Lightfastness assessment of Levantine rock art by means of microfading spectrometry

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: del Hoyo-Meléndez JM, Carrión-Ruiz B, Riutort-Mayol G, Lerma JL. Lightfastness assessment of Levantine rock art by means of microfading spectrometry. Color Res Appl. 2019;44:547 555, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22372. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] The documentation of archeological sites requires the adoption of non-destructive techniques to safeguard the unique legacy coming from prehistoric periods. This article tackles the assessment of lightfastness properties on a rock art site to deter- mine the behavior of motif's color deterioration over time in Remi¿gia Cave, Castello¿n (Spain), which is considered part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The measurements were performed using a microfade testing device to analyze the spectral characteristics and the aging properties of the colorant system and various substrates on site. Two scenarios have been identified depending on whether the lightness (L*) parameter of the rocky substrate changes or not in relation with the painted motifs. If the substrate remains stable without any change, red motifs con- taining iron oxide pigments will become more visible. If the substrate becomes lighter, the pigments will experience similar changes. Therefore, the contrast between paintings and support will be considerably enhanced.The authors also would like to thank the Generalitat Valenciana for providing access to the site during the measurement campaigns. Fruitful comments from the Spanish archeologists Prof. Valentín Villaverde and Dra. Esther López-Montalvo are also gratefully acknowledged. 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Predictability of boreal forest soil bearing capacity by machine learning

In forest harvesting, terrain trafficability is the key parameter needed for route planning. Advance knowledge of the soil bearing capacity is crucial for heavy machinery operations. Especially peatland areas can cause severe problems for harvesting operations and can result in increased costs. In addition to avoiding potential damage to the soil, route planning must also take into consideration the root damage to the remaining trees. In this paper we study the predictability of boreal soil load bearing capacity by using remote sensing data and field measurement data. We conduct our research by using both linear and nonlinear methods of machine learning. With the best prediction method, ridge regression, the results are promising with a C-index value higher than 0.68 up to 200 m prediction range from the closest point with known bearing capacity, the baseline value being 0.5. The load bearing classification of the soil resulted in 76% accuracy up to 60 m by using a multilayer perceptron method. The results indicate that there is a potential for production applications and that there is a great need for automatic real-time sensoring in order to produce applicable predictions. (C) 2016 ISTVS. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Construction of Chimeric Dual-Chain Avidin by Tandem Fusion of the Related Avidins

BACKGROUND: Avidin is a chicken egg-white protein with high affinity to vitamin H, also known as D-biotin. Many applications in life science research are based on this strong interaction. Avidin is a homotetrameric protein, which promotes its modification to symmetrical entities. Dual-chain avidin, a genetically engineered avidin form, has two circularly permuted chicken avidin monomers that are tandem-fused into one polypeptide chain. This form of avidin enables independent modification of the two domains, including the two biotin-binding pockets; however, decreased yields in protein production, compared to wt avidin, and complicated genetic manipulation of two highly similar DNA sequences in the tandem gene have limited the use of dual-chain avidin in biotechnological applications. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To overcome challenges associated with the original dual-chain avidin, we developed chimeric dual-chain avidin, which is a tandem fusion of avidin and avidin-related protein 4 (AVR4), another member of the chicken avidin gene family. We observed an increase in protein production and better thermal stability, compared with the original dual-chain avidin. Additionally, PCR amplification of the hybrid gene was more efficient, thus enabling more convenient and straightforward modification of the dual-chain avidin. When studied closer, the generated chimeric dual-chain avidin showed biphasic biotin dissociation. SIGNIFICANCE: The improved dual-chain avidin introduced here increases its potential for future applications. This molecule offers a valuable base for developing bi-functional avidin tools for bioseparation, carrier proteins, and nanoscale adapters. Additionally, this strategy could be helpful when generating hetero-oligomers from other oligomeric proteins with high structural similarity

Work-related upper extremity disorders: one-year follow-up in an occupational diseases registry

To study the course and consequences of work-related upper extremity disorders in the registry of the Netherlands Centre for Occupational Diseases (NCvB). A follow-up study was performed in a sample of consecutive cases of work-related upper extremity disorders notified to the NCvB. Perceived severity was measured with VAS (0-100), quality of life with VAS (0-100) and SF-36, functional impairment with DASH and sickness absence with a questionnaire. Measurements took place directly after notification (T0) and after 3, 6 and 12 months (T1-T3). A linear mixed model was used to compare scores over time. Average age of the 48 consecutive patients (89% response) was 42 years; 48% were men. Perceived severity, functional impairment and sickness absence decreased statistically significant during the follow-up period, and quality of life scores improved. Patients older than 45 years scored worse on perceived severity of the disease, functional impairment and quality of life than did younger patients. The role of registries of occupational diseases for preventive policy can be extended by creating longitudinal data in sample projects. In the sample from our registry, work-related upper extremity disorders had a favourable cours

Weight Loss and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review

Background Excess adiposity is a risk factor for poorer cancer survival, but there is uncertainty over whether losing weight reduces the risk. We conducted a critical review of the literature examining weight loss and mortality in overweight or obese cancer survivors. Methods We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE for articles reporting associations between weight loss and mortality (cancer-specific or all-cause) in overweight/obese patients with obesity-related cancers. Where available, data from the same studies on non-overweight patients were compared. Results Five articles describing observational studies in breast cancer survivors were included. Four studies reported a positive association between weight loss and mortality in overweight/obese survivors, and the remaining study observed no significant association. Results were similar for non-overweight survivors. Quality assessment indicated high risk of bias across studies. Conclusions There is currently a lack of observational evidence that weight loss improves survival for overweight and obese cancer survivors. However, the potential for bias in these studies is considerable and the results likely reflect the consequences of disease-related rather than intentional weight loss. There is a need for stronger study designs, incorporating measures of intentionality of weight loss, and extended to other cancers