Fractionation of the rice bran layer and quantification of vitamin E, oryzanol, protein, and rice bran saccharide

Value-added processing with respect to rice milling has traditionally treated the rice bran layer as a homogenous material that contains significant concentrations of high-value components of interest for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Investigators have shown that high-value components in the rice bran layer vary from differences in kernel-thickness, bran fraction, rice variety, and environmental conditions during the growing season. The objectives of this study were to quantify the amount of rice bran removed at pre-selected milling times and to correlate the amount of rice bran removed at each milling time with the concentration of vitamin E, gamma-oryzanol, rice bran saccharide, and protein obtained. The ultimate goal of this research is to show that rice bran fractionation is a useful method to obtain targeted, nutrient-rich bran samples for value-added processing. Two long grain rice cultivars, Cheniere and Cypress, were milled at discrete times between 3 and 40 seconds using a McGill mill to obtain bran samples for analysis. Results showed that the highest oryzanol and protein concentrations were found in the outer portion of the rice bran layer, while the highest rice bran saccharide concentration was found in the inner portion of the bran layer. Vitamin E concentration showed no significant difference across the bran layer within a variety, though the highest magnitude of concentration occurs within the first 10 seconds of milling for both varieties. To extract the higher concentration of oryzanol and protein only the outer portion of the bran layer requires processing, while to extract the higher concentration of rice bran saccharide, only the inner portion of the bran layer requires processing. Rice bran fractionation allows for the selective use of portions of the bran layer and is advantageous for two reasons: (1) bran fractions contain higher concentrations of components of interest with respect to the overall bran layer average, and (2) less bran needs to be processed to obtain components of interest

Learning experience from teaching and learning methods in engineering education: instructors' viewpoint

Knowledge-based learning has been the emphasized pedagogy and balanced with skills-based learning in Engineering education for the last six decades. Students have learned and gained their experiences mainly from lectures, assignments, laboratory sessions, project works, and a final-year project or a dissertation. Besides pedagogy improvement, several teaching and learning methods such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, virtual classroom, etc., have been introduced and applied to offer a variety of learning activities to enhance graduates' competence. This paper presents an analysis of the learning experience that students gain from current teaching and learning methods instructors are using. A survey was conducted on both European and Thai instructors in Industrial Engineering departments and related fields on teaching and learning methods that they normally use and that are effective in their opinion. The survey results were analyzed and mapped on learning experience model called `LOVE' that classifies learning activities based on the nature of learning and student involvement to draw insight about experience students gain.- This work is the outcome of project "Curriculum Development of Master's Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0)" that has been funded with support from the European Commission (Project Number: 586137-EPP-1-2017-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Course design and development: Focus on student learning experience

Learning is not an outcome and, as a process, is more than just taking classes. It is a transformation journey a student walks through, and experiences picked up along the journey contribute gradually to student competence development. Competence, what companies are looking for from graduates, cannot be handed directly and will not be built unless the learning process is properly designed, developed and executed. This research work aims to present a process for course design and development, focused on embedding learning experience into a course. Bloom's Taxonomy is utilized for identifying learning outcomes. Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle is introduced for planning learning activities for ease of learning. Last, but not least, a recently developed LOVE model is applied for the selection of teaching and learning methods for offering a diversified learning experience. An existing project-based learning engineering postgraduate course on Product Design and Development is assessed to illustrate the proposed process for course design and development.This work is the outcome of project “Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0)” that has been funded with support from the European Commission (Project Number: 586137-EPP-1-2017-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope UIDCEC003192019

Roles of MSIE graduates to support Thailand sustainable smart industry

The way business run has changed in recent decades due to technology advancement, and it has become more explicit in many parts of the world that companies have been moving from stand-alone technology exploitation towards holistically integrated technology exploitation. Thailand's government has also foreseen the need for change from a production-based economy to a value-based economy and has encouraged the Thai industry to focus more on producing innovative products and services which require high potential and skilled knowledge workers. Consequently, their roles will never be the same. This paper presents findings on the expected roles of graduates with a Master degree in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) drawn from an industry survey on industry needs to attain Industry 4.0 conducted with companies based in Thailand and in three European countries participating in Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project on Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0). From the survey results, top-three technologies for being competitive and areas of applications to attain industry 4.0 in the companies' perspective were identified. Roles of MSIE graduates were determined for individual potential applications generated from identified technology-application relationships. According to the findings, the graduates are expected in general to play an important role in effective utilization of big data and real-time data for better decision making on various industrial practical problems as well as for better responsiveness to customers. The same procedure can be applied in other disciplines for identifying the roles of their graduates.This work is the outcome of project “Curriculum Development of Master’s Degree Program in Industrial Engineering for Thailand Sustainable Smart Industry (MSIE 4.0)” that has been funded with support from the European Commission (Project Number: 586137-EPP-1-2017-1-TH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Exact exchange-correlation potential of a ionic Hubbard model with a free surface

We use Lanczos exact diagonalization to compute the exact exchange-correlation (xc) potential of a Hubbard chain with large binding energy ("the bulk") followed by a chain with zero binding energy ("the vacuum"). Several results of density functional theory in the continuum (sometimes controversial) are verified in the lattice. In particular we show explicitly that the fundamental gap is given by the gap in the Kohn-Sham spectrum plus a contribution due to the jump of the xc-potential when a particle is added. The presence of a staggered potential and a nearest-neighbor interaction V allows to simulate a ionic solid. We show that in the ionic regime in the small hopping amplitude limit the xc-contribution to the gap equals V, while in the Mott regime it is determined by the Hubbard U interaction. In addition we show that correlations generates a new potential barrier at the surface

Weight gain among treatment-naïve persons with HIV starting integrase inhibitors compared to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or protease inhibitors in a large observational cohort in the United States and Canada.

IntroductionWeight gain following antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is common, potentially predisposing some persons with HIV (PWH) to cardio-metabolic disease. We assessed relationships between ART drug class and weight change among treatment-naïve PWH initiating ART in the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD).MethodsAdult, treatment-naïve PWH in NA-ACCORD initiating integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI), protease inhibitor (PI) or non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based ART on/after 1 January 2007 were followed through 31 December 2016. Multivariate linear mixed effects models estimated weight up to five years after ART initiation, adjusting for age, sex, race, cohort site, HIV acquisition mode, treatment year, and baseline weight, plasma HIV-1 RNA level and CD4+ cell count. Due to shorter follow-up for PWH receiving newer INSTI drugs, weights for specific INSTIs were estimated at two years. Secondary analyses using logistic regression and all covariates from primary analyses assessed factors associated with >10% weight gain at two and five years.ResultsAmong 22,972 participants, 87% were male, and 41% were white. 49% started NNRTI-, 31% started PI- and 20% started INSTI-based regimens (1624 raltegravir (RAL), 2085 elvitegravir (EVG) and 929 dolutegravir (DTG)). PWH starting INSTI-based regimens had mean estimated five-year weight change of +5.9kg, compared to +3.7kg for NNRTI and +5.5kg for PI. Among PWH starting INSTI drugs, mean estimated two-year weight change was +7.2kg for DTG, +5.8kg for RAL and +4.1kg for EVG. Women, persons with lower baseline CD4+ cell counts, and those initiating INSTI-based regimens had higher odds of >10% body weight increase at two years (adjusted odds ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.20 to 1.56 vs. NNRTI).ConclusionsPWH initiating INSTI-based regimens gained, on average, more weight compared to NNRTI-based regimens. This phenomenon may reflect heterogeneous effects of ART agents on body weight regulation that require further exploration

Effect of Age on the Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Single-Inhaler Triple Therapy Fluticasone Furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis of the IMPACT Trial

BACKGROUND: In the IMPACT trial, single-inhaler triple therapy fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) reduced moderate/severe exacerbation rates versus FF/VI and UMEC/VI in patients with symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a history of exacerbations, with a similar safety profile. Research Question Does age have an effect on trial outcomes? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: IMPACT was a Phase III, double-blind, 52-week trial. Patients ≥40 years of age with symptomatic COPD and ≥1 moderate/severe exacerbation in the prior year were randomized 2:2:1 to FF/UMEC/VI 100/62.5/25 mcg, FF/VI 100/25 mcg, or UMEC/VI 62.5/25 mcg. Endpoints assessed by age included annual rate of moderate/severe exacerbations, change from baseline (CFB) in trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), proportion of St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) responders (≥4 units decrease from baseline in SGRQ total score) and safety. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat population comprised 10,355 patients; 4724 (46%), 4225 (41%), and 1406 (14%) were ≤64, 65-74, and ≥75 years of age, respectively. FF/UMEC/VI reduced on-treatment moderate/severe exacerbation rates versus FF/VI (% reduction [95% confidence interval (CI)], ≤64 years: 8% [-1, 16], p=0.070; 65-74 years: 22% [14, 29], p<0.001; ≥75 years 18% [3, 31], p=0.021) and versus UMEC/VI (≤64 years: 16% [7, 25], p=0.002; 65-74 years: 33% [25, 41], p<0.001; ≥75 years 24% [6, 38], p=0.012), with greatest rate reduction seen in the 65-74 and ≥75 years subgroups. Post hoc analyses of CFB in trough FEV1, and proportion of SGRQ responders at Week 52 were significantly greater with FF/UMEC/VI than FF/VI or UMEC/VI in all subgroups. No new safety signals were identified. INTERPRETATION: FF/UMEC/VI reduced the rate of moderate/severe exacerbations and improved lung function and health status versus FF/VI and UMEC/VI irrespective of age for most endpoints, with a similar safety profile. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: GSK (CTT116855/NCT02164513)

Threat-sensitive anti-predator defence in precocial wader, the northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Birds exhibit various forms of anti-predator behaviours to avoid reproductive failure, with mobbing—observation, approach and usually harassment of a predator—being one of the most commonly observed. Here, we investigate patterns of temporal variation in the mobbing response exhibited by a precocial species, the northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). We test whether brood age and self-reliance, or the perceived risk posed by various predators, affect mobbing response of lapwings. We quantified aggressive interactions between lapwings and their natural avian predators and used generalized additive models to test how timing and predator species identity are related to the mobbing response of lapwings. Lapwings diversified mobbing response within the breeding season and depending on predator species. Raven Corvus corax, hooded crow Corvus cornix and harriers evoked the strongest response, while common buzzard Buteo buteo, white stork Ciconia ciconia, black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus and rook Corvus frugilegus were less frequently attacked. Lapwings increased their mobbing response against raven, common buzzard, white stork and rook throughout the breeding season, while defence against hooded crow, harriers and black-headed gull did not exhibit clear temporal patterns. Mobbing behaviour of lapwings apparently constitutes a flexible anti-predator strategy. The anti-predator response depends on predator species, which may suggest that lapwings distinguish between predator types and match mobbing response to the perceived hazard at different stages of the breeding cycle. We conclude that a single species may exhibit various patterns of temporal variation in anti-predator defence, which may correspond with various hypotheses derived from parental investment theory