Reverse engineering of biochar

This study underpins quantitative relationships that account for the combined effects that starting biomass and peak pyrolysis temperature have on physico-chemical properties of biochar. Meta-data was assembled from published data of diverse biochar samples (n = 102) to (i) obtain networks of intercorrelated properties and (ii) derive models that predict biochar properties. Assembled correlation networks provide a qualitative overview of the combinations of biochar properties likely to occur in a sample. Generalized Linear Models are constructed to account for situations of varying complexity, including: dependence of biochar properties on single or multiple predictor variables, where dependence on multiple variables can have additive and/or interactive effects; non-linear relation between the response and predictors; and non-Gaussian data distributions. The web-tool Biochar Engineering implements the derived models to maximize their utility and distribution. Provided examples illustrate the practical use of the networks, models and web-tool to engineer biochars with prescribed properties desirable for hypothetical scenarios

Quinine exposure and the risk of acute kidney injury:a population based observational study of older people

Objectives to establish and quantify any observable association between the exposure to community prescriptions for quinine and acute kidney injury (AKI) events in a population of older adults. Design two observational studies using the same dataset, a retrospective longitudinal cohort study and a self-controlled case series (SCCS). Setting NHS health board in Scotland. Participants older adults (60+ years) who received quinine prescriptions in Tayside, Scotland, between January 2004 and December 2015. The first study included 12,744 individuals. The SCCS cohort included 5,907 people with quinine exposure and more than or equal to one AKI event. Main outcome measured in the first study, multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for AKI comparing between episodes with and without recent quinine exposure after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities and concomitant medications. The SCCS study divided follow-up for each individual into periods ‘on’ and ‘off’ quinine, calculating incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for AKI adjusting for age. Results during the study period, 273,596 prescriptions for quinine were dispensed in Tayside. A total of 13,616 AKI events occurred during follow-up (crude incidence 12.5 per 100 person-years). In the first study, exposure to quinine before an episode of care was significantly associated with an increased probability of AKI (adjusted OR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.33). In the SCCS study, exposure to quinine was associated with an increased relative incidence of AKI compared to unexposed periods (IRR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.15–1.26), with the greatest risk observed within 30 days following quinine initiation (IRR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.35–1.61). Conclusion community prescriptions for quinine in an older adult population are associated with an increased risk of AKI

A Feasibility Study for Signal-in-Space Design for LEO-PNT Solutions With Miniaturized Satellites

The global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) are increasingly suffering from interferences, such as coming from jammers and spoofers, and their performance is still modest in challenging urban and indoor scenarios. Therefore, there are efforts worldwide to develop complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions. One such complementary method under current research is the so-called LEO-PNT, namely, PNT solutions based on low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and in particular on small-sized or miniaturized satellites. Such satellites have low-to-moderate costs of building, launching, and maintenance. Several challenges are to be overcome when designing a new LEO-PNT solution, concerning all three satellite segments: 1) the signal-in-space (SIS) or space segment; 2) the ground segment; and 3) the user/receiver segment. This article presents a survey of the SIS design challenges under the inherent constraints of wireless-channel propagation impairments as well as some design recommendations for SIS features. We address different constellation types, achievable coverage limits, and geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) bounds, as well as achievable carrier-to-noise ratios (CNRs) under a realistic wireless channel model, based on a MATLAB Quadriga simulator. We also discuss several optimization criteria regarding LEO-PNT SIS design, by taking into account the tradeoff between a low cost/low number of satellites in orbit on the one hand, and a sufficient coverage and good CNR for PNT purposes on the other hand.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Soft Robotics: A Route to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Robotics

: Robotics is entering our daily lives. The discipline is increasingly crucial in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and rescue operations, impacting our food, health, and planet. At the same time, it is becoming evident that robotic research must embrace and reflect the diversity of human society to address these broad challenges effectively. In recent years, gender inclusivity has received increasing attention, but it still remains a distant goal. In addition, awareness is rising around other dimensions of diversity, including nationality, religion, and politics. Unfortunately, despite the efforts, empirical evidence shows that the field has still a long way to go before achieving a sufficient level of equality, diversity, and inclusion across these spectra. This study focuses on the soft robotics community-a growing and relatively recent subfield-and it outlines the present state of equality and diversity panorama in this discipline. The article argues that its high interdisciplinary and accessibility make it a particularly welcoming branch of robotics. We discuss the elements that make this subdiscipline an example for the broader robotic field. At the same time, we recognize that the field should still improve in several ways and become more inclusive and diverse. We propose concrete actions that we believe will contribute to achieving this goal, and provide metrics to monitor its evolution

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide and sirolimus based graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has emerged as a promising graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, no studies have reported the efficacy of a GvHD prophylaxis based on PTCy with sirolimus (Sir-PTCy) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this retrospective study, we analyze the use of sirolimus in combination with PTCy, with or without mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), on 242 consecutive adult patients with AML undergoing a myeloablative first allo-HSCT from different donor types, in three European centers between January 2017 and December 2020. Seventy-seven (32%) patients received allo-HSCT from HLA-matched sibling donor, 101 (42%) from HLA-matched and mismatched unrelated donor, and 64 (26%) from haploidentical donor. Except for neutrophil and platelet engraftment, which was slower in the haploidentical cohort, no significant differences were observed in major transplant outcomes according to donor type in univariate and multivariate analysis. GvHD prophylaxis with Sir-PTCy, with or without MMF, is safe and effective in patients with AML undergoing myeloablative allo-HSCT, resulting in low rates of transplant-related mortality, relapse/progression, and acute and chronic GvHD in all donor settings

Improved Sensing and Positioning via 5G and mmWave radar for Airport Surveillance

This paper explores an integrated approach for improved sensing and positioning with applications in air traffic management (ATM) and in the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance & Control System (A-SMGCS). The integrated approach includes the synergy of 3D Vector Antenna with the novel time-of-arrival and angle-of-arrival estimate methods for accurate positioning, combining the sensing on the sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum for the enhanced non-cooperative surveillance. For the positioning scope, both uplink and downlink 5G reference signals are investigated and their performance is evaluated. For the non-cooperative sensing scope, a novel 5G-signal-based imaging function is proposed and verified with realistic airport radio-propagation modelling and the AI-based targets tracking-and-motion recognition are investigated. The 5G-based imaging and mmWave radar based detection can be potentially fused to enhance surveillance in the airport. The work is being done within the European-funded project NewSense and it delves into the 5G, Vector Antennas, and mmWave capabilities for future ATM solutions.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Forty-eight-week efficacy and safety and early CNS tolerability of doravirine (MK-1439), a novel NNRTI, with TDF/FTC in ART-naive HIV-positive patients

INTRODUCTION: Doravirine (DOR) is an investigational NNRTI (aka MK-1439) that retains activity against common NNRTI-resistant mutants. We have previously reported the Part 1 results from a two-part, randomized, double-blind, Phase IIb study in ART-naïve HIV-1-positive patients (1). At doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg qd, DOR plus open-label tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) demonstrated potent antiretroviral activity comparable to EFV 600 mg qhs plus TDF/FTC and was generally well tolerated at week 24. DOR 100 mg was selected for use in patients continuing in Part 1 and those newly enrolled in Part 2. METHODS: Patients receiving DOR 25, 50 or 200 mg in Part 1 were switched to 100 mg after dose selection. In Part 2, 132 additional patients were randomized 1:1 to DOR 100 mg qd or EFV 600 mg qhs (each with TDF/FTC). We present week 48 efficacy and safety results for all patients in Part 1, and early (week 8) CNS tolerability only for patients randomized to DOR 100 mg or to EFV in Parts 1 and 2 combined. The primary safety endpoint is the % of patients with pre-specified CNS events (all causality) by week 8 for DOR 100 mg qd vs EFV (Parts 1 + 2 combined). RESULTS: Part 1 week 48 efficacy and safety results are shown below. CONCLUSIONS: In ART-naïve, HIV-1-positive patients also receiving TDF/FTC, DOR 100 mg qd demonstrated potent antiretroviral activity and immunological effect at week 48 and was generally safe and well tolerated. Patients who received DOR 100 mg qd had significantly fewer treatment-emergent CNS AEs by week 8 than those who received EFV

The Sicilian Grid Infrastructure for High Performance Computing

The conjugation of High Performance Computing (HPC) and Grid paradigm with applications based on commercial software is one among the major challenges of today e-Infrastructures. Several research communities from either industry or academia need to run high parallel applications based on licensed software over hundreds of CPU cores; a satisfactory fulfillment of such requests is one of the keys for the penetration of this computing paradigm into the industry world and sustainability of Grid infrastructures. This problem has been tackled in the context of the PI2S2 project that created a regional e-Infrastructure in Sicily, the first in Italy over a regional area. Present article will describe the features added in order to integrate an HPC facility into the PI2S2 Grid infrastructure, the adoption of the InifiniBand low-latency net connection, the gLite middleware extended to support MPI/MPI2 jobs, the newly developed license server and the specific scheduling policy adopted. Moreover, it will show the results of some relevant use cases belonging to Computer Fluid-Dynamics (Fluent, OpenFOAM), Chemistry (GAMESS), Astro-Physics (Flash) and Bio-Informatics (ClustalW))