Additive manufacturing: empirical evidence for supply chain integration and performance from the automotive industry

Additive Manufacturing offers much potential for industry, but at the same time is likely to have a significant impact on supply chain theory and practice. To-date there has been limited empirical work exploring the effect of Additive Manufacturing, and this study aims to provide a detailed appraisal of how supply chain integration, supply chain performance and firm performance may be affected by the adoption of Additive Manufacturing. These are critical factors for supply chain management, but have received little quantified attention to date

Understanding prevention measures and tourist behavior in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed-method approach

This study investigates the adoption of prevention measures inCroatia during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship withtourist behavior. The research adopts a mixed-method approachas it examines both practitioners’and tourists’viewpoints. A quali-tative study was conducted with eight destination service pro-viders, while the quantitative study took place among 333international tourists during their stay in the country. Results fromthe qualitative study show that the most frequently employed pre-vention measures are cleaning and disinfection of customer-usespaces, the use of hand sanitizers, mandatory face masks foremployees and guests, and social distancing. Tourism service pro-viders observed that international tourist behavior changed signifi-cantly from 2020 to 2021. Findings from the quantitative studyshow relatively high levels of perception of adoption of preventionmeasures among tourists, low levels of the perceived risk ofCOVID-19, and high levels of tourist satisfaction. Some differencesin tourist behavior related to gender and destination type are alsoobserved. Positive correlations are found between tourists’percep-tions of prevention measures and their satisfaction level, while thecorrelations between perceived risk of COVID-19 and preventionmeasures on one hand and perceived risk of COVID-19 and tou-rists’satisfaction on the other are found to be negative

Atopy as an independent predictor for long-term patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation

BackgroundAtopy is a genetic condition predisposing individuals to develop immunoglobulin E (IgE) against common allergens through T-helper 2 (Th2) polarization mechanisms. The impact of atopy on graft survival in solid organ transplantation is unknown.MethodologyWe analyzed 268 renal allograft recipients from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study, a prospective multicenter cohort studying patients after solid organ transplantation, with a 9-year median follow-up (IQR 3.0). We used the Phadiatop assay to measure IgE antibodies against a mixture of common inhaled allergens (grass, tree, herbs, spores, animals, and mites) to identify pre-transplantation atopic patients (>0.35 KU/L).ResultsOf 268 kidney transplant recipients, 66 individuals were atopic (24.6%). Atopic patients were significantly younger than non-atopic patients (49.6 vs 58.0 years old, P = 0.002). No significant difference was found for gender, cold/warm ischemia time, preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSA), HLA mismatches, induction and maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, CMV serostatus, or cause of kidney failure. Patient and graft survival at ten years of follow-up were significantly better in the atopic group, 95.2% versus 69.2% patient survival (P < 0.001), and 87.9% versus 60.8% graft survival (P < 0.001), respectively. A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that atopy predicted recipient and graft survival independently of age and living donor donation. Finally, we found similar rates of biopsy-proven acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejections between atopic and non-atopic recipients.ConclusionAtopy was associated with better long-term patient and graft survival, independently of age and living donor donation after kidney transplantation. Yet, atopy should not be used as a predictor for acute rejection

Atopy as an independent predictor for long-term patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation.

Atopy is a genetic condition predisposing individuals to develop immunoglobulin E (IgE) against common allergens through T-helper 2 (Th2) polarization mechanisms. The impact of atopy on graft survival in solid organ transplantation is unknown. We analyzed 268 renal allograft recipients from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study, a prospective multicenter cohort studying patients after solid organ transplantation, with a 9-year median follow-up (IQR 3.0). We used the Phadiatop assay to measure IgE antibodies against a mixture of common inhaled allergens (grass, tree, herbs, spores, animals, and mites) to identify pre-transplantation atopic patients (>0.35 KU/L). Of 268 kidney transplant recipients, 66 individuals were atopic (24.6%). Atopic patients were significantly younger than non-atopic patients (49.6 vs 58.0 years old, P = 0.002). No significant difference was found for gender, cold/warm ischemia time, preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSA), HLA mismatches, induction and maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, CMV serostatus, or cause of kidney failure. Patient and graft survival at ten years of follow-up were significantly better in the atopic group, 95.2% versus 69.2% patient survival (P < 0.001), and 87.9% versus 60.8% graft survival (P < 0.001), respectively. A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that atopy predicted recipient and graft survival independently of age and living donor donation. Finally, we found similar rates of biopsy-proven acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejections between atopic and non-atopic recipients. Atopy was associated with better long-term patient and graft survival, independently of age and living donor donation after kidney transplantation. Yet, atopy should not be used as a predictor for acute rejection

Image_1_Atopy as an independent predictor for long-term patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation.png

BackgroundAtopy is a genetic condition predisposing individuals to develop immunoglobulin E (IgE) against common allergens through T-helper 2 (Th2) polarization mechanisms. The impact of atopy on graft survival in solid organ transplantation is unknown.MethodologyWe analyzed 268 renal allograft recipients from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study, a prospective multicenter cohort studying patients after solid organ transplantation, with a 9-year median follow-up (IQR 3.0). We used the Phadiatop assay to measure IgE antibodies against a mixture of common inhaled allergens (grass, tree, herbs, spores, animals, and mites) to identify pre-transplantation atopic patients (>0.35 KU/L).ResultsOf 268 kidney transplant recipients, 66 individuals were atopic (24.6%). Atopic patients were significantly younger than non-atopic patients (49.6 vs 58.0 years old, P = 0.002). No significant difference was found for gender, cold/warm ischemia time, preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSA), HLA mismatches, induction and maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, CMV serostatus, or cause of kidney failure. Patient and graft survival at ten years of follow-up were significantly better in the atopic group, 95.2% versus 69.2% patient survival (P ConclusionAtopy was associated with better long-term patient and graft survival, independently of age and living donor donation after kidney transplantation. Yet, atopy should not be used as a predictor for acute rejection.</p

Comparative genome analysis of Pseudomonas knackmussii B13, the first bacterium known to degrade chloroaromatic compounds

Pseudomonas knackmussii B13 was the first strain to be isolated in 1974 that could degrade chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons. This discovery was the prologue for subsequent characterization of numerous bacterial metabolic pathways, for genetic and biochemical studies, and which spurred ideas for pollutant bioremediation. In this study, we determined the complete genome sequence of B13 using next generation sequencing technologies and optical mapping. Genome annotation indicated that B13 has a variety of metabolic pathways for degrading monoaromatic hydrocarbons including chlorobenzoate, aminophenol, anthranilate and hydroxyquinol, but not polyaromatic compounds. Comparative genome analysis revealed that B13 is closest to Pseudomonas denitrificans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The B13 genome contains at least eight genomic islands [prophages and integrative conjugative elements (ICEs)], which were absent in closely related pseudomonads. We confirm that two ICEs are identical copies of the 103 kb self-transmissible element ICEclc that carries the genes for chlorocatechol metabolism. Comparison of ICEclc showed that it is composed of a variable and a 'core' region, which is very conserved among proteobacterial genomes, suggesting a widely distributed family of so far uncharacterized ICE. Resequencing of two spontaneous B13 mutants revealed a number of single nucleotide substitutions, as well as excision of a large 220 kb region and a prophage that drastically change the host metabolic capacity and survivability