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Port efficiency has different meanings for various stakeholders. This paper examines the existing studies on the efficiency types and analysis perspectives. Most studies focused on traditional port efficiencies (i.e., the technical, allocative and economic efficiency). Some extended these traditional types by considering ships' time in port and the negative environmental impacts. The majority of studies assessed port efficiency from the perspective of port authorities, managers, and operators. Few did it from the perspective of the users and the public. Even fewer noticed the possible conflicts between the port service level and its profitability. This highlights the need for port efficiency analyses to balance the interests of different stakeholders. Frontier methods are popular in port efficiency evaluation, but publications extending or combining different methods are still very rare. Several issues are identified, including the consistencies between decision-making units and the selection of input/output variables, the nature of port services, the extension and combination of these methods, and the impacts of new developments and occurrences, which can be the direction of further studies. • 301 studies on port efficiency analysis are reviewed from types and perspectives. • Majority assessed port traditional efficiency from the perspective of port. • Analysing efficiency from different perspectives needs more attentions. • Frontier methods are widely used, new approaches with combined methods are rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis is a key risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which reflects vascular reactivity, as well as pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx), both markers of arterial stiffness, have emerged as noninvasive, subclinical atherosclerotic markers for the early stages of altered vascular function. In addition to the long-term effects of diet, postprandial processes have been identified as important determinants of CVD risk, and evidence suggests an acute effect of fat quantity and fatty acid (FA) composition on vascular function. However, robust analyses of this association are lacking, especially concerning parameters of arterial stiffness. Therefore, we carried out a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library to investigate the impact of fat quantity and FA composition of meals on postprandial vascular function. Postprandial studies measuring FMD, PWV, and/or AIx in healthy adults and subjects with increased CVD risk (e.g., those with hypercholesterolemia or metabolic syndrome) were analyzed. In total, 24 articles were included; 9 studies focused on the effect of high-fat meals compared with control; and 15 studies investigated the effects of different fat sources. We found that consumption of a high-fat meal causes a reduction in FMD (decrease in vasodilation) and AIx (decrease in arterial stiffness). For eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (from fish oil), postprandial assessment (FMD and AIx) indicates a beneficial effect on vascular function. There is limited evidence of an influence of CVD risk on the vascular response to meals with varying fat doses or FA composition. However, meaningful conclusions were difficult to draw because of the large heterogeneity of the studies. Inconsistent results regarding both the impact of fat dose and FA composition on postprandial vascular function should be noted. We propose standardized methods for postprandial protocols to improve data quality in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two randomized controlled trials, the outcomes of endovascular treatment of complex femoropopliteal arterial lesions were compared with bypass surgery and considered a valid alternative treatment. The aim of this study was to compare both endovascular treatment options with the hypothesis that implantation of heparin-bonded self-expanding covered stents (Viabahn [SECS]) or drug-eluting stents (ZilverPTX [DES]) are related to similar clinical outcomes at 1-year follow-up. In a post-hoc analysis, the SuperB trial and Zilverpass databases were merged. Patients in the endovascular treatment arms were included, and data was analyzed in an intention-to-treat (ITT) and a per-protocol (PP) fashion. Data included baseline and lesion characteristics, procedural details, and follow-up data. The primary endpoint of this study was primary patency at 1-year follow-up. The secondary endpoints were secondary patency, target lesion revascularization (TLR), limb loss, and all-cause mortality. A total of 176 patients were included; 63 in the SECS arm and 113 in the DES arm. Through 1-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in primary patency (ITT: 63.4% vs 71.1%: P =.183 and PP: 60.8% vs 71.1%; P =.100). Secondary patency rates were not significantly different in the ITT analysis (86.5% vs 95.1%; P =.054), but in the PP analysis, there was a significant difference in favor of the DES group (SECS, 85.6% vs DES, 95.1%; P =.038). There was no significant difference in freedom from TLR between groups (79.6% vs 77.0%; P =.481). No major amputations were performed in the SECS group, and two were performed in the DES group (1.8%). Survival rate was 98.2% in the SECS group, and 91.3% in the DES group after 1-year follow-up (P =.106). Based on diagnosis (intermittent claudication vs chronic limb-threatening ischemia) no differences between patients with intermittent claudication and chronic limb-threatening ischemia were observed in primary patency, secondary patency and freedom from TLR. Treatment of complex femoropopliteal arterial disease with the heparin-bonded Viabahn endoprosthesis and the Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent are related to similar primary and secondary patency, and TLR rates at 1 year, except for secondary patency in the PP analysis. This study further supports the endovascular treatment of long complex lesions in the femoropopliteal artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of a patient with history of peripheral arterial disease who presented to the hospital with critical limb ischemia. We performed endovascular revascularization of stent thrombosis in superficial femoral artery (SFA), by retrograde pedal access with wire exteriorization. This case highlights the utility of retrograde pedal access in failed antegrade approach of culprit lesion in SFA and the effectiveness of multimodal endovascular thrombectomy to restore blood flow in patients who are otherwise not suitable for surgical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry in China is an essential pillar of the economy and a major source of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Energy misallocation across industrial sectors exacerbates energy consumption and carbon emissions. This study uses stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate the contribution and efficiency of capital, labor, and energy inputs to China's production between 2010 and 2020. Under the assumption of optimal allocation in a perfectly competitive market, we estimated the optimal energy input using the SFA results. The counterfactual results demonstrated considerable potential for energy savings, carbon abatement, and production increase under synergistic governance. According to the estimation, China's industry could save 4–24% of its energy input. The energy allocation adjustment varies across industry subsectors. Specifically, heavy industries have tremendous energy-saving potential, whereas the power production and supply subsectors require more energy. The overall energy conservation would have a synergistic effect of 0.3 to 1.4 billion tons of carbon reduction along with an extra 3.26 and 6.52 trillion Yuan output value. Such reallocation would also have the co-benefit of transforming the industry's energy mix, specifically, reducing its dependence on coal while increasing the share of electricity, which are both very critical in the process of carbon neutrality. The government could apply this method to guide the synergistic governance of industrial energy savings, carbon reduction, and production. • Introduced a comprehensive framework to guide production input optimal allocation. • Guiding input reallocation can decrease carbon emissions at negative costs. • China's industries had large energy-saving potential, especially heavy industries. • Reallocation forced energy mix transformation and reduced its dependence on coal. • Correcting market misallocation could complement pricing for carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of agricultural credit and farm size on the technical efficiency of rice productivity in Sindh, Pakistan. A cross-sectional random sampling technique was used to collect data from 180 rice growers through a face to face interview. The stochastic production frontier technique was employed to analyse the survey data. The results of Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) showed that credit, farm size, fertilizer, and labor significantly influenced the rice productivity in Sindh, Pakistan. Additionally, larger and significant scale of elasticity was found on credit while larger and significant marginal effect was found on farm size. Further, the mean technical efficiency was 0.97, which implies that 97 percent of rice farmers are technically efficient. Therefore, agricultural credit and farm size are the dominant factors in the improvement of rice production as well as the technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Sindh, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Extreme climate events have become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change. In semi-arid pastoral regions, extreme drought is harmful to livestock production and to vulnerable human communities and livelihoods. In this study, we considered extreme drought in semi-arid regions and investigated climate adaptations taken by the local vulnerable households and their effects on livestock production. We first analyzed the characteristics of spatio-temporal variation of extreme drought in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, China, during 1980–2015 by using the FAO Penman–Monteith model and then applied stochastic frontier analysis to evaluate the technical efficiency of livestock production of 126 pasturing households. We further explored the effects of climate adaptations to extreme drought on the technical efficiency of livestock production. The results showed that the average frequency of extreme drought in Hulun Buir was 4.6 month/year and displayed a decreasing trend varying from southwest to northeast during 1980–2015. Based on the survey data, the average technical efficiency of livestock production of the local households was 0.530 in 2015, which could be greatly improved. The adaptations of the households significantly positively increased the technical efficiency of livestock production. Purchasing more forage and selling more livestock were the two most frequently adopted and effective adaptive measures for the response of vulnerable households in Hulun Buir to extreme drought risks. Further policy options were provided to improve livestock production as well as rangeland protection and restoration for coping with extreme drought in the context of climate change in semi-arid pastoral regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Copper material flows in Germany. • Coupled material flow and macroeconomic simulation model. • Environmentally extended input-output-tables. • Resource efficiency scenarios within a circular economy. • Sectoral copper demand. Abstract In the context of the increasing depletion of finite natural resources and associated environmental and social problems, it is vital for societies to understand the drivers of resource demand and develop strategies to reduce its negative impacts. One such strategy is the move towards a circular economy, in which linear industrial systems are turned into circular systems where former waste streams from one part of the system can act as inputs in other parts. This includes the substitution of primary with secondary materials, thus reducing some of the negative impacts of primary production. The extent to which this is possible depends on the amount of retired material stocks that are made available for re-use. This article develops a methodology for analyzing material flows in relation to the wider economic system for the special case of copper. For this, a macroeconomic simulation model and a substance flow model are coupled to determine sectoral copper demand on the one hand, and the availability of secondary copper on the other hand. A number of scenarios aimed at reducing primary copper demand or increasing the supply of secondary copper are modeled. The results vary considerably between scenarios, depending on which material efficiency measure is analyzed. Due to delays in the retirement of copper stocks, trade-offs can be observed between reductions of original material demand and the availability of secondary material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) on Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) in the determination of the fatty acid content in meat and meat products. The Multivariate calibrations were developed and proposed for Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA), Monounsatured Fatty Acids (MUFA), Polyunsatured Fatty Acids (PUFA) and Palmitic Acid. SFA and MUFA models, developed using the first derivative and the selected region 3022.33–650.15 cm −1 , gave the best performance, with a coefficient of calibration r 2 0.9834 and 0.9775, respectively, and the relative Root Mean Square Error of Calibration (RMSEC) 0.594 and 0.699. The best model for PUFA was obtained for region 4000.12–650.15 using the first derivative (r 2 0.9817, RMSEC 0.724). Palmitic acid, chosen as the case study of single fatty acids, showed a best linear regression for the first derivative approach in region 4000.12–650.15. Results were less satisfactory in prediction in the proposed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • DHA supplementation is examined in rats during pregnancy with a background diet that resembles human Western diets and a standard rodent chow. • DHA concentrations are lower in maternal adipose during pregnancy and postpartum in the Western diet without DHA. • At postpartum DHA concentrations decrease below baseline levels in maternal heart and liver of the dams fed Western diets without DHA and in liver in the chow diet. • Low maternal DHA intakes was associated with lower DHA concentrations in the 7d old pups but not the fetuses. Abstract Fetal accretion for DHA is high during late pregnancy due to the brain growth spurt. Prior evidence suggests that DHA is mobilized from maternal liver and adipose to meet fetal accretion and physiological requirements. However, changes in the DHA levels of various maternal tissues throughout pregnancy and into lactation of mothers on diets with and without dietary DHA, and with a background dietary fatty acid profile that resembles human intake has not been examined. Sprague Dawley rats were fed a total western diet with (TWD +) or without DHA (TWD-) along with a commercial rodent chow control (Chow) throughout pregnancy and postpartum. The fatty acid compositions of adipose, brain, heart, liver, erythrocytes, and plasma were determined before pregnancy, at 15 and 20 days of pregnancy, and 7 days postpartum. The placenta, fetuses, and pups were also examined when available. Maternal DHA concentrations were increased in plasma at 20 days pregnancy in all the diets with TWD + > Chow > TWD-. Maternal DHA concentrations in the TWD- group were lower in adipose throughout pregnancy as compared with the other diets. At postpartum, DHA concentrations decreased below baseline levels in the heart of the TWD- and Chow dams and the liver of the TWD- dams. Whole body DHA concentrations of the fetuses did not differ but there was evidence of decreased DHA in the whole body and tissues of the TWD- and Chow 7d old pups. In conclusion, it appears that in this rodent model of pregnancy, maternal adaptations were made to meet fetal DHA requirements, but they may compromise maternal DHA status and the ability to deliver DHA during lactation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfinance has played a key role in the fight against exclusion and the promotion of entrepreneurship in developing countries. An important question today is how to increase the reach and profitability of microfinance, in a context where subsidies are withdrawing to promote the viability and sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Efficiency analysis has found favor in this context and has attracted growing interest among professionals, partners, and researchers. Abundant empirical work has been conducted over the last ten years on this subject, in very different contexts and with different methodologies. The purpose of this article is to provide a meta-regression analysis on parametric and nonparametric estimations of Mean Technical Efficiency (MTE) in microfinance, using a data set of 262 observations from 38 studies. The results show that, in the microfinance industry, MTE scores have increased over time. However, with an MTE rate of approximately 61.1%, there is room for improving efficiency. MFIs use more resources than necessary for the results achieved in terms of outreach and revenue generated . Our results show heterogeneity of MTE according to the methodological approach of the studies. Studies with a larger number of variables (inputs and outputs) produced higher MTE scores than did those with a smaller number of variables. Studies using the variable returns to scale assumption resulted in higher MTE scores than those using constant returns to scale. In addition, those with a production approach had higher MTEs than did those using the intermediation approach, while studies of a large number of MFIs had lower scores than did those involving a small sample size. Moreover, research estimating social efficiency generated lower MTEs compared to those estimating financial efficiency. Studies using data from African MFIs obtained lower MTEs than did those on MFIs in Latin America and MENA, which confirms the poor performance of African microfinance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pollen contains a mixture of fatty acids (FA) with different saturation. • Bumble bees poorly absorbed palmitate, common FA in pollen of many plants. • Unsaturated oleic and linoleic acids are better absorbed and oxidized by Bumble bees. • The pollen consumption rate did not vary among the three pollen-enriched FAs diets. • Pollen is unlikely to have been nutritionally optimized for Bumble bees. Pollen serves as a crucial source of protein and lipids for numerous insects. Despite the importance of pollen lipids for nutrient regulation in bees, the digestibility and absorption of different fatty acids (FAs) by bees remain poorly understood. We used 13C labeled fatty acids (FAs) to investigate the absorption and allocation of three common dietary FAs in pollen by bumble bees. Palmitic acid, the most common saturated FA in pollen, was poorly absorbed, even when supplied as tripalmitate, emulsified, or mixed in vegetable oil. In contrast, the essential linoleic acid was absorbed and allocated at the highest rate among the three FAs tested. Oleic acid, a non-essential monounsaturated FA, was absorbed and oxidized at lower rates than linoleic acid. Notably, a feeding rate experiment revealed that different fatty acids did not affect the consumption rate of pollen. This results suggests that the specific FA's absorption efficiency and allocation differ in bumble bees, impacting their utilization. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the digestibility and absorption of different FAs. Furthermore, the study highlights the influence of pollen lipid composition on the nutritional content for pollinators and raises questions about the utilization of polyunsaturated FAs in insect metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest of North-East India is rich in a variety of tree borne oilseeds and there were no serious efforts to exploit the less known oilseeds of the forest origin. Considering the vast plant wealth and with an objective to explore these untapped potentialities of oilseed resources of NE India, a research program was undertaken. The present communication is based on the investigation of seeds of 14 lesser known plant species for fats and oils. The screened plant species exhibited oil yield ranging from 4.71% to 48.43% on dry weight basis. Alseodaphne andersonii showed significant amount of tocols while Garcinia xanthochymus showed significant amount of phytosterol. Gas liquid chromatography analysis of methyl ester extracted fatty acid indicated dominant fraction of Oleic acid in 6 numbers of species, followed by Linoleic acid in 3 species, Lauric acid in 3 species, and Palmitic acid in 2 species. The majority of the species (9 species) showed higher amount of unsaturated fatty acid content in the oils which suggested that the species may serve as valuable raw materials for vegetable oil which can be explored as substitute for industrial feasibility while restshowed higher amount of saturated fatty acids which suggested that these species may serve as important industrial by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Controversies persist concerning the association between intake of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and cardiovascular disease risk. Objective: We compared the impact of consuming equal amounts of SFAs from cheese and butter on cardiometabolic risk factors. Design: In a multicenter, crossover, randomized controlled trial, 92 men and women with abdominal obesity and relatively low HDL-cholesterol concentrations were assigned to sequences of 5 predetermined isoenergetic diets of 4 wk each separated by 4-wk washouts: 2 diets rich in SFAs (12.4-12.6% of calories) from either cheese or butter; a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich diet (SFAs: 5.8%, MUFAs: 19.6%); a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)- rich diet (SFAs: 5.8%, PUFAs: 11.5%); and a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet (fat: 25%, SFAs: 5.8%). Results: Serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations were similar after the cheese and butter diets but were significantly higher than after the carbohydrate diet (13.8% and 14.7%, respectively; P < 0.05 for both). LDL-cholesterol concentrations after the cheese diet were lower than after the butter diet (23.3%, P < 0.05) but were higher than after the carbohydrate (12.6%), MUFA (15.3%), and PUFA (112.3%) diets (P < 0.05 for all). LDL-cholesterol concentrations after the butter diet also increased significantly (from 16.1% to 116.2%, P < 0.05) compared with the carbohydrate, MUFA, and PUFA diets. The LDL-cholesterol response to treatment was significantly modified by baseline values (P-interaction = 0.02), with the increase in LDL cholesterol being significantly greater with butter than with cheese only among individuals with high baseline LDL-cholesterol concentrations. There was no significant difference between all diets on inflammation markers, blood pressure, and insulin-glucose homeostasis. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that the consumption of SFAs from cheese and butter has similar effects on HDL cholesterol but differentially modifies LDL-cholesterol concentrations compared with the effects of carbohydrates, MUFAs, and PUFAs, particularly in individuals with high LDL cholesterol. In contrast, SFAs from either cheese or butter have no significant effects on several other nonlipid cardiometabolic risk factors. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02106208. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates to which extent results produced by a single frontier model are reliable, based on the application of data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier approach to a sample of Chinese local banks. Our findings show they produce a consistent trend on global efficiency scores over the years. However, rank correlations indicate they diverge with respect to individual performance diagnoses. Therefore, these models provide steady information on the efficiency of the banking system as a whole, but they become divergent at the individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oleic acid is known to interact with saturated lipid molecules and increase the fluidity of gel phase lipid membranes. In this work, the thermodynamic properties of mixed monolayers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and oleic acid at the air-water interface were determined using Langmuir isotherms. The isotherm study revealed an attractive interaction between oleic acid and DPPC. The incorporation of oleic acid also monotonically decreased the elastic modulus of the monolayer indicative of higher fluidity with increasing oleic acid content. Using the surface force apparatus, intermembrane force–distance profiles were obtained for substrate supported DPPC membranes containing 30 mol% oleic acid at pH 5.8 and 7.4. Three different preparation conditions resulted in distinct force profiles. Membranes prepared in pH 5.8 subphase had a low number of nanoscopic defects ≤ 1% and an adhesion magnitude of ~ 0.6 mN/m. A slightly higher defect density of 1–4% was found for membranes prepared in a physiological pH 7.4 subphase. The presence of the exposed hydrophobic moieties resulted in a higher adhesion magnitude of 2.9 mN/m. Importantly, at pH 7.4, some oleic acid deprotonates resulting in a long-range electrostatic repulsion. Even though oleic acid increased the DPPC bilayer fluidity and the number of defects, no membrane restructuring was observed indicating that the system maintained a stable configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constructs a Malmquist energy productivity index based on the Shephard energy distance function to measure total-factor energy productivity change. In order to account for individual heterogeneities as well as statistical noises, we use a newly developed fixed-effects SFA model for estimation. Then it is applied to compare energy productivity growth across the world's 123 economies. The main findings are as follows. First, on average the world witnessed a 34.6% growth of energy productivity between 1990 and 2010 which was mainly driven by technological progress. Second, the developed countries achieved higher growth in energy productivity than the developing countries. Third, the developed countries took lead in technological progress while the developing countries performed better in efficiency improvement. Fourth, there are no evidences supporting σ -convergence among countries' energy productivity growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of brominated flame retardants, have been widely used in many applications in industry such as automobiles, textiles, and electronics. This study focused on a quantitative substance flow analysis (SFA) of PBDEs in automobiles in order to identify their flow by life cycle and treatment pathways of PBDEs-containing materials in end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Korea. In addition, this study has estimated environmental releases of PBDEs in automobiles by life cycle in Korea. During this study, PBDEs were analyzed for the samples collected from several ELVs treatment facilities using X-ray fluorescence and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methods. The system boundary for SFA of PBDEs ranged from manufacturing/trade to disposal stage of automobiles by life cycle. Based on the result of the SFA, it was found that the amount of PBDEs in automobiles were the highest in use stage (7748 ton/year), followed by production stage (1743 ton/year) in 2014. In disposal stage, automobile shredded residues (ASR) and seat fabrics were the main components with relatively high levels of PBDEs in ELVs. The major treatment methods of such components included incineration (84%), energy recovery (9%), and landfilling (6%). This research indicates that PBDEs were emitted the highest amount from interior components during the use stage of automobiles, followed by recycling processes such as dismantling and shredding. This study suggests that PBDEs in ASR and seat fabrics should be properly managed to prevent the widespread dispersion in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The flippase SLC47A1 is a repressor of ferroptosis. • PPARA transactivates SLC47A1 to suppress ferroptosis induction through lipid remodeling. • Knockdown of SLC47A1 sensitizes cells to ferroptosis in a ACSL4-SOAT1–axis dependent manner to generate polyunsaturated fatty acid containing (PUFA) cholesterol esters. • Net effect of acyl-PUFAs with various head groups promotes ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death triggered by dysregulation of biochemical processes that culminate in lethal lipid peroxidation. Lipid metabolism is fundamental for determining ferroptotic fate, however, the mechanisms that alter lipid components to shape ferroptosis susceptibility remains elusive. A recent article by Lin and colleagues in Nature Communications systematically analyzed phospholipid transporters (phospholipid scramblases, flippases, and floppases), and identified that the lipid flippase solute carrier family 47 member 1 (SLC47A1) functions as a regulator of lipid remodeling and promotes ferroptosis resistance. SLC47A1 is transactivated by peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARA). Upon ferroptosis induction, SLC47A1 upregulation inhibits DHA/DPA polyunsaturated fatty acid containing glycerophospholipids (PUFA-PLs) accumulation to block ferroptosis. Depletion of either PPARA or SLC47A1 sensitized cells to ferroptosis by favoring ACSL4-SOAT1–mediated production of polyunsaturated fatty acid containing (PUFA) cholesterol esters. Ferroptosis has been widely linked to degenerative processes and tumor suppression. These findings indicate that lipid transporters may provide yet another means by which PUFA-containing membrane lipids convey ferroptosis sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to assess the impact of ownership and contractual practices on technical efficiency in the public bus transport sector in the world. The sample is decomposed from eight Tunisian firms and thirty firms from France, Spain, Belgium, and so on for the period of [2009–2016]. The methods used for this purpose is the two-stage DEA in which we used three techniques in the second stage namely the Tobit and Truncated regressions and Bootstrap technique and the SFA via the Batesse and Coelli (1995) and True Fixed Effect techniques. The main results show that the TFE model has the greatest mean of efficiency scores with a value equal to 0.88, while the CRS version of the DEA approach has the lowest score with a value equal to 0.27. Regarding the second stage, there is a significant impact of the ownership on the technical efficiency estimates, the public mode affect negatively the efficiency with a value equal to0.24 (Truncated regression), an interpretation is similar to the cost-plus contract. Also, according to the statistical tests, we find a significant difference between the public and private firms as well as the cost-plus and fixed-price contract in terms of technical efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, as an important resource in ecosystem, greatly influence human life. Increasing water use efficiency will save water resources, thus will lead to better ecosystem. Agricultural water resources are important production materials that will impinge the long-term agriculture development potential, while water use efficiency (WUE) is a key factor closely linked to agricultural production. In this study targeted at Heihe Agriculture Zone, we used a stochastic frontier production function to study agricultural production efficiency and WUE. In particular, the effects of planting areas on farmers' WUE were investigated. The result show current farmers' WUE of Maize is 0.67 on average, which still can be improved largely. The farmers' planting scales largely affect WUE of Maize. The farmers with planting scales of 0–0.3 ha and over 1.3 ha paid high attention to WUE. The optimal planting scale of water use efficiency of maize is around 3.3 ha. This study provides a scientific basis for the water resource use in arid and semiarid regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from 2007 to 2014, we investigate the effects of inflation, unemployment rate and GDP per capita growth on bank efficiency for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in an unbalanced panel consisting of 75 banks and 415 observations. Applying stochastic frontier estimation procedures, we compute cost efficiency taking account of both time and country effects directly. In second-stage regressions, we use the efficiency measures to investigate the influence of country risk variables and concentration ratio applying Generalized Method of Moments technique with respect to the impact of political risk, credit ratings and debt in default. The finding suggests that banks in countries with low country risk, and low concentration tend to perform more efficiently. Furthermore, a negative but insignificant relationship between total assets and bank efficiency reflects the fact that larger banks in developing countries suffer from diseconomies of scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a devastating medical problem that may lead to significant life alterations for patients, from simply limiting their daily activities to potential loss of limbs and eventual demise. Superficial femoral and popliteal arteries are significantly common locations for PVD sequelae to present itself, and owing to their length and mobile nature, treatment of these segments are quite challenging. Indications for PVD treatment include lifestyle-limiting claudication that is not responding to medical management, ischemic rest pain, nonhealing ulcers, and lower extremity gangrene. There is a wide variety of treatment options that include medical management, interventional, and surgical techniques. Interventional techniques include plain old balloon angioplasty, cryoplasty, drug-coated balloon angioplasty, self-expanding bare-nitinol stents, self-expanding covered stents, self-expanding drug-eluding stents, and a number of atherectomy devices (ie, laser, rotational, orbital, and excisional). The scope of this article is to review indications, patient selection, and deployment techniques of Viabahn and Supera self-expanding stents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects over 8 million people in the United States alone. Although great strides have been made in reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease the prevalence of PAD is expected to rise with the age of global population. PAD characterized by narrowing of arterial blood can be asymptomatic or cause limb threatening claudication. It has been classically treated with bypass, but these techniques have been supplanted by endovascular therapy. Plain old balloon angioplasty has been successful in helping revascularize lesions, but its effect has not been durable because of restenosis. This prompted the creation of several technologies aimed at reducing restenosis. These advances slowly improved outcomes and the durability of endovascular management. Among the main tools used in current endovascular practice are drug-delivery devices aimed at inhibiting the inflammatory and proliferative pathways that lead to restenosis. This article examines the current drug-delivery technologies used in the superficial femoral artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptors (TLR) mediate infection-induced inflammation and sterile inflammation by endogenous molecules. Among the TLR family, TLR4 is the best understood. However, while its downstream signaling pathways have been well defined, not all ligands of TLR4 are currently known. Current evidence suggests that saturated fatty acids (SFA) act as non-microbial TLR4 agonists, and trigger its inflammatory response. Thus, our present review provides a new perspective on the potential mechanism by which SFAs could modulate TLR4-induced inflammatory responses: (1) SFAs can be recognized by CD14-TLR4-MD2 complex and trigger inflammatory pathways, similar to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). (2) SFAs lead to modification of gut microbiota with an overproduction of LPS after a high-fat intake, enhancing this natural TLR4 ligand. (3) In addition, this metabolic endotoxemia leads to an oxidative stress thereby producing atherogenic lipids – oxLDL and oxidized phospholipids – which trigger CD36-TLR4-TLR6 inflammatory response. (4) Also, the high SFA consumption increases the lipemia and the mmLDL and oxLDL formation through oxidative modifications of LDL. The mmLDL, unlike oxLDL, is involved in activation of the CD14-TLR4-MD2 inflammatory pathway. Those molecules can induce TLR4 inflammatory response by MyD88-dependent and/or MyD88-independent pathways that, in turn, promotes the expression of proinflammatory transcript factors such as factor nuclear kappa B (NF-κB), which plays a crucial role in the induction of inflammatory mediators (cytokines, chemokines, or costimulatory molecules) implicated in the development and progression of many chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses beta and sigma convergence of commercial, savings, and cooperative banks in the Eurozone from 1999 to 2012. For this purpose, concepts of the growth and efficiency convergence literature are consulted and GMM, fixed effects models, and OLS are applied. Convergence is analyzed by calculating two efficiency metrics – data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) – and two risk metrics – equity to total assets (E/TA or EQTOAS) and Z-scores (ZSCORN). For commercial banks, efficiency convergence of both metrics is found, however, savings banks show no signs of convergence and cooperative banks only show signs of SFA convergence. Banks of all three specializations show E/TA convergence, but only savings banks convergence with respect to Z-scores. Nevertheless, the EU's Single Market Program still has a long way to go to create identical conditions for all member countries’ financial markets. The discovery that there are considerable differences between banks’ specializations, and even more, that there is convergence with respect to E/TA as a risk metric are among the main academic contributions of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have studied the determinants of energy efficiency. However, the influence of government institutions was mostly ignored as only few studies have provided evidence on the role of institutions in enhancing domestic energy efficiency. In this paper, we extend the previous literature by asking whether neighboring country's institutions could also have an impact on domestic energy efficiency. Thus, with the stochastic frontier approach and spatial econometric model, we investigate the spatial effect of institutional quality on energy efficiency in a panel of 99 countries (economies) for the period 1995–2016. Our results, first confirm the presence of spatial correlations in energy efficiency across countries. Secondly, we discover that the direct positive effect of institutional quality on energy efficiency is such that it overcomes the insignificant indirect negative effect, which suggests a total positive and significant effect. Our results, therefore, indicate that institutional quality matters in energy efficiency improvement and being close to countries with good institutional framework has a positive effect on domestic energy efficiency. Finally, the energy efficiency estimates demonstrate that global energy issue can only be addressed with long-term policies that increases technological progress. • We examine the spillover effects government institutions on energy efficiency. • We adopt the stochastic frontier approach and spatial econometric model. • The result confirms the presence of spatial correlations in energy efficiency across countries. • Being close to countries with good institutions has a positive effect on energy efficiency. • Long-term policies with increased technological progress can address energy issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a new hybrid forecasting methodology for short-term energy efficiency prediction, this new method composes stochastic frontier analysis-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (SFA-GARCH) model and radial basis function neural (RBFN) model. A three-step procedure is implemented. First, the selected independent variables are analysed via SFA-GARCH model, to present their casual relations. Second, regional energy efficiency level is evaluated based upon the time series data obtained from past ten years. Finally, the proposed hybrid model considers a 6-years ahead prediction of regional energy efficiency level. The result demonstrates good performance according to tail loss test when compared with normal SFA method, it proves that the hybrid methodology should be an appropriate measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to assess the efficiency cost of the Tunisian public bus transport system using six stochastic frontier models to see which one would the most robust. This analysis is based on a sample of 12 Tunisian regional bus transport companies for the period 2000/2010. To achieve this, we chose, as an dependent variable, the “variable cost” and, as an independent variable, the output “seats per kilometer”, the prices of the input, labor and energy as well as a control variable represented by the network length. The main results show that the regional bus transport companies are economically inefficient with an almost similar magnitude regardless of the estimated model except for Green’s True model (2002). This inefficiency is explained by the existence of an outdated regulation characterized by an administered wage policy where financial risk is incurred by the authorities and not by the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The tourism industry, particularly the hotel sector, is becoming increasingly competitive and dynamic as a result of the pressures of globalized supply and demand in a context of uncertainty. The aim of this study is to discuss the efficiency of hotel companies in the Algarve (Portugal), a tourist destination of excellence in southwest Europe. In particular, we intend to assess the efficiency of the hotels in terms of star rating (four and five-star hotels), their location (Windward and Leeward), owning or not golf courses and owning just a single hotel or more than one. This analysis will be based on the parametric method of stochastic frontier approach using a revenue function. We found relevant levels of inefficiency. The results also point out the important role of the operational environment, particularly the hotel location and the existence of golf facilities. Star rating and owning multiples hotels do not seem to be so relevant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent years, two primary methods, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) have widely been applied to measure energy utilization efficiency as they both can estimate the energy efficiency appropriately. However, both of the methods have merits as well as drawbacks. In this paper we use the super efficiency of DEA (SEDEA) model and SFA to estimate the energy productive efficiency of 30 administrative regions of mainland China during the period 1998–2009. The comparative study of the two methods shows that despite the estimated values being quite different, the ranks of these two results are very similar. In addition, the results of the two methods suggest that energy efficiency in the eastern region of China possesses an advantage over the western regions. Further analysis indicates that SEDEA not only has the advantages of DEA and SFA, but also has the advantage of evaluation energy efficiency effectively. In addition, this paper decomposes the Malmquist index so as to explore energy efficiency comprehensively and dynamically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The deer ked is an abundant obligatory ectoparasite of cervids. [•] Deer keds can survive temperatures as low as −15°C. [•] They have high proportions of PUFA in late autumn for survival in cold. [•] Increased unsaturation may allow lipid membranes to maintain sufficient fluidity. [•] The deer ked may have the ability of synthesizing, e.g., 18:2n-6 de novo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] In 2009, the UK population consumed 31kt of phosphorus within their food. [•] UK food production relies on imported P, with net imports containing 113.5kt P. [•] Crop production is 81% efficient; soil accumulation is estimated at 37.5kt P/yr. [•] Losses to water total 41.5kt P/yr, with 23.5kt P within WwTW effluent. [•] Effectively recycling wastes such as animal manure and sewage sludge is an issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dynamic stocks and flows analysis was applied to the anthropogenic aluminum cycle in Italy in order to detect and quantify metal flows and in-use stocks over the years 1947–2009. The model utilized a top-down approach, including data for production, consumption, loss, and trade flows of aluminum. Seven end-use markets were considered, namely buildings and construction, transportation, consumer durables, machinery and equipment, electrical engineering, containers and packaging, and miscellaneous appliance types. The results of this dynamic stocks and flows analysis model quantified the contemporary anthropogenic reservoirs (or in-use stocks) of aluminum at about 320kg per capita, mainly embedded within the transportation and building and construction sectors. Cumulative in-use stock represents approximately 11 years of supply at current usage rates (about 20Mt versus 1.7Mt/year), implying significant potential for recycling in the future as this stock comes out of use. Flow analysis revealed that Italy imports mainly unwrought aluminum and exports final products, while the main material losses occur during alumina refining and collection of old scrap: specifically, containers and packaging have the highest old scrap generation rate, but for the lowest recovery rate (50%). Increasing support to collection of scrap and initiatives oriented to aluminum recovery specifically would allow Italy to increase its reliance on domestic material, and may also allow a decline of the country import-dependence on primary sources. The dynamic stocks and flows model created here provides a quantitative historical record of the aluminum required by Italian society during important periods of development and provides guidance for future decision-making around the use of domestic secondary resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a meta-analysis of variations in seaports’ Mean Technical Efficiency (MTE) scores based on 40 studies published in refereed academic journals. We link the variation in estimated MTE scores to differences in the following factors: the frontier methodology used, which essentially are the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA); regions where seaports are situated; type of data used; number of observations; and the total number of variables used. Furthermore, we compare fixed-effects against a random-effects regression model where the latter assumes that the individual study specific characteristics matter while the former assumes that there is one general tendency across all studies. We present several findings based on the data: (1) the random-effects model outperforms the fixed effects model in explaining the variations in MTEs, (2) recently published studies have lower MTE scores as compared with earlier published studies, (3) studies that used nonparametric DEA models depict higher MTE scores as compared with those that used SFA models, (4) panel data studies have lower TE scores as compared with cross-sectional data, and (5) studies using European seaport data produce lower MTE scores when compared with the rest of the world. Finally, our results contradict some previous meta-analysis studies of TE scores. We encourage the use of random-effects models in meta-analysis studies because they account for individual study specific effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Amongst minor oilseed crops, niger has not been given considerable importance as compared to the sunflower, safflower, linseed and sesame. A study on 35 niger genotypes was conducted to evaluate their potential in terms of oil quantity, quality and biodiesel traits. Oil quality was determined by fatty acid composition for two consecutive years and the results were compared with other minor oilseed crops. Niger oil has four major fatty acids namely palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid. Genotypes which showed consistent fatty acid profile for the 2 consecutive years were also reported. Oleic and linoleic fatty acids showed high variability ranging from 23.52 to 53.05% and 32.03–58.28%, respectively. High oleic (IC372586) and linoleic acid (IC211078, IC211080 and IC259393) containing genotypes were also identified. Total unsaturated fatty acid (81.79–85.06%) was found to be higher than total saturated fatty acid (14.94–18.21%). Based on saponification number (200.16–202.16) and Iodine value (105.69–126.7 g I2 100 g−1) the niger oil finds its application in various industries while cetane number confirmed the use of it as biodiesel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: DHEA-S treatment is used as an anti-aging and anti-obesity hormone therapy in adults; however, it mechanisms of action are not clearly elucidated. The objective of the present work was to analyze the effect of a replacement therapy, which included a daily single oral dose of DHEA-S for three months, on the composition of human plasma fatty acids (FAs) in obese women. In the first study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted involving 61 postmenopausal women, who were assigned to receive 100mg/day of DHEA-S (n =41) or placebo (n =20) orally for 3months. In a second study, the effect of DHEA-S treatment on postmenopausal obese women (n =41) was compared to that in premenopausal obese women (n =20). Blood samples were collected at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. Plasma FAs were analyzed by gas chromatography. DHEA-S treatment produced significant changes in plasma FAs of both post- and premenopausal women with a reduction of total saturated FAs (SFA) as well as an increase in n −6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Particularly, in premenopausal women the DHEA-S treatment also increased the plasma n −3 PUFA percentage. Regarding estimation of desaturase activity, our data showed that Δ6-desaturase was significantly decreased in postmenopausal women after DHEA-S treatment, whereas Δ5-desaturase was increased in the premenopausal group. In conclusion, DHEA-S treatment in obese women modifies plasma FA composition towards a potentially better metabolic profile, mainly by decreasing SFA and increasing n −6 PUFA in both postmenopausal and premenopausal women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyses the level of efficiency at which road toll companies are operated in Norway. Two alternative methods are applied for this purpose: data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The data comprise a total of 20 toll companies that have been in operation in the period 2003–2008. The findings of the paper are as follows: 1) There is a great potential for efficiency improvement in the sector, irrespective of the method used, but the variation in the efficiency scores is dependent on the method used; 2) there is no evidence of economies of scale, as has been found by other authors, such as Odeck 2008, How efficient and productive are road toll companies? Evidence from Norway, Transport Policy. 15, 232–241 and, Amdal, E., Bårdsen, G., Johansen K. and Welde M., 2007. Operating costs in Norwegian toll companies: a panel data analysis. Transportation. 34, 681–695. These results suggest that toll companies could generate significant savings by employing industry best practices. Further, decision makers are warned not to be indifferent to the approach used i.e., DEA and SFA, as these may give very different results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is to review what kinds of mathematical methods used in developing benchmarking systems, to discuss the properties of the methods, and to classify two kinds of benchmarking systems based on their properties. We find that while benchmarking systems are developed by using the energy-use performance of a significant number of reference buildings, benchmarking results can be used to encourage poor reference performers (in energy-efficiency) to improve their performance. On the other hand, because benchmarking systems also function as a public yardstick of energy-use performance in buildings, some regulators release benchmarking information to the media. This proves advantageous because it brings public pressure on owners/developers of poorly performing non-reference buildings. However, not all benchmarking systems can be used by public users (i.e., other non-reference building owners). Depending on whether the resulting benchmarking system can be used in public, we note that there are two kinds of benchmarking system: public benchmarking and internal benchmarking. These two types of benchmarking system are developed by different methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between post-crisis bank restructuring, country-specific conditions and bank efficiency in Asian countries from 1997 to 2001 using an approach that integrates data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis. We focus on restructuring measures related to bank ownership. The results indicate that although domestic mergers produce more efficient banks, overall, restructuring does not lead to more efficient banking systems. Banking system inefficiencies are mostly attributed to country-specific conditions, particularly, high interest rates, concentrated markets and economic development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copper cycle analysis approaches have been broadly investigated for sustainable development of copper industry in China. There are four stages in the life cycle of copper products, including mining & processing, fabrication & manufacture, use and reclamation. The 2005 copper cycle in China, analyzed by copper-flow diagram of the copper products life cycle with time factor, indicates that the copper ore index and copper scrap index were 0.78t/t and 0.063t/t, respectively; and copper resource efficiency was 1.3t/t. To ascertain the degree of both aggregating and dispersing of the copper in the life cycle of copper products, the substance flow analysis with the index of entropy and the calculating method of entropy was presented. The variation of entropy along copper cycle was calculated based on the analysis of the life cycle of copper products in China in 2005. The entropies at the five nodes along copper cycle were 0.26, 0.046, 0.24, 0.60 and 0.25, respectively. The variation ratio of relative entropy in the whole system was −2.9%, which showed the copper-contained materials were congregated after the whole products life cycle. The same method was also applied to the variation of entropy along copper products life cycle in China in 2002. The discussion was focused on the results of these two years. The values of entropy at the five nodes along copper cycle in 2005 were all lower than those in 2002. The entropy at the five nodes along copper products life cycle in 2005 was extracted through two scenes under different technical indices, including scene one: 0.26, 0.032, 0.23, 0.60 and 0.17, respectively; and scene two: 0.26, 0.023, 0.23, 0.60 and 0.096, respectively. The values of entropy are effectively reduced, especially from the fourth to the fifth node, which is the obsolete copper products reclaiming stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Spectroscopy Focusing Array (SFA) onboard the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry observatory (eXTP) uses Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) at the focal plane. A simulation of the corresponding detectors is performed in this work to model the instrument responses, including the spectral and timing behaviors. It relies on the solution of the Poisson equations and the charge carrier dynamics to predict the detector performances at different X-ray incident positions. The notable features of the instrument responses are reproduced with reasonable accuracy. The simulation can be used for a variety of studies in the space mission, such as the understanding of the calibration data during on-ground tests and the verification of the scientific requirements with a certain instrument configuration. As an example, the flux limits of scientific observations are estimated in this work taking into account the pile-up and dead-time effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The composition of dietary fat has received increased attention during the recent years because it influences human health. Seventy seven samples from pork adipose tissue and melted fat from the same tissue were measured with Raman spectroscopy. Gas chromatography analysis was conducted as reference. Iodine values (IV) ranged from 58.2 to 90.4g iodine added per 100g fat. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ranged from 7.8% to 31.7% and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) from 35.2% to 51.5% of total fatty acids. When applied on pre-processed spectra of melted fat, partial least square regression (PLSR) with cross-validation gave a correlation coefficient (R)=0.98, and root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV)=1.4 for IV, using 3 PLS factors in the model. PUFA gave R =0.98 and RMSECV=1.0% of total fatty acids, using 5 PLS factors. MUFA were predicted with R =0.96 and RMSECV=1.0% of total fatty acids, using 9 PLS factors. On adipose tissue a model with 3 PLS factors gave R =0.97 and RMSECV=1.8 for IV. For PUFA, a model with 3 PLS factors gave R =0.95 and RMSECV=1.5% of total fatty acids. For MUFA a model with 6 PLS factors gave R =0.91 and RMSECV=1.5% of total fatty acids. The results indicate the feasibility to use Raman spectroscopy as a rapid and non-destructive method to determine IV, PUFA, MUFA and saturated fatty acids (SFA) measured directly on pork adipose tissue and in melted fat from the same tissue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The EU Commission''s Services asked TNO and CML to perform a study into the risks of the present uses of lead over time, as an input to a discussion on the need of a further reduction of the use of this material. The study was set up as a substance flow analysis to analyse trends in uses and emissions of lead in Europe between 2000 and 2030. The study showed among others that the flow to (final) landfill of lead is declining from about 290ktpa in 2000 to 220ktpa in 2003 for the EU15. Alloys, or more specifically lead in electronic equipment, contribute to about 5% of these flows. The study also compared current actual exposures in the environment, of workers, and the general public (adults and young children) to authoritative limit values set in the EU. From this, it appeared that under unfavorable conditions (high dust/soil intake via hand-mouth behavior) young children may exceed their tolerable daily intake (TDI). The study hence concluded that for children, there is a need for further information and/or testing. It has to be stressed, however, that this purely risk based approach leaves several questions about sustainable lead management unanswered. It gives a ‘picture’ at a given moment in time. Successes in lowering exposure were mainly reached by reducing direct emissions from various sources (e.g. emissions to air via leaded gasoline). However, it is also clear that the use and hence the economical stock of lead is growing, as is the stock in landfills and certain residues from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWIs), which might be re-used. This led to a discussion driven by the fear for slow ‘enrichment’ of the economical and ecological system with lead, and hence a possible higher exposure in future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The chemical and nutritional composition of the Longissimus thoracis muscle from 58 ‘Rubia Gallega’ breed animals was measured to differentiate veal of weaned from unweaned calves. Fat, protein, ash, and moisture contents of muscle were determined by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and the fatty acid (FA) profiles were determined by gas chromatography. Calves suckled their mothers at pasture followed by an indoor period. The weaned group was finished on concentrates indoors, whereas the unweaned group was continued suckling with a complementary concentrate diet, also indoors. The unweaned group had higher total FA (p <0.001), monounsaturated (MUFA) (p <0.05) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) (p <0.05) FA contents, lower saturated FA (SFA) (p <0.01) concentration, and a higher PUFA:SFA ratio (p <0.05) than the weaned group. A multivariate step discriminant procedure selected nine variables out of 38 tested from the FA profile. The SFA fraction lower than C11 followed by the margaric FA and the n −6:n −3 PUFA ratio were the most discriminating variables for separating the weaning classes, regardless of the gender. Calibration and cross-validation misclassification errors were 0% and 1.67%, respectively. A more powerful discriminant function was estimated for males only, where the SFA fraction lower than C11 followed by tricosanoic, and margaric FA were the most discriminant, with zero misclassification errors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding aerobically processed and vacuum-dried food waste-broiler litter and bakery by-product mixture to finishing pigs on performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and taste panel test. A corn-soy diet (Control) was replaced with food waste mixture (FWM) at dietary levels of 25% (25% FWM) and 50% (50% FWM) on a dry matter (DM) basis. Diets were fed to a total of 45 pigs (mean body weight 69.4kg) during the eight wk of finishing period. After slaughtering, longissmus muscle at 24h postmortem was used for meat quality analysis. Restaurant food waste was high in protein (22.0%) and fat (23.9%). Supplementing a corn-soy diet with FWM increased (P &#60;0.05) feed DM intake, did not alter (P >0.05) average daily gain, decreased (P &#60;0.05) feed efficiency especially for 50% FWM treatment, and substantially reduced (P &#60;0.05) feed cost, compared with feeding a corn-soy diet only. Feeding FWM up to 50% did not affect (P >0.05) carcass characteristics (carcass weight, dressing percentage, backfat thickness and carcass grade), meat fatty acid composition, meat quality (marbling score, pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, L*, a*, b* values, Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss), and taste panel test (flavor, taste, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptance) compared with feeding a corn-soy diet. However, meat color was paler (P &#60;0.05) for 50% FWM fed animals than a corn-soy diet fed animals. Meat color was the only limiting factor when FWM was fed to finishing pigs. In conclusion, aerobically processed and vacuum-dried food waste-broiler litter and bakery by-product mixture was similar to a corn-soy diet in feed value for finishing pigs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The current understanding of interactions between surfaces coated with polyelectrolytes is reviewed. Experimental data obtained with various surface force techniques are reported and compared with theoretical predictions. The majority of the studies concerned with interactions between polyelectrolyte-coated surfaces deal with polyelectrolytes adsorbed to oppositely charged surfaces, and this is also the main focus of this review. However, we also consider polyelectrolytes adsorbed to uncharged surfaces and to similarly charged surfaces, areas where theoretical predictions are available, but relevant experimental data are mostly lacking. We also devote sections to interactions between polyelectrolyte brush-layers and to interactions due to non-adsorbing polyelectrolytes. Here, a sufficient amount of both theoretical and experimental studies are reported to allow us to comment on the agreement between theory and experiments. A topic of particular interest is the presence of trapped non-equilibrium states that often is encountered in experiments, but difficult to treat theoretically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recent evidence suggested a protective role of dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intakes against several chronic diseases and, therefore, an increased human longevity. After a median follow-up of 8.5 years, we investigated the possible role of MUFA, PUFA, and other selected food groups in protecting against all-causes mortality in a population-based, prospective study, conducted in one of the eight centers of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA), Casamassima, Bari, Italy. Out of 704 elderly subjects (65–84 years), 278 nondemented persons agreed to participate at the first survey (1992–1993). During the follow-up, there were 91 deaths. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire evaluating macronutrient daily intakes were performed at the first survey. Higher MUFA intake was associated with an increase of survival (hazard ratio 0.81, 95% CI 0.66–0.99), a higher unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) to SFA ratio (hazard ratio 1.20, 95% CI 0.99–1.45) increased total mortality only marginally, while no effect about other selected food groups were found. In conclusion, in this prospective study on older nondemented subjects with a typical Mediterranean diet, a higher MUFA intake increased survival, while a higher UFA/SFA ratio increased total mortality, but only marginally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fatty acids in samples (n =74) of pork adipose tissue were measured with a Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectrometer and by gas chromatography. The measured absorption spectra provided information to estimate partial least squares regression models for fatty acid groups, the iodine value and several fatty acids. The iodine values were predicted with correlation coefficient R =0.996 and root mean square error of cross-validation RMSECV=0.658. The sum of the two marine fatty acids of main interest, C22:5n3+C22:6n3, were predicted with R =0.982 and RMSECV=0.062. The K nearest neighbours procedure successfully classified the samples in three classes, depending on their proportions of marine fatty acids. Application of fat and absorption measurements were rapid, requiring less than 5 min of labour per sample. The results reported in this paper demonstrate that FT-MIR measurements can serve as a rapid method to determine marine fatty acids in pork fat. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The hypothesis that dietary fat can influence glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity adversely or beneficially was tested in rats fed diets supplemented with variable amounts and types of fat. Two concentrations of fat (10% and 20% by weight) diets were prepared and given to male Wistar rats for 5 weeks. The animals supplemented with high fat (20%) diets showed significant increase in body and visceral fat weights as compared to rats fed low fat (10%) diets. Only the rats supplemented with a diet containing 20% butter oil showed impaired glucose tolerance and insulin insensitivity compared to normal rats. However, rats fed olive oil diets had relatively normal glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, although they increased body weight and visceral fats in parallel with rats fed butter oil diets. Fish oil conferred protection against obesity induced by olive oil or butter oil diets and also markedly reduced the impairment in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity induced by butter oil. In conclusion, these results suggest that diet therapy with fish oil or olive oil may be useful for treatment of patients with impaired glucose tolerance and/or type 2 diabetes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]