Chromatographic determination of 12 dyes in meat products by HPLC-UV-DIODE array detection

The use of food dyes in meat is regulated by the current European and non-European legislation, due to several food safety concerns. A reliable method for the quali-quantitative determination of 12 food dyes (Amaranth, Ponceau 4R, Carmine, Ponceau SX, Ponceau 3R, Allura Red AC, Carmoisine, Erythrosine, Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III and Sudan IV) in meat products, by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to UV diode array detection is presented. The extraction was accomplished by using acetonitrile, methanol, water, and ammonia, 50:40:9:1 (v/v/v/v) as the solvent and ultrasonic bath. The chromatographic separation was obtained with a C18 RP column eluted by a gradient of acetate buffer/acetonitrile. Good analytical performances characterized this method (Table 1), in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy and ruggedness. Both method precision (CV% range: 6%-15%) and recovery percentages (range: 86%-105%) resulted in compliance with Decision 2002/657/EC, and the expanded measurement uncertainties, estimated by a bottom-up approach, were in the range 6%-20%. All these results demonstrated that the procedure can be applied successfully for confirmation analyses of commercial meat products. •12 food dyes were determined in meat by new HPLC/UV-DAD method.•The analytical method was fully validated for accurate confirmation analyses.•Method accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity and ruggedness resulted satisfactory

Thyroid disease treatment prediction with machine learning approaches

The thyroid is an endocrine gland located in the anterior region of the neck: its main task is to produce thyroid hormones, which are functional to our entire body. Its possible dysfunction can lead to the production of an insufficient or excessive amount of thyroid hormone. Therefore, the thyroid can become inflamed or swollen due to one or more swellings forming inside it. Some of these nodules can be the site of malignant tumors. One of the most used treatments is sodium levothyroxine, also known as LT4, a synthetic thyroid hormone used in the treatment of thyroid disorders and diseases. Predictions about the treatment can be important for supporting endocrinologists' activities and improve the quality of the patients' life. To date, there are numerous studies in the literature that focus on the prediction of thyroid diseases on the trend of the hormonal parameters of people. This work, differently, aims to predict the LT4 treatment trend for patients suffering from hypothyroidism. To this end, a dedicated dataset was built that includes medical information related to patients being treated in the”AOU Federico II” hospital of Naples. For each patient, the clinical history is available over time, and therefore on the basis of the trend of the hormonal parameters and other attributes considered it was possible to predict the course of each patient's treatment in order to understand if this should be increased or decreased. To conduct this study, we used different machine learning algorithms. In particular, we compared the results of 10 different classifiers. The performances of the different algorithms show good results, especially in the case of the Extra-Tree Classifier, where the accuracy reaches 84%

Education-job (mis)match and interregional migration:Italian university graduates’ transition to work

This paper analyses the micro-level determinants of the education-job (mis)matches of recent university graduates in Italy. As the Italian graduate population has experienced increasing internal migration, we focus in particular on the role of interregional migration in driving education-job match. The methodology takes into account both the endogenous relationship between migration and employment, and the self-selection bias between employment and education-job (mis)match. Using a survey on Italian graduates’ entry into the labour market, we find that whilst migration at the national level is confirmed to have a positive role in both finding a job and decreasing the probability of overeducation, robust differences emerge when looking at the subnational dimension. Indeed, the Northern regions by receiving inflows of Southern graduates that manage to attain a good education-job match in the recipient labour markets, are apparently reaping part of the return to the investment in university education bore in the Sout

Pain shared, pain halved? Cooperation as a coping strategy for innovation barriers

The paper analyses the relationship between the perception of barriers to innovation and the firm’s propensity to cooperate to mitigate their effect. First, we look at whether cooperation with research organizations or private firms is associated with experiencing different types of barriers, for example, financial constraints, lack of human capital or uncertain market demand. Second, we test whether experiencing several types of barriers simultaneously has a super-modular effect on the propensity to cooperate tout court, and the choice of cooperation partner. We find that having to face a single, specific constraint leads to firms ‘sharing the pain’ with cooperation partners—both research organization and other firms. However, the results of a super-modularity test show that having to cope with different barriers is a deterrent to establishing cooperation agreements, especially when firms lack finance, adequate skills and information on technology or markets. The paper adds to the innovation literature by identifying the factors associated with firms’ coping with different barriers by applying a selective cooperation strategy

Knowledge Base, Exporting Activities, Innovation Openness and Innovation Performance: A SEM Approach Towards a Unifying Framework

In this paper we demonstrate the complexity that regulates the innovation-exports nexus. In particular we argue that innovation and exports should be treated as latent variables in order to account for as many facets possible thus, accounting for multifaceted heterogeneity. In this context, the role of innovation openness ought to be highlighted within a unified framework, as it is considered an additional activity of firms' knowledge creation strategy. In this line, innovation and exporting orientation are ruled by the firms' strategic mix comprised of internal knowledge creation processes and the diversity of innovation openness. Theoretical and empirical links between these major components are identified and measured employing a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach on a sample of Greek R&D-active manufacturing firms. Empirical findings corroborate the complexity of relationships and indicate that the firms' knowledge base and open innovation strategy regulate via complementary and substitution relationships firms' innovation and export performance

Regional development gaps in Argentina: A multidimensional approach to identify the location of policy priorities

Spatial inequalities within Latin American countries have historically attracted the interest ofacademics, policy-makers, and international agencies. This article aims to provide amultidimensional diagnosis of provincial development gaps in Argentina, in order to identifythe location of policy priorities. Therefore, we built a large database, which covers sevendevelopment dimensions, and applied multivariate analysis techniques to overcome someanalytical limitations of previous studies. Results show the stability of provincial developmentgaps between 2003 and 2013 and some heterogeneity within geographic regions. Instead,cluster analysis offers a better classification of Argentine provinces according to theirdevelopment gaps, which can help the government to prioritize the places wheredevelopment policies are strategic.Fil: Niembro, Andrés Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Sarmiento, Jesica Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro; Argentin

Engaging Small and Medium Enterprises in Production Networks: Firm-Level Analysis of Five ASEAN Economies

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are under scrutiny for their engagement in production networks following recent emphasis on increasing intra-regional trade, rebalancing, and inclusive growth in Asia. Using a data set covering 5,900 firms in five ASEAN economies at different stages of development, this paper analyses the participation of SMEs in production networks, determinants, and policy implications. It finds that although large firms dominate production network engagement in ASEAN economies, there are signs that SMEs have modestly increased their participation since the late-1990s. This is linked to firm-specific factors (e.g., firm size, foreign ownership, skills, technological capabilities, and access to credit) as well as a supportive business environment. Tackling residual supply-side and policy constraints can further the participation of ASEAN SMEs in production networks

Risk of cancer-specific, cardiovascular, and all-cause mortality among Asian and Pacific Islander breast cancer survivors in the United States, 1991–2011

Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women in the United States (U.S.) are a heterogeneous group reported to have better prognosis after breast cancer (BC) compared to their Non-Hispanic White (NHW) counterparts. Few studies have examined differences in BC survival between individual API ethnic groups. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 462,005 NHW and 44,531 API women diagnosed with incident, stage I–III BC between 1991 and 2011 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 18 registries. SEER-reported API ethnicity was grouped as Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian and Pakistani, and Pacific Islander. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for risk of BC-specific, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality comparing API to NHW women. We also estimated mortality risk comparing U.S.-born to non-U.S.-born women. Compared to NHW women, API women overall had lower BC-specific, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. BC-specific mortality risk was lowest among Japanese women (HR 0.69, 95 % CI 0.63–0.77). Other women had similar (Filipino, HR 0.93, 0.86–1.00; Hawaiian, HR 1.01, 0.89–1.17) or greater (Pacific Islander, HR 1.44, 1.17–1.78) risk of BC-specific death. Compared to non-U.S. born API women, findings were suggestive of increased cardiovascular (HR 1.12, 1.03–1.20) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.29, 1.08–1.54) among U.S.-born API women. Mortality risk varies greatly between BC survivors from different API backgrounds. Further research is warranted to understand these disparities in BC survivorship and the social and cultural factors that possibly contribute to greater mortality among later-generation API women born in the United States