Bourgault phosphorus trials

Non-Peer Reviewe

Phosphorus and seed ratetrial in canola

Non-Peer ReviewedA first year experiment was set up to compare 50lbs P2O5 placed in the seed row to 25lbs P2O5 in the Seed row and 25lbs P2O5 in the band. This experiment also included using a 5lb seeding rate (10 seeds/ft2) to a 2.5lbs seeding rate (5 seeds/ft2). Although plant stand and maturity was affected, yield was not

Sustainable biomass production in agroforestry systems

Non-Peer ReviewedResearch conducted in 2007 through 2009 on the occasional biomass harvest from willow rings could provide balanced co-existence between agriculture and wetlands. This would provide biomass feedstock while preserving the wetland for future generations. The focus of the research will be on the sustainable production of biomass in agroforestry systems. The goals of this research project are to determine the impact of biomass harvest on re-growth of willow rings; evaluate the feasibility of mechanical harvest using a bio-baler; determine the biomass yield and production costs; and quantify fuel characteristics of harvested willow. Results have shown that the bio-baler tested can efficiently harvest biomass from willow rings at a rate of 6.5 tonnes/hour. The re-growth of the willows was rapid and was not impacted by the harvest. There are thousands of hectares of wetlands and surrounding willow rings available on the Canadian landscape for harvesting at a reasonable cost of production. The willow ring biomass harvested is suitable for small scale heating systems. Additional research will be conducted on the utilization of the biomass harvested from willow rings as a bioenergy source to supply a biomass boiler for heating purposes at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Agroforestry Development Centre (ADC) in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. This research will include the economics and environmental aspects and will consider the life cycle analysis

Modification of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene with 1,4-diaminobutane in near critical propane

Granules of high density polyethylene grafted with 0.17 wt.% maleic anhydride (PEMA) were modified with an excess of 1,4-diaminobutane (DAB) by impregnation from near critical propane. After formation of amic acid groups, the excess of diaminobutane was extracted with a near critical propane–ethanol mixture (95/5 wt.%). Finally, the obtained PEMA–DAB was imidised quantitatively to the corresponding imide (PEMI) in the melt. The obtained PEMI showed no increased gel content with respect to the PEMA. The presence of primary amine groups was indirectly proven by selective extraction experiments. It appeared that PEMI samples had reacted with the anhydride groups of styrene-MA copolymer (SMA) during melt blending of SMA with PEMI, while the PEMA had not reacted. SMA/PEMI 80/20 blends consisted of a continuous SMA phase and PEMI droplets with a diameter of less than 1 μm. SMA/PEMA 80/20 blends showed a course morphology of PEMA strings in a continuous SMA phase. With this article we have shown that this new technique for the chemical modification of swollen HDPE particles in near critical propane has proven to be much better than the conventional modification in the melt, when it comes to avoiding crosslinking

Nivolumab and ipilimumab in the real-world setting in patients with mesothelioma

Objectives: Nivolumab (anti-PD-1) plus ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) is a new first-line treatment combination for patients with pleural mesothelioma. Nivolumab-ipilimumab improved the survival, however, 30.3% of the patients suffered from grade 3–4 treatment related adverse events (TRAE's) and TRAE's led to discontinuation in 23.0% of all patients. Here, we present the first real-world data of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with malignant mesothelioma treated in two mesothelioma expert centers. Methods: Clinical data of patients with mesothelioma treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab were prospectively collected. Clinical parameters were obtained every visit, CT scans were evaluated every 12 weeks and adverse events were assessed continuously during the treatment. Data on grade 2–5 TRAE's and activity (overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) were reported. Results: Between January 2021 and August 2022, 184 patients were treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab. The median follow-up was 12.1 months (95 %CI 11.1 – 13.1). Grade 3–4 TRAEs were seen in 27.7 % of the patients and 25.0 % discontinued immunotherapy treatment early because of TRAE's. ORR was 21.7 % (95 % CI 15.7–27.7), median DOR was 5.7 months (IQR 3.2–8.7) and DCR at 12 weeks 56.0 % (95 % CI 48.8–63.2). The mPFS was 5.5 months (95 %CI 4.1–6.9), mOS was 14.1 months (95 % CI 11.1–18.2). Conclusions: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab had an equal efficacy in a real-world comparable population but also a high risk of TRAE's, leading to discontinuation of treatment in 25% of the patients.</p

Forecasting Player Behavioral Data and Simulating in-Game Events

Understanding player behavior is fundamental in game data science. Video games evolve as players interact with the game, so being able to foresee player experience would help to ensure a successful game development. In particular, game developers need to evaluate beforehand the impact of in-game events. Simulation optimization of these events is crucial to increase player engagement and maximize monetization. We present an experimental analysis of several methods to forecast game-related variables, with two main aims: to obtain accurate predictions of in-app purchases and playtime in an operational production environment, and to perform simulations of in-game events in order to maximize sales and playtime. Our ultimate purpose is to take a step towards the data-driven development of games. The results suggest that, even though the performance of traditional approaches such as ARIMA is still better, the outcomes of state-of-the-art techniques like deep learning are promising. Deep learning comes up as a well-suited general model that could be used to forecast a variety of time series with different dynamic behaviors

Switch-maintenance gemcitabine after first-line chemotherapy in patients with malignant mesothelioma (NVALT19):an investigator-initiated, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial

Background Almost all patients with malignant mesothelioma eventually have disease progression after first-line therapy. Previous studies have investigated maintenance therapy, but none has shown a great effect. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of switch-maintenance gemcitabine in patients with malignant mesothelioma without disease progression after first-line chemotherapy. Methods We did a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial in 18 hospitals in the Netherlands (NVALT19). We recruited patients aged older than 18 years with unresectable malignant mesothelioma with no evidence of disease progression after at least four cycles of first-line chemotherapy (with platinum and pemetrexed), who had a WHO performance status of 0-2, adequate organ function, and measurable or evaluable disease. Exclusion criteria were active uncontrolled infection or severe cardiac dysfunction, serious disabling conditions, symptomatic CNS metastases, radiotherapy within 2 weeks before enrolment, and concomitant use of any other drugs under investigation. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1), using the minimisation method, to maintenance intravenous gemcitabine (1250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8, in cycles of 21 days) plus supportive care, or to best supportive care alone, until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, serious intercurrent illness, patient request for discontinuation, or need for any other anticancer agent, except for palliative radiotherapy. A CT scan of the thorax or abdomen (or both) and pulmonary function tests were done at baseline and repeated every 6 weeks. The primary outcome was progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was analysed in all participants who received one or more doses of the study drug or had at least one visit for supportive care. Recruitment is now closed; treatment and follow-up are ongoing. This study is registered with the Netherlands Trial Registry, NTR4132/NL3847. Findings Between March 20, 2014, and Feb 27, 2019, 130 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to gemcitabine plus supportive care (65 patients [50%]) or supportive care alone (65 patients [50%]). No patients were lost to follow-up; median follow-up was 36.5 months (95% CI 34.2 to not reached), and one patient in the supportive care group withdrew consent. Progression-free survival was significantly longer in the gemcitabine group (median 6.2 months [95% CI 4.6-8.7]) than in the supportive care group (3.2 months [2.8-4.1]; hazard ratio [HR] 0.48 [95% CI 0.33-0.71]; p=0.0002). The benefit was confirmed by masked independent central review (HR 0.49 [0.33-0.72]; p=0.0002). Grade 3-4 adverse events occurred in 33 ( 52%) of 64 patients in the gemcitabine group and in ten (16%) of 62 patients in the supportive care group. The most frequent adverse events were anaemia, neutropenia, fatigue or asthenia, pain, and infection in the gemcitabine group, and pain, infection, and cough or dyspnoea in the supportive care group. One patient (2%) in the gemcitabine group died, due to a treatment-related infection. Interpretation Switch-maintenance gemcitabine, after first-line chemotherapy, significantly prolonged progression-free survival compared with best supportive care alone, among patients with malignant mesothelioma. This study confirms the activity of gemcitabine in treating malignant mesothelioma