Magnetic losses in Si-Fe alloys for avionic applications

This paper presents an experimental analysis of the rotational power losses of the magnetic materials of transformers, motors and actuators used in avionic environment. A large frequency range is investigated using a suitable experimental test frame developed to measure the power losses for a circular magnetization. The results about different silicon iron alloys with different textures and thickness are considered and compared

Programación maestra de la producción de una planta de alimentos para mascotas mediante una metodología de optimización basada en horizonte rodante

This work addresses the Master Production Scheduling problem (MPS) of a pet food manufacturing plant. The production process comprises several stages, starting with the dosing of raw materials and ending with the packaging and storage of the final product. The plant has a fixed number of production lines, being the critical equipment the extruders and packaging machines available. Given a medium-term horizon (3 to 5 months) disaggregated into weeks, for each line the production volumes per product, which are associated to different families, must be defined. A mixed-integer linear mathematical model (MILP), considering the main constraints of the problem, combined with a Rolling Horizon algorithm to solve the complete horizon has been developed. The proposed methodology has been applied to the MPS problem of a large-scale industrial facility that produces hundreds of products and families. Based on the problem’s dimensions, a parameter analysis of the algorithm has been performed to find the best balance between time and solution quality. As a result, by applying the proposed methodology considerable improvements were obtained regarding key indicators such as minimum batch size per family, compliance with the stock policy, and solution times compared with the current method.Este trabajo aborda la Programación Maestra de la Producción (PMP) de una planta de elaboración de alimentos para mascotas. El proceso de fabricación consiste en varias etapas, comenzando con la dosificación de las materias primas y finalizando con el envasado y almacenamiento del producto final. La planta cuenta con un número fijo de líneas de producción, siendo el equipamiento crítico las extrusoras y envasadoras disponibles. Dado un horizonte de mediano plazo (3 a 5 meses) desagregado en semanas, para cada línea se desea definir los volúmenes de producción por producto, los cuales se encuentran asociados a diferentes familias. Se desarrolló un modelo matemático mixto-entero lineal (MILP), considerando las principales restricciones del problema, combinado con un algoritmo de Horizonte Rodante para la resolución del horizonte completo. La metodología propuesta fue aplicada al problema de PMP de una instalación industrial de gran escala, que elabora cientos de productos y familias. En base a las dimensiones del problema, se realizó un análisis de parámetros del algoritmo para encontrar el mejor balance entre tiempo y calidad de la solución. Como resultado, al aplicar la metodología propuesta se obtuvieron mejoras considerables en cuanto a indicadores clave como lote mínimo por familia, cumplimiento de la política de stock y tiempos de resolución en comparación con el método vigente.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Immunological status of bladder cancer patients based on urine leukocyte composition at radical cystectomy

Altres ajuts: Roche donationBackground: Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most common malignancy worldwide, with high rates of recurrence. The use of urine leukocyte composition at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) as a marker for the study of patients' immunological status and to predict the recurrence of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has received little attention. Methods: Urine and matched peripheral blood samples were collected from 24 MIBC patients at the time of RC. Leukocyte composition and expression of PD-L1 and PD-1 in each subpopulation were determined by flow cytometry. Results: All MIBC patients had leukocytes in urine. There were different proportions of leukocyte subpopulations. The expression of PD-L1 and PD-1 on each subpopulation differed between patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), smoking status, and the affectation of lymph nodes influenced urine composition. We observed a link between leukocytes in urine and blood circulation. Recurrent patients without NAC and with no affectation of lymph nodes had a higher proportion of lymphocytes, macrophages, and PD-L1+ neutrophils in urine than non-recurrent patients. Conclusions: Urine leukocyte composition may be a useful tool for analyzing the immunological status of MIBC patients. Urine cellular composition allowed us to identify a new subgroup of LN− patients with a higher risk of recurrence

Optimización de la programación maestra de la producción de una planta de alimentos para mascotas mediante una metodología basada en horizonte rodante

Este trabajo aborda la Programación Maestra de la Producción (PMP) de una planta de elaboración de alimentos para mascotas. El proceso de fabricación consiste en varias etapas, comenzando con la dosificación de las materias primas y finalizando con el envasado y almacenamiento del producto final. La planta cuenta con un número fijo de líneas de producción, siendo el equipamiento crítico las extrusoras y envasadoras disponibles. Considerando un horizonte de mediano plazo (3 a 5 meses) desagregado en semanas, para cada línea se desea definir los volúmenes de producción por producto, los cuales se encuentran asociados a diferentes familias. Se desarrolló un modelo matemático mixto-entero lineal (MILP) considerando las principales restricciones del problema, combinado con un algoritmo de Horizonte Rodante para la resolución del horizonte completo. La metodología propuesta fue aplicada al problema de PMP de una instalación industrial de gran escala, que elabora cientos de productos y familias. En base a las dimensiones del problema, se realizó un análisis de parámetros del algoritmo para encontrar el mejor balance entre tiempo y calidad de la solución. Como resultado, al aplicar la metodología se obtuvieron mejoras considerables en cuanto a indicadores clave como lote mínimo por familia, cumplimiento de la política de stock y tiempos de resolución en comparación con el método vigente.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Structure of a cereal purple acid phytase provides new insights to phytate degradation in plants

Grain phytate, a mixed metal ion salt of inositol hexakisphosphate, accounts for 60%–80% of stored phosphorus in plants and is a potent antinutrient of non-ruminant animals including humans. Through neofunctionalization of purple acid phytases (PAPhy), some cereals such as wheat and rye have acquired particularly high mature grain phytase activity. As PAPhy activity supplies phosphate, liberates metal ions necessary for seedling emergence, and obviates antinutrient effects of phytate, its manipulation and control are targeted crop traits. Here we show the X-ray crystal structure of the b2 isoform of wheat PAPhy induced during germination. This high-resolution crystal structure suggests a model for phytate recognition that, validated by molecular dynamics simulations, implicates elements of two sequence inserts (termed PAPhy motifs) relative to a canonical metallophosphoesterase (MPE) domain in forming phytate-specific substrate specificity pockets. These motifs are well conserved in PAPhys from monocot cereals, enzymes which are characterized by high specificity for phytate. Tested by mutagenesis, residues His229 in PAPhy motif 4 and Lys410 in the MPE domain, both conserved in PAPhys, are found to strongly influence phytase activity. These results explain the observed phytase activity of cereal PAPhys and open the way to the rational engineering of phytase activity in planta

Active surveillance in renal transplant patients with prostate cancer: a multicentre analysis

Introduction: Due to medical improvements leading to increased life expectancy after renal transplantation and widened eligibility criteria allowing older patients to be transplanted, incidence of (low-risk) prostate cancer (PCa) is increasing among renal transplant recipients (RTR). It remains to be established whether active surveillance (AS) for PCa represents a safe treatment option in this setting. Therefore, we aim to compare AS discontinuation and oncological outcomes of AS for PCa of RTR vs. non-transplant patients. Methods: Multicentre study including RTR diagnosed with PCa between 2008 and 2018 in whom AS was initiated. A subgroup of non-RTR from the St. Antonius hospital AS cohort was used as a control group. Comparison of RTR vs. non-RTR was performed by 2:1 propensity score matched survival analysis. Outcome measures included tumour progression-free survival, treatment-free survival, metastasis rates, biochemical recurrence rates and overall survival. Patients were matched based on age, year of diagnosis, PSA, biopsy ISUP grade group, relative number of positive biopsy cores and clinical stage. Results: A total of 628 patients under AS were evaluated, including 17 RTRs and 611 non-RTRs. A total of 13 RTR cases were matched with 24 non-RTR cases. Median overall follow-up for the RTR and non-RTR matched cases was, respectively, 5.1 (IQR 3.2–8.7) years and 5.7 (IQR 4.8–8.1) years. There were no events of metastasis and biochemical recurrence among matched cases. The matched-pair analysis results in a 1-year and 5-year survival of the RTR and non-RTR patients were, respectively, 100 vs. 92%, and 39 vs. 76% for tumour progression, 100 vs. 91% and 59 vs. 76% for treatment-free survival and, respectively, 100 vs. 100% and 88 vs. 100% for overall survival. No significant differences in tumour progression-free survival (p = 0.07) and treatment-free survival were observed (p = 0.3). However, there was a significant difference in overall survival comparing both groups (p = 0.046). Conclusions: AS may be carefully considered in RTR with low-risk PCa. In our preliminary analysis, no major differences were present in AS outcomes between RTR and non-RTR. Overall mortality was significantly higher in the RTR subgroup

Crystal structure and enzymology of Solanum tuberosum inositol tris/tetrakisphosphate kinase 1 (StITPK1)

Inositol phosphates and their pyrophosphorylated derivatives are responsive to the phosphate supply and are agents of phosphate homeostasis and other aspects of physiology. It seems likely that the enzymes that interconvert these signals work against the prevailing milieu of mixed populations of competing substrates and products. The synthesis of inositol pyrophosphates is mediated in plants by two classes of ATP-grasp fold kinase: PPIP5 kinases, known as VIH, and members of the inositol tris/tetrakisphosphate kinase (ITPK) family, specifically ITPK1/2. A molecular explanation of the contribution of ITPK1/2 to inositol pyrophosphate synthesis and turnover in plants is incomplete: the absence of nucleotide in published crystal structures limits the explanation of phosphotransfer reactions, and little is known of the affinity of potential substrates and competitors for ITPK1. Herein, we describe a complex of ADP and StITPK1 at 2.26 Å resolution and use a simple fluorescence polarization approach to compare the affinity of binding of diverse inositol phosphates, inositol pyrophosphates, and analogues. By simple HPLC, we reveal the novel catalytic capability of ITPK1 for different inositol pyrophosphates and show Ins(3,4,5,6)P4 to be a potent inhibitor of the inositol pyrophosphate-synthesizing activity of ITPK1. We further describe the exquisite specificity of ITPK1 for the myo-isomer among naturally occurring inositol hexakisphosphates