Total nuclear disarmament: ethical and moral issues

Moving focus from the geostrategic and political realms to ethical and moral ones can lead to a better understanding of the paradox of “guaranteeing peace” by means of implementing an . infrastructure for the extinction of mankind (i.e. the nuclear weapons industry). A possible way forward is derived from this major paradigm shift. The analysis is contextualized within the broader scope of questioning the implicit legitimization of unrestrained tampering with nature, from matter to life

MPC performance monitoring of a rigorously simulated industrial process

We address in this paper the application of a recently proposed MPC performance monitoring method to a rigorously simulated industrial process. The methodology aims at detecting possible sources of suboptimal performance of linear offset-free MPC algorithms by analysis of the prediction error sequence, discriminating between the presence of plant/model mismatch and incorrect disturbance/state estimation, and proposing for each scenario an appropriate corrective action. We focus on the applicability of the method to large-scale industrial systems, which typically comprise a block structure, devising efficient and scalable diagnosis and correction procedures. We also discuss and support the application of this method when the controlled plant shows a mild nonlinear behavior mainly associated with operating point changes. A high-fidelity dynamic simulation model of a crude distillation unit was developed in UniSim® Design and used as representative test bench. Results show the efficacy of the method and indicate possible research directions for further improvements. © IFAC

Application of a method to diagnose the source of performance degradation in MPC systems

Model Predictive Control systems may suffer from performance degradation mainly for two reasons: (i) external unmeasured disturbances are not estimated correctly, (ii) the (linear) dynamic model used by the MPC does not match (any longer) the actual process response. In this work we present the application of a method to detect when performance is not optimal, to diagnose the source of performance degradation and to propose appropriate corrections. In the simplest situation (i), optimal performance can be restored by recomputing the estimator parameters; in the other case (ii), re-identification becomes necessary. The method is based on analysis of the prediction error, i.e. the difference between the actual measured output and the corresponding model prediction, and uses three main tools: a statistical (whiteness) test on the prediction error sequence, a subspace identification method to detect the order of the input-to-prediction error system, and a nonlinear optimization algorithm to recompute optimal estimator parameters. We illustrate the effectiveness of the method on a large-scale rigorously simulated industrial process. Copyright © 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Voltammetric sensing of trypsin activity using gelatin as a substrate

The relevance of proteases in many areas such as the industry, microbiology, and clinical analysis has prompted the development of different methods for protease detection and proteolytic activity determination. Electro-chemical sensors and assays are valuable techniques for their short response time, simple fabrication, high sensitivity and possibility of miniaturization. Here, we describe the determination of the proteolytic activity of trypsin by using a gelatin-embedded electrochemical redox mediator the (4-((4-aminophenyl)imino)-2,6-dime-thoxycyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one). The peak current (ip) was used as the analytical signal and measured by means of alternating current voltammetry (ACV). Upon exposure to different concentrations of trypsin, a decrease in the ip expressed as the relative change was observed due to the release of the redox mediator in solution. A linear response range (5-80 mu g/mL) was obtained, this trend was further corroborated using standard techniques such as the azo-casein, and the gel diffusion assay. A significant and negative correlation between these assays and the trypsin activity measured as the ip relative change was observed

Maximum Agreement Linear Prediction via the Concordance Correlation Coefficient

This paper examines distributional properties and predictive performance of the estimated maximum agreement linear predictor (MALP) introduced in Bottai, Kim, Lieberman, Luta, and Pena (2022) paper in The American Statistician, which is the linear predictor maximizing Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) between the predictor and the predictand. It is compared and contrasted, theoretically and through computer experiments, with the estimated least-squares linear predictor (LSLP). Finite-sample and asymptotic properties are obtained, and confidence intervals are also presented. The predictors are illustrated using two real data sets: an eye data set and a bodyfat data set. The results indicate that the estimated MALP is a viable alternative to the estimated LSLP if one desires a predictor whose predicted values possess higher agreement with the predictand values, as measured by the CCC

Low-dose synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone-analog therapy for nephrotic patients: results from a single-center pilot study.

Introduction: This report describes our experience using a low-dose synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) analog for patients affected by nephrotic syndrome who had not responded to or had relapsed after steroid and immunosuppressive treatments. Patients and methods: Eighteen adult nephrotic patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate.30 mL/min were recruited. Histological pictures included ten of membranous nephropathy, three of membranous proliferative glomerulonephritis, three of minimal change, and two of focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. All patients received the synthetic ACTH analog tetracosactide 1 mg intramuscularly once a week for 12 months. Estimated glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, serum lipids, albumin, glucose, and potassium were determined before and during the treatment. Results: One of the 18 patients discontinued the treatment after 1 month because of severe fluid retention, and two patients were lost at follow-up. Complete remission occurred in six cases, while partial remission occurred in four cases (55.5% responder rate). With respect to baseline, after 12 months proteinuria had decreased from 7.24±0.92 to 2.03±0.65 g/day (P,0.0001), and serum albumin had increased from 2.89±0.14 to 3.66±0.18 g/dL (P,0.0001). Total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol had decreased from 255±17 to 193±10 mg/dL (P=0.01), and from 168±18 to 114±7 mg/dL (P=0.03), respectively. No cases of severe worsening of renal function, hyperglycemia, or hypokalemia were observed, and no admissions for cardiovascular or infectious events were recorded. Conclusion: Tetracosactide administration at the dosage of 1 mg intramuscularly per week for 12 months seems to be an acceptable alternative for nephrotic patients unresponsive or relapsing after steroid-immunosuppressive regimens. Further studies should be planned to assess the effect of this low-dose ACTH regimen also in nephrotic patients not eligible for kidney biopsy or immunosuppressive protocols.Introduction: This report describes our experience using a low-dose synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) analog for patients affected by nephrotic syndrome who had not responded to or had relapsed after steroid and immunosuppressive treatments.Patients and methods: Eighteen adult nephrotic patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate.30 mL/min were recruited. Histological pictures included ten of membranous nephropathy, three of membranous proliferative glomerulonephritis, three of minimal change, and two of focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. All patients received the synthetic ACTH analog tetracosactide 1 mg intramuscularly once a week for 12 months. Estimated glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria, serum lipids, albumin, glucose, and potassium were determined before and during the treatment.Results: One of the 18 patients discontinued the treatment after 1 month because of severe fluid retention, and two patients were lost at follow-up. Complete remission occurred in six cases, while partial remission occurred in four cases (55.5% responder rate). With respect to baseline, after 12 months proteinuria had decreased from 7.24±0.92 to 2.03±0.65 g/day (P,0.0001), and serum albumin had increased from 2.89±0.14 to 3.66±0.18 g/dL (P,0.0001). Total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol had decreased from 255±17 to 193±10 mg/dL (P=0.01), and from 168±18 to 114±7 mg/dL (P=0.03), respectively. No cases of severe worsening of renal function, hyperglycemia, or hypokalemia were observed, and no admissions for cardiovascular or infectious events were recorded.Conclusion: Tetracosactide administration at the dosage of 1 mg intramuscularly per week for 12 months seems to be an acceptable alternative for nephrotic patients unresponsive or relapsing after steroid-immunosuppressive regimens. Further studies should be planned to assess the effect of this low-dose ACTH regimen also in nephrotic patients not eligible for kidney biopsy or immunosuppressive protocols

ACTIVIDAD CELULOLITICA DE CEPAS DE Aspergillus niger y A. flavus AISLADAS DE SUELOS CON CULTIVO DE TRIGO Y TRATAMIENTO HERBICIDA

Se estudia la actividad celulolítica de cepas de Aspergillus niger y A. flavus aisladas de suelo del sur de la provincia de Santa Fe, sembrado con trigo y tratado con Metsulfurón-metil+Dicamba. Dichas cepas fueron las más frecuentes en un muestreo que abarcó distintas etapas del cultivo de trigo en 1994 y mostraron a su vez, variaciones en su frecuencia a lo largo del mismo.Nuestro objetivo fue conocer si dichas variaciones de frecuencia se correlacionan con cambios en la actividad celulolítica de las mismas. Se trabajó con 3 cepas deA. niger y 2 de A. flavus. En los filtrados de los cultivos, se determinó: peso seco, proteínas solubles, producción de exoglucanasas frente a la celulosa cristalina, endoglucanasas frente a carboximetilcelulosa y celobiasas extracelulares.En A. niger, no hubo una correlación clara entre frecuencia y actividad  enzimática, sólo se observó que las cepas de A. niger de mayor frecuencia (superior al 50%) tuvieron también mayor actividad. En A. flavus, encambio, se observó una correlación inversa

ESAF: Full Simulation of Space-Based Extensive Air Showers Detectors

Future detection of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) produced by Ultra High Energy Cosmic Particles (UHECP) by means of space based fluorescence telescopes will open a new window on the universe and allow cosmic ray and neutrino astronomy at a level that is virtually impossible for ground based detectors. In this paper we summarize the results obtained in the context of the EUSO project by means of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of all the physical processes involved in the fluorescence technique, from the Extensive Air Shower development to the instrument response. Particular emphasis is given to modeling the light propagation in the atmosphere and the effect of clouds. Main results on energy threshold and resolution, direction resolution and Xmax determination are reported. Results are based on EUSO telescope design, but are also extended to larger and more sensitive detectors.Comment: 38 pages, 48 figures Corrected typos. Changed content. Added figure