the MccH47 gene cluster, thereby showing their functional interchangeability between at least two members of the siderophore-microcin family. Finally, from the sequence analysis of the MccE492 gene cluster, we hypothesized the existence of an additional member of the siderophore-microcin family. Therefore, we propose that the siderophore-microcin family contains five representatives.