EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF); Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 204 (FGE.204): Consideration of genotoxicity data on representatives for 18 mono-unsaturated, aliphatic, α,β-unsaturated ketones and precursors from chemical subgroup 1.2.1 of FGE.19 by EFSA

The Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids of the European Food Safety Authority was requested to evaluate the genotoxic potential of 18 flavouring substances from subgroup 1.2.1 of FGE.19 in the Flavouring Group Evaluation 204. The Flavour Industry provided additional genotoxicity studies for two representative substances, 4-methylpent-3-en-2-one [FL-no: 07.101] and 7-methyl-3-octenone-2 [FL-no: 07.177], which were evaluated in this FGE.204. Based on these new data, the Panel concluded that the flavouring substance [FL-no: 07.101] does not present a safety concern with respect to genotoxicity and accordingly it can be evaluated using the Procedure. On the contrary, the Panel could not conclude on the in vivo genotoxicity of [FL-no: 07.177] and more appropriate in vivo genotoxicity tests, considering also first site of contact, should be performed. In addition, the substance 4-methyl-3-hepten-5-one [FL-no: 07.261] was now identified as a substance for which no representative substances could be identified in the present FGE, resulting in a need for additional data on the genotoxic potential of this flavouring substance. However, the Panel noted that the 2-methyl substituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in FGE.201Rev1 can be considered as structurally related to [FL-no: 07.261]. Thus, the final conclusion on [FL-no: 07.261] will be drawn based on the outcome of the evaluation of FGE.201Rev1

Using multiple classifiers for predicting the risk of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair re-intervention through hybrid feature selection.

Feature selection is essential in medical area; however, its process becomes complicated with the presence of censoring which is the unique character of survival analysis. Most survival feature selection methods are based on Cox's proportional hazard model, though machine learning classifiers are preferred. They are less employed in survival analysis due to censoring which prevents them from directly being used to survival data. Among the few work that employed machine learning classifiers, partial logistic artificial neural network with auto-relevance determination is a well-known method that deals with censoring and perform feature selection for survival data. However, it depends on data replication to handle censoring which leads to unbalanced and biased prediction results especially in highly censored data. Other methods cannot deal with high censoring. Therefore, in this article, a new hybrid feature selection method is proposed which presents a solution to high level censoring. It combines support vector machine, neural network, and K-nearest neighbor classifiers using simple majority voting and a new weighted majority voting method based on survival metric to construct a multiple classifier system. The new hybrid feature selection process uses multiple classifier system as a wrapper method and merges it with iterated feature ranking filter method to further reduce features. Two endovascular aortic repair datasets containing 91% censored patients collected from two centers were used to construct a multicenter study to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. The results showed the proposed technique outperformed individual classifiers and variable selection methods based on Cox's model such as Akaike and Bayesian information criterions and least absolute shrinkage and selector operator in p values of the log-rank test, sensitivity, and concordance index. This indicates that the proposed classifier is more powerful in correctly predicting the risk of re-intervention enabling doctor in selecting patients' future follow-up plan

South African National Land-Cover Change Map

Globally, countries face a changing environment due to population growth, increase in agricultural production, increasing demand on natural resources, climate change and resultant degradation of the natural environment. One means of monitoring this changing scenario is through land-cover change mapping. Modern Earth Observation (EO) technologies, especially those EO datasets comprising a multi-year data archive, lend themselves to land-cover change studies. This project used a practical and cost-effective approach for monitoring land-cover change at a national scale over time using EO data. The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent of transformed landscape change within South Africa over a 10-year period between 1994 and 2005. The project used three generalised land-cover datasets (for 1994, 2000 and 2005) and quantified the change between these assessment years. The land-cover change was based on five classes: Urban, Mining, Forestry, Cultivation and Other. The standardised five class land-cover datasets representing the three assessment years were compared within a uniform national grid, based on 500 m x 500 m cells. The land-cover allocated to each cell in each year represented the spatially dominant land-cover within that cell, as  determined from the original land-cover datasets. Various spatial modelling procedures were used to ensure compilation of comparable and standardised land-cover class allocations to each cell for each year, prior to any year-on-year change analyses. The results indicate that at a national level there has been a total increase of 1.2% in transformed land  specifically associated with Urban, Cultivation, Plantation Forestry and Mining. This represents an increase from 14.5% transformed land in 1994 to 15.7% in 2005 across South Africa

Exploring BAFF: its expression, receptors and contribution to the immunopathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome

SS is an autoimmune condition characterized by exocrine gland destruction, autoantibody production, immune complex deposition and systemic complications associated with lymphocytic infiltration of many organs. Genetic, environmental and viral factors play a role in disease aetiology, however, the exact mechanisms driving the immunopathogenesis of SS remain uncertain. Here we discuss a role for B cell activating factor (BAFF), whereby B cell hyperactivity and increased BAFF secretion observed in patients and animal models of the disease can be explained by the altered expression of cell-specific BAFF/BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) variants in several immune cell types. Understanding the role of BAFF/BAFF-R heterogeneity in SS pathogenesis could help to facilitate new treatment strategies for patients

The UK needs an open data portal dedicated to coastal flood and erosion hazard risk and resilience

In the UK, coastal flooding and erosion are two of the primary climate-related hazards to communities, businesses, and infrastructure. To better address the ramifications of those hazards, now and into the future, the UK needs to transform its scattered, fragmented coastal data resources into a systematic, integrated portal for quality-assured, publicly accessible open data. Such a portal would support analyses of coastal risk and resilience by hosting, in addition to data layers for coastal flooding and erosion, a diverse array of spatial datasets for building footprints, infrastructure networks, land use, population, and various socio-economic measures and indicators derived from survey and census data. The portal would facilitate novel combinations of spatial data layers to yield scientifically, societally, and economically beneficial insights into UK coastal systems

Integrated multi-modality image-guided navigation for neurosurgery: open-source software platform using state-of-the-art clinical hardware.

PURPOSE: Image-guided surgery (IGS) is an integral part of modern neuro-oncology surgery. Navigated ultrasound provides the surgeon with reconstructed views of ultrasound data, but no commercial system presently permits its integration with other essential non-imaging-based intraoperative monitoring modalities such as intraoperative neuromonitoring. Such a system would be particularly useful in skull base neurosurgery. METHODS: We established functional and technical requirements of an integrated multi-modality IGS system tailored for skull base surgery with the ability to incorporate: (1) preoperative MRI data and associated 3D volume reconstructions, (2) real-time intraoperative neurophysiological data and (3) live reconstructed 3D ultrasound. We created an open-source software platform to integrate with readily available commercial hardware. We tested the accuracy of the system's ultrasound navigation and reconstruction using a polyvinyl alcohol phantom model and simulated the use of the complete navigation system in a clinical operating room using a patient-specific phantom model. RESULTS: Experimental validation of the system's navigated ultrasound component demonstrated accuracy of [Formula: see text] and a frame rate of 25 frames per second. Clinical simulation confirmed that system assembly was straightforward, could be achieved in a clinically acceptable time of [Formula: see text] and performed with a clinically acceptable level of accuracy. CONCLUSION: We present an integrated open-source research platform for multi-modality IGS. The present prototype system was tailored for neurosurgery and met all minimum design requirements focused on skull base surgery. Future work aims to optimise the system further by addressing the remaining target requirements

Appetite, gut hormone and energy intake responses to low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance exercise.

Sprint interval exercise improves several health markers but the appetite and energy balance response is unknown. This study compared the effects of sprint interval and endurance exercise on appetite, energy intake and gut hormone responses. Twelve healthy males [mean (SD): age 23 (3) years, body mass index 24.2 (2.9) kg m(-2), maximum oxygen uptake 46.3 (10.2) mL kg(-1) min(-1)] completed three 8 h trials [control (CON), endurance exercise (END), sprint interval exercise (SIE)] separated by 1 week. Trials commenced upon completion of a standardised breakfast. Sixty minutes of cycling at 68.1 (4.3) % of maximum oxygen uptake was performed from 1.75-2.75 h in END. Six 30-s Wingate tests were performed from 2.25-2.75 h in SIE. Appetite ratings, acylated ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY) concentrations were measured throughout each trial. Food intake was monitored from buffet meals at 3.5 and 7 h and an overnight food bag. Appetite (P 0.05). Therefore, relative energy intake (energy intake minus the net energy expenditure of exercise) was lower in END than that in CON (15.7 %; P = 0.006) and SIE (11.5 %; P = 0.082). An acute bout of endurance exercise resulted in lower appetite perceptions in the hours after exercise than sprint interval exercise and induced a greater 24 h energy deficit due to higher energy expenditure during exercise

Is early center-based child care associated with tantrums and unmanageable behavior over time up to school entry?

Background. Existing research suggests that there is a relationship between greater exposure to center-based child care and child behavioral problems though the mechanism for the impact is unclear. However the measure used to document child care has usually been average hours, which may be particularly unreliable in the early months when fewer children are in center care. In addition individual trajectories for behavior difficulties have not been studied. Objective. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the extent of exposure to center-based child care before two years predicted the trajectory of children’s difficult behavior (i.e., tantrums and unmanageable behavior) from 30 to 51 months controlling for child and maternal characteristics. Method. Data were drawn from UK-based Families, Children and Child Care (FCCC) study (n=1201). Individual growth models were fitted to test the relation between early center-based child care experiences and subsequent difficult behavior. Results. Children with more exposure to center-based care before two had less difficult behavior at 30 months, but more increase over time. Initial levels were predicted by higher difficult temperament and lower verbal ability. Higher difficult temperament and lower family socio-economic status predicted its change over time. Conclusion. Findings suggest that early exposure to center-based care before two years old is a risk factor for subsequent behavior problems especially when children have a longer period of exposure. A possible explanatory process is that child coping strategies to manage frustration are less well developed in a group context, especially when they lag behind in expressive language

EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF); Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 9, Revision 4 (FGE.09Rev4): Secondary alicyclic saturated and unsaturated alcohols, ketones and esters containing secondary alicyclic alcohols from chemical group 8 and 30, and an ester of a phenol derivative from chemical group 25

<p>The Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids of the European Food Safety Authority was requested to evaluate 21 flavouring substances in the Flavouring Group Evaluation 9, Revision 4, using the Procedure in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present revision of FGE.09 includes the assessment of four additional flavouring substances, p-menthan-3-one [FL-no: 07.059], 2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one [FL-no: 07.202], l-piperitone [FL-no: 07.255] and menthol 1-and 2-propylene glycol carbonate [FL-no: 09.843]. None of the substances were considered to have genotoxic potential. The substances were evaluated through a stepwise approach (the Procedure) that integrates information on structure-activity relationships, intake from current uses, toxicological threshold of concern, and available data on metabolism and toxicity. The Panel concluded that the 20 substances [FL-no: 02.070, 02.075, 02.135, 02.167, 06.136, 07.059, 07.202, 07.203, 07.255, 09.154, 09.355, 09.520, 09.618, 09.619, 09.621, 09.843, 09.870, 09.929, 09.935 and 09.949] do not give rise to safety concerns at their levels of dietary intake, estimated on the basis of the MSDI approach. For the remaining candidate substance [FL-no: 07.207], additional toxicity data are requested (further metabolism and/or toxicity studies). Besides the safety assessment of these flavouring substances, the specifications for the materials of commerce have been considered. Specifications including complete purity criteria and identity for the materials of commerce have been provided for all candidate substances.</p&gt