Technology Prospecting on Enzymes for the Pulp and Paper Industry

The use of enzymes in the pulp and paper industry was introduced in the 1986. However, their use has been relatively minor. This prospective study aims at enhancing the understanding of the most important advances regarding the use of enzymes in this industry and to identify the future trends of this technology. Information gathered from the Web of Science shows a growing number of papers published on this topic indicating an increased interest in this issue. A study on patents also displayed a high number documents related to this technology. Cellulase, xylanase, laccase and lipase are the most important enzymes that can be used in the pulp and paper processes. Furthermore, the key objectives of enzymes development have been in the bleaching boosting with xylanases and fiber modification with cellulases. The current and future trends on the development of enzymes are focused on increasing their thermostability and their alkalinity strength

Integrating Green Lean Six Sigma and Industry 4.0: A Conceptual Framework

This research aims to propose a framework to integrate Green Lean Six Sigma (GLSS) and Industry 4.0 to improve organizational sustainability. The integration of GLSS and Industry 4.0 is proposed based on theoretical facets of the individual approaches. A generic, conceptual framework of an integrated GLSS-Industry 4.0 approach is then proposed using the application of different tools and techniques of GLSS and Industry 4.0 at different stages of the realization of a project. Both approaches have common facets related to enablers and barriers, and the integrated application of tools and techniques of each approach supplements the common focus of both related to sustainability enhancement. The proposed, conceptual framework provides systematic guidelines from the project selection stage to the sustainment of the solution, with the enumerated application of different techniques and tools at each step of the framework. This research is the first of its kind to propose the integration of GLSS and Industry 4.0 under the umbrella of a unified approach, including a conceptual framework of this integrated GLSS-Industry 4.0 approac

The Effect of Exercise Intensity on Postprandial Blood Lipids in Physically-Inactive Men

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Long-term survival of patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with blinatumomab

Background: Blinatumomab is a CD19 BiTE (bispecific T-cell engager) immuno-oncology therapy that mediates the lysis of cells expressing CD19. Methods: A pooled analysis of long-term follow-up data from 2 phase 2 studies that evaluated blinatumomab in heavily pretreated adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative, relapsed/refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia was conducted. Results: A total of 259 patients were included in the analysis. The median overall survival (OS) among all patients, regardless of response, was 7.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.5-8.5 months); the median follow-up time for OS was 36.0 months (range, 0.3-60.8 months). The median relapse-free survival (RFS) among patients who achieved a complete remission (CR) or complete remission with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) in the first 2 cycles (n = 123) was 7.7 months (95% CI, 6.2-10.0 months); the median follow-up time for RFS was 35.0 months (range, 9.5-59.5 months). OS and RFS plateaued with 3-year rates of 17.7% and 23.4%, respectively. The cumulative incidence function of the time to relapse, with death not due to relapse considered a competing risk, for patients who achieved a CR/CRh within 2 cycles of treatment also plateaued with a 3-year relapse rate of 59.3%. For patients who achieved a CR/CRh with blinatumomab followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation while in continuous CR, the median OS was 18.1 months (95% CI, 10.3-30.0 months) with a 3-year survival rate of 37.2%. Conclusions: These data suggest that long-term survival is possible after blinatumomab therapy. Lay Summary: Immuno-oncology therapies such as blinatumomab activate the patient's own immune system to kill cancer cells. This study combined follow-up data from 2 blinatumomab-related clinical trials to evaluate long-term survival in patients with relapsed and/or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia at high risk for unfavorable outcomes. Among patients who achieved a deep response with blinatumomab, one-third lived 3 years or longer. These findings suggest that long-term survival is possible after treatment with blinatumomab

Ghosts of glaciers and the disjunct distribution of a threatened California moth (Euproserpinus euterpe)

The Kern Primrose Sphinx moth (Euproserpinus euterpe) is a threatened moth twice thought to have gone extinct. It was historically known only from a small basin in the southern Sierra Nevada of California, but a new putative population was recently discovered 115 km to the west. Analysis of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA suggest discontinuous genetic breaks between the Kern Primrose Sphinx, its closest relative the Phaeton Sphinx (Euproserpinus phaeton), and at least one additional species discovered during the course of this study. Geographic distance is well correlated with genetic distance within species, but not between species. Genetic discontinuities show the influence of past glacial events and suggest recent range expansions, though not always congruent with other phylogeographic studies from the region. Our phylogeographic results demonstrate that past glacial events, the altitudinal suppression of suitable habitat, and isolation may have been more important than population-level ecological factors such as differences in habitat (e.g. sand dunes, oak forest, montane grasslands) in promoting speciation. Effective conservation of the genetic diversity of the widespread Phaeton Sphinx and its two geographically restricted relatives requires genetic data at the population level because relatively few localized populations harbor most of the genetic variation

Bedload and Suspended Sediment of a Watershed Impacted by Dams

Sediment transport relates to suspended sediment and bedload. The suspended sediment plays the most important role on the land-ocen sediment flux. On the other hand, the bedload should be considered in order to assess the impacts of dams on sediment transport and sediment yield. Recent effects of dam construction have been widely reported. The sediment load has been reduced by more than 75% for major rives, such as Nilo, Orange, Volta, Indus, Ebro, Kizil Irmark, Colorado, and Rio Grande and more than 40% of its lux is trapped within large dams. In addition, the multiple trapping through sequential dams has impacted the sediment transfer from terrestrial to coastal zone, triggering the coastal erosion. In terms of sediment retention and transport, China stands out the most impacted country by dams, followed by United States, and continents such as Europe, Africa, and South America. Based on the foregoing, the impact of dams on sediment transport and yield of an important Brazilian watershed with multiple dams will be the focus of this chapter. Thus, a three years field sampling (2009-2011) was carried out to measure the sediment yield of Capibaribe Watershed, and also its contribution to coastal erosion. The ratio between QB and SSQ ranged from 0.12% to 27.3% with 76% of all values lower than 5%. Usually, the bedload transport rate of a river is about 5–25% of the suspended sediment transport. This ranging sheds light on the lack of bedload reaching the coastal zone and it is likely one of the reasons to yield coastal erosion. The low rates can be attributed to the presence of dams which have been admitted to have a strong effect on sediment transport. The sediment yield was equal to 3.69, 4.36, and 6.7 t km-2 ano-1 in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. In comparison with bedload yield, the suspended sediment yield was higher than 95% for all studied years. Therefore, the limited bedload supply – mainly responsible for construction of coastal landform – is likely contributing to the coastal erosion along part of the northeast region, Brazil. The multiple dams along the Capibaribe River watershed produce a deficit in sediment flux to coastal zone of Pernambuco State, Brazil, which relies on the low ratios between bedload and suspended sediment. As a result, it generates energy to coastal erosion of the Brazilian northeast

Development and characterizations of Ag nanoparticles decorated TiO2-ZrO2 coatings as electrode material for supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are considered as newly developed auxiliary and clean supplies of power and energy for the next generation energy storage devices with significant impact in many fields. In the present investigation, Ag nanoparticles decorated over TiO 2-ZrO 2 films are used as the material for energy storage applications. The cyclic voltagramms of the proposed material show better specific capacitance values and robust cyclic stability. The results of the electrochemical measurements further show a strong double-layer electrical capacitance of ternary mixed oxides. The synergetic interaction among the components in the hierarchical nanostructured porous Ag@TiO 2-ZrO 2 film guaranteed the good capacitive performance. The comparison between the TiO 2-ZrO 2 films and Ag decorated TiO 2-ZrO 2 films bring out the strong interconnection between the constitution and composition of both systems and their properties. These results underline the exceptional electrical double layer capacitive behavior that is seen in porous ternary composite films with better surface area. Furthermore, such a simple and low-cost layer by layer assembly method with self cleaning property can be used for the large-scale fabrication of diverse functional architectures for energy storage and conversions

Local proliferation dominates lesional macrophage accumulation in atherosclerosis

During the inflammatory response that drives atherogenesis, macrophages accumulate progressively in the expanding arterial wall1,2. The observation that circulating monocytes give rise to lesional macrophages3–9 has reinforced the concept that monocyte infiltration dictates macrophage build-up. Recent work indicates, however, that macrophages do not depend on monocytes in some inflammatory contexts10. We therefore revisited the mechanism of macrophage accumulation in atherosclerosis. We show that murine atherosclerotic lesions experience a surprisingly rapid, 4-week, cell turnover. Replenishment of macrophages in these experimental atheromata depends predominantly on local macrophage proliferation rather than monocyte influx. The microenvironment orchestrates macrophage proliferation via the involvement of scavenger receptor (SR)-A. Our study reveals macrophage proliferation as a key event in atherosclerosis and identifies macrophage self-renewal as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease

Blinatumomab for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Relapse after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) have a poor prognosis, and alternative therapies are needed for this patient population. Blinatumomab, a bispecific T cell engager immunotherapy, was evaluated in an open-label, single-arm, phase II study of adults with R/R Philadelphia chromosome-negative B cell precursor ALL and resulted in a rate of complete remission (CR) or CR with partial hematologic recovery of peripheral blood counts (CRh) of 43% within 2 treatment cycles. We conducted an exploratory analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of blinatumomab in 64 patients who had relapsed following alloHSCT before enrollment in the phase II study. Forty-five percent of the patients (29 of 64) achieved a CR/CRh within the first 2 cycles of treatment, 22 of whom had a minimal residual disease (MRD) response (including 19 with a complete MRD response). After 1 year and 3 years of follow-up, the median relapse-free survival was 7.4 months for patients who achieved CR/CRh in the first 2 cycles, and the median overall survival was 8.5 months; overall survival rate (Kaplan-Meier estimate) was 36% at 1 year and 18% at 3 years. Grade 3 and 4 adverse events were reported in 20 patients (31%) and 28 patients (44%), respectively, with grade 3 and 4 neurologic events in 8 and 2 patients, respectively, and grade 3 cytokine release syndrome in 2 patients. Eight patients had fatal adverse events, including 5 due to infections. Seven patients had grade 64 3 graft-versus-host disease during the study, none of which resulted in the discontinuation of blinatumomab or hospitalization. Our data suggest that blinatumomab is an effective salvage therapy in this patient population