Multi-steps Process Research Articles

Localization Of Procollagen Type I N-Terminal Propeptide in Bone Healing Treated by Local Application of Moringa Oliefera /Marine Collagen in Rats

Backgrounds: Bones healing is a complex multi steps process, Moringa Oliefera”s flavonoids and Marine collagen enhance minerals density of bones.Objectives: Differences in healing process in bones where evaluated in this study among bone defects that heal normally ( control group) and (experimental groups) using Marine collagen (MC), Moringa oleifera extract (MO) and combination of (MO &MC). Material and Methods: in this study twenty albino rats, after anesthesia bone defects were created in both femurs by drilling. In ten rats, the right bone defects left to heal normally, and left MO added to the bone defects, in other ten rats MC added to the right bone defects, left defects treated with MO & MC. Rats were scarified after 2 and 4 weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis of bone marrow stromal cells, osteocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts done using Procollagen type I N-terminal Propeptide (PINP). Results: Immunohistochemical result revealed stronger positive expression of PINP in bone defects treated with (MO&MC) than that other groups Conclusions: Treatment of bone defects with MO and MC showed increase osteogenic capacity by increase the immunoreactivity of PINP.

Synthesis of new magnetic nanocatalyst Fe3O4@CPTMO-phenylalanine-Ni and its catalytic effect in the preparation of substituted pyrazoles

In this study, a new, efficient and stable magnetically heterogeneous nanocatalyst of Fe3O4@CPTMO-phenylalanine-Ni via multi steps process starting from simple and cost-effective precursors was designed and successfully synthesized, and physico-chemical, structural, and magnetic properties have fully been characterized by several analytical methods involving SEM–EDS, FT-IR, TGA, VSM, XRD, ICP, BET, TEM, and EMA. The catalytic performance of the Fe3O4@CPTMO-phenylalanine-Ni can be used as an effective and recyclable nanocatalyst with facile separation by magnetic forces for the preparation of substituted pyrazoles with high yields through the one-pot, three-component condensation reaction of various arylglyoxals, diketones, and 1H-pyrazole-5-amines under mild conditions. The nanocatalyst’s activity after being used by four consecutive times in a cycle reaction without distinct deterioration remained unchanged or was found to be a slight decrease. The advantages of this study are simplicity, low cost, facile synthesis process, and environmentally secure nature.

Face Recognition System for Control Access to Restrictive Domain

Recent progress in computer vision applied to facial analysis has led to state-of-the-art face detection and facial feature extraction models. A cautious implementation of these models into face recognition pipelines can enable achieving superior performances and popularized daily applications of face recognition in a variety of domains. However, modern face recognition system is a multi-steps process including face detection, feature extraction and classification model. Developing a high-performance face recognition application generalizing on local data set remains challenging. In this paper, we present Deep learning based face recognition system employing MTCNN for face detection and FaceNet for feature extraction. We compare KNN and SVM classification models trained on the facial features extracted from prepared labeled faces. Both models demonstrated almost 100% accuracy on static test faces. Moreover, as face pose get more pronounced, far above 30°, both SVM and KNN models demonstrate efficient recognition rate of 95.95% and 96.67% respectively. Real-time evaluation shows less than 1% deviation from the static performances with both classifiers on less 30° tilted images.

Combined experimental and computational study on Ag-NPs immobilized on rod-like hydroxyapatite for promoting Hantzsch reaction

In this project, a bio-based heterogeneous catalyst is synthesized via multi steps process. First, nano-rod hydroxyapatite modified by silica compound is prepared, functionalized with of some nitrogen sources linkages such as, 4-aminoacetanilide and consequent immobilization of Ag nanoparticles by Sorbus aucuparia extract. The as-prepared catalyst, Ag@n-HA@SiO2-TAA, was successfully characterized by using FTIR, XRD, BET, SEM/EDX, TGA, TEM, ICP-AES and elemental mapping analysis. Furthermore, metal-ligand interactions in Ag@n-HA@SiO2-TAA complex models were assessed to interpret the immobilization behavior of Ag-NPs on the surface of nano-rod hydroxyapatite through quantum chemistry computations. The catalytic activity of the Ag@n-HA@SiO2-TAA was investigated in multi-component Hantzcsh reactions under mild conditions to furnish the corresponding products in high yields and short reaction times. Moreover, the recyclability study and Ag leaching of the Ag@n-HA@SiO2-TAA verified that the catalyst could be easily recovered and also recycled up to six runs with only slight loss of activity.

Treasuring waste lignin as superior reinforcing filler in high cis-polybutadiene rubber: A direct comparative study with standard reinforcing silica and carbon black

There has been ever raising concern in last few decades about the utilization of biomass for different commercial applications such as filler materials in rubber composites. In this context, an interesting pathway has been proposed to develop such composites by introducing waste lignin as a reinforcing constituent in high cis-polybutadiene rubber (BR). With a judicious selection of rubber curing ingredients and, simultaneously, adopting suitable solid-state mixing protocols, particularly, a relatively high-temperature multi-steps melt-mixing process (above the glass transition temperature of lignin), rubber composites with an outstanding mechanical performance were prepared. The reinforced rubber composites with 50 (weight) parts lignin loading per hundred parts of rubber (phr) offer ∼10 MPa tensile strength (TS), ∼276% elongation at break (EB), and ∼3.51 MPa tensile stress at 100% elongation (so-called rubber modulus M100). These values are superior when compared with the composites comprised with standard reinforcing carbon black (∼8.5 TS, ∼224% EB, ∼2.79 M100) and even with a silica-silane system (∼7.34 TS, ∼229% EB, ∼2.44 M100) with same filler loading. The unique combination of the curing packages and four-stage mixing process allowed us to establish a homogeneous and fine dispersion of lignin. Furthermore, this is the first time that available models of rubber reinforcement are applied to the description of the reinforcement mechanisms of lignin in a soft elastomer involving various aspects like filler-filler interaction, rubber-filler interactions, critical strains for destroying the filler-filler network, effective filler volume fractions, shape factor, etc. The developed compounding methods for BR and their characterization and modeling can be easily applied to other commercial rubbers facilitating a real breakthrough in developing cheap and bio-based high-performance rubber composites.

A sequence to sequence learning based car-following model for multi-step predictions considering reaction delay

Car-following behavior modeling is of great importance for traffic simulation and analysis. Considering the multi-steps decision-making process in human driving, we propose a sequence to sequence (seq2seq) learning based car-following model incorporating not only memory effect but also reaction delay. Since the seq2seq architecture has the advantage of handling variable lengths of input and output sequences, in this paper, it is applied to car-following behavior modeling to memorize historical information and make multi-step predictions. We further compare the seq2seq model with a classical car-following model (IDM) and a deep learning car-following model (LSTM). The evaluation results indicate that the proposed model outperforms others for reproducing trajectory and capturing heterogeneous driving behaviors. Moreover, the platoon simulation demonstrates that the proposed model can well reproduce different levels of hysteresis phenomenon. The proposed model is further extended with spatial anticipation, which improves platoon simulation accuracy and traffic flow stability.

Integrated immune gene expression signature and molecular classification in gastric cancer: New insights.

Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by extreme heterogeneity due to histopathological differences, molecular characteristics, and immune gene expression signature. Until recently, several targeted therapies failed due to this complexity. The recent immunotherapy resulted in more effective and safe approaches in several malignancies. All tumors could be considered potentially immunogenic and the new knowledge regarding the interactions among tumor cells, immune cells, and tumor microenvironment (TME) allowed to reverse possible immune resistance. The immune response is a complex multisteps process that finely regulates the balance between the recognition of non-self and the prevention of autoimmunity. Cancer cells can use these pathways to suppress tumor immunity as a major mechanism of immune resistance. The recent molecular classifications of GCs by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and by the Asian Cancer Research (ACRG) networks, together with the identification of multiple biomarkers, open new perspectives for stratification of patients who might benefit from a long-term immune checkpoint therapy. One of the major processes that contribute to an immunosuppressive microenvironment is represented by tumor angiogenesis. The cellular mechanisms inducing both angiogenesis and immunosuppressive responses are often reached by the same cell types and soluble factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Recent studies point out that combinatorial strategies should be adapted as useful therapeutic approach to reverse the immunosuppressive status of microenvironment occurring in a relevant percentage of gastric tumors.

Multistep hybrid learning: CNN driven by spatial–temporal features for faults detection on metallic surfaces

Solutions for the quality control of metallic surfaces are proposed. Specifically, we study a deflectometric apparatus based on coaxial structured light and the related algorithmic procedure, which is able to detect the faulty surface of a sample captured by a video sequence. First, by considering the metallic surface a dynamic scene illuminated under different light conditions, we develop the descriptor residuals of linear evolution of light (RLEL) that extracts the defectiveness information starting from the movement of the object without explicitly considering the physical characteristics of the light structure. Then, leveraging on RLEL, we present a hybrid learning (HL) technique capable of overcoming the data-driven approach used in classic deep learning (DL). By exploiting a multisteps training process, we combine the model-based descriptor RLEL and a classical data-driven convolutional neural network (CNN) to obtain an unconventional gray-box CNN, which exceeds the performance of popular DL solutions such as 3-D-inception and 3-D-residual DL networks. Remarkably, HL also shows its validity in comparing the performance of the same network structures trained not in a hybrid way, namely without the injection of the model-based information given by RLEL.

P.651 Mood congruent helplessness associates with prefrontal Intrinsic connectivity in major depression

In this work we have proposed to use multifractal analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the healing process in postresectal and postcystal bone loss using the guided bone regeneration (GBR).The material of the study consists of 19 radiographic images obtained from patients (13 females and 6 males), observed within 1-year-long period, who had undergone bone augmentation with xenogenic material. Using radiographic images (RVG) made with digital radiography set Kodak RVG 6100 on the day of the procedure (Group A) and 12 months later (Group B), the degree of reconstruction of intraosseous defects were compared. A visual subjective evaluation of the healing process based on RVG images may not be sufficient. For this purpose, modern computer image analysis methods can be used. Pre-processing of radiographic images consisted of separating areas of interest (ROI) and binarization. The resulting images were analyzed using multifractals. The properties of biological structures cannot be sufficiently described in the Euclidean space, but they can be characterized by a parameter called the fractal dimension.Significant increase (p < 0.0001) of multifractal features were found in patients from group B. Individual parameters may characterize bone structure, which had undergone bone augmentation with xenogenic material. Finally, we showed that the properly selected multifractal quantificators obtained for those images could be used to assign those images to the appropriate group.The proposed analysis based on RVG images could help to evaluate the healing process after bone loss. The analysis and interpretation of the healing process after bone loss using monofractal and multifractal analysis as a multi-steps process quantify a stable (good) clinical result.

Multifractal characterization of healing process after bone loss

ObjectiveIn this work we have proposed to use multifractal analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the healing process in postresectal and postcystal bone loss using the guided bone regeneration (GBR). MethodsThe material of the study consists of 19 radiographic images obtained from patients (13 females and 6 males), observed within 1-year-long period, who had undergone bone augmentation with xenogenic material. Using radiographic images (RVG) made with digital radiography set Kodak RVG 6100 on the day of the procedure (Group A) and 12 months later (Group B), the degree of reconstruction of intraosseous defects were compared. A visual subjective evaluation of the healing process based on RVG images may not be sufficient. For this purpose, modern computer image analysis methods can be used. Pre-processing of radiographic images consisted of separating areas of interest (ROI) and binarization. The resulting images were analyzed using multifractals. The properties of biological structures cannot be sufficiently described in the Euclidean space, but they can be characterized by a parameter called the fractal dimension. ResultsSignificant increase (p < 0.0001) of multifractal features were found in patients from group B. Individual parameters may characterize bone structure, which had undergone bone augmentation with xenogenic material. Finally, we showed that the properly selected multifractal quantificators obtained for those images could be used to assign those images to the appropriate group. ConclusionThe proposed analysis based on RVG images could help to evaluate the healing process after bone loss. The analysis and interpretation of the healing process after bone loss using monofractal and multifractal analysis as a multi-steps process quantify a stable (good) clinical result.

Screening for amyloid-β aggregation inhibitor and neuronal toxicity of eight Tunisian medicinal plants

The aggregation and deposition of misfolded β-amyloid peptide (Aβ42) is a consistent pathological hallmark of Alzheimer Disease (AD). Mounting pieces of evidence indicate that the auto-assembly of Aß42 into toxic oligomers and fibrillar aggregates is a multi-steps process that causes an increase of ROS (Reactive oxygen species) level, disruption of calcium homeostasis and altered membrane integrity leading to neuronal death. Oxidation is thought to promote Aß42 aggregation, so the use of natural dietary antioxidants that can interfere or inhibit Aß aggregation and its cytotoxicity is a promising approach. In this study, we investigate a panel of extracts from eight Tunisian medicinal plants for their ability to counteract amyloid aggregation. A screening assay was developed to identify and to rank extracts that hinder Aβ aggregation. Thus, we report that secondary metabolites extracted from Lawsonia inermis L., Punica granatum L. and Pistacia lentiscus L. hinder Aβ42 aggregation during the early secondary structure transitions to amyloid by inhibiting the conformational changes to a β sheet-rich structure, thus inhibiting its polymerization and fibrillogenisis. Cellular study allowed us to select the extract of L. inermis as the most bioactive extract; we showed that the extract of L. inermis reduces the toxicity, ROS and calcium levels induced by Aß42 aggregates. FRET analysis confirmed the ability of the extract of L. inermis to inhibit the interaction between Aβ42 aggregates and plasma membrane, thus reducing their cytotoxicity. These results suggested that methanolic extract from L. inermis could act as neuroprotective and therapeutic factors against toxic Aβ aggregates.

Feedback inhibition of CREB signaling by p38 MAPK contributes to the negative regulation of steroidogenesis

BackgroundSteroidogenesis is a complex, multi-steps biological process in which, cholesterol precursor is converted to steroids in a tissue specific and tropic hormone dependent manner. Given that steroidogenesis is achieved by coordinated functioning of multiple tissue specific enzymes, many steroids intermediates/metabolites are generated during this process. Both the steroid products as well as major lipoprotein cholesterol donor, high-density lipoprotein 3 (hHDL3) have the potential to negatively regulate steroidogenesis via increased oxidative stress/reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.MethodsIn the current study, we examined the effects of treatment of a mouse model of steroidogenesis, Y1-BS1 adrenocortical tumor cells with pregnenolone, 22(R)-Hydroxycholesterol [22(R)-diol] or hHDL3 on ROS production, phosphorylation status of p38 MAPK and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), CREB transcriptional activity and mRNA expression of StAR, CPY11A1/P450scc and antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutases [Cu,ZnSOD (SOD1), MnSOD (SOD2)], catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1). We also detected the steroid product in p38 MAPK inhibitor treated Y1 cells by HPLC-MS / MS.ResultsTreatment of Y1 cells with H2O2 greatly enhanced the phosphorylation of both p38 MAPK and CREB protein. Likewise, treatment of cells with pregnenolone, 22(R) diol or hHDL3 increased ROS production measured with the oxidation-sensitive fluorescent probe 2′,7′-Dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA). Under identical experimental conditions, treatment of cells with these agents also increased the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and CREB. This increased CREB phosphorylation however, was associated with its decreased transcriptional activity. The stimulatory effects of pregnenolone, 22(R)-diol and hHDL3 on CREB phosphorylation was abolished by a specific p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580. Pregnenolone, and 22(R) diol but not hHDL3 upregulated the mRNA expression of SOD1, SOD2 and GPX1, while down-regulated the mRNA levels of StAR and CYP11A1. The p38 inhibitor SB203580 could increase the steroid production in HDL3, 22(R)-diol or pregnenolone treated cells.ConclusionOur data demonstrate induction of a ROS/p38 MAPK -mediated feedback inhibitory pathway by oxy-cholesterol and steroid intermediates and products attenuates steroidogenesis via inhibition of CREB transcriptional activity.

Multi-steps green process for synthesis of six-membered functional cyclic carbonate from trimethylolpropane by lipase catalyzed methacrylation and carbonation, and thermal cyclization.

A highly functionalized six-membered cyclic carbonate, methacrylated trimethylolpropane (TMP) cyclic carbonate, which can be used as a potential monomer for bisphenol-free polycarbonates and isocyanate-free polyurethanes, was synthesized by two steps transesterifications catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B, Novozym(®) 435 (N435) followed by thermal cyclization. TMP was functionalized as 70 to 80% selectivity of mono-methacrylate with 70% conversion was achieved, and the reaction rate was evaluated using various acyl donors such as methacrylic acid, methacrylate-methyl ester, -ethyl ester, and -vinyl ester. As a new observation, the fastest rate obtained was for the transesterfication reaction using methacrylate methyl ester. Byproducts resulted from leaving groups were adsorbed on the molecular sieves (4Å) to minimize the effect of leaving group on the equilibrium. The difference of reaction rate was explained by molecular dynamic simulations on interactions between carbonyl oxygen and amino acid residues (Thr 40 and Glu 157) in the active site of lipase. Our docking studies revealed that as acyl donor, methyl ester was preferred for the initial conformation of the first tetrahederal intermediate with hydrogen bonding interactions. TMP-monomethacrylate (TMP-mMA) cyclic carbonate was obtained in 63% yield (74.1% calculated in 85% conversion) from the lipase-catalyzed carbonation reaction of TMP-mMA with dimethylcarbonate, and followed by thermal cyclization of the monocarbonate at 90°C. From the multiple reactions demonstrated in gram scale, TMP-mMA cyclic carbonate was obtained as a green process without using chlorinated solvent and reagent.

Canceromics and P3 medicine

Cancer is a disease of the genome. The first evidence for the role of genetics in cancer causation was identification of Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myeloid leukaemia [1] and now we are in such a state that we can create neoplastic cells in the laboratory through genetic manipulation of normal cells. Normal cells can be transformed into cancer cells by introducing few genes (hTERT, Ras, large T oncoprotein of simian virus 40, etc.) in embryonic cells or telomerase negative cells [2]. De novo neoplastic transformation is initiated by a genetic lesion due to an error occurring during normal cell division. This initial event provides a platform for other genetic lesions to develop in due course of time. When the proper combination of genetic lesions accumulates in cell, it becomes malignant. Neoplastic cells possess numerous chromosomal (aneuploidy, polyploidy, rearrangements, deletions, amplifications, etc.) and/or genomic (mutations, small deletions and small insertions) and/or epigenomic (promoter/euchromatin permethylation, heterochromatin deacetylation, miRNA, etc.) alterations. This genomic changes are multi steps process and mainly due to failure in check points of cell cycle regulation. Genomic and epigenomic abnormalities are more with alignant and metastatic tumors than benign tumors. The hallmark of cancer cells are genetic instability, self-maintained replication, neo-angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis and longer survival. Furthermore, every cancer patient is different, every tumor is different, every tumor cells with 100s of genomic/ epigenomic abnormalities (more with lung cancers, melanomas, etc.

The Effect of Mechanical Activation on Non-isothermal Decomposition Kinetics of Ag2O–Graphite Mixture

The effect of mechanical activation for 0, 2 and 4 h using high-energy planetary ball mill on the thermal decomposition kinetics of Ag2O–graphite powder mixture, i.e., mechanochemical decomposition, is systematically investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) in terms of a model-free advanced isoconversional method of Vyazovkin. The DSC results showed the mechanochemical decomposition shifts the reaction temperature in the range of 140–436°C (for as-received sample) to 170–335°C and 161–250°C after 2 and 4 h milling, respectively. The results show that decomposition of as-received Ag2O–graphite mixture with the average activation energy of 118.93±3.95 kJ mol−1 consists of two steps. The first step is a complex process with the participation of at least of two mechanisms, and the second step is a single-step process. The thermal decomposition of mechanically activated Ag2O for 2 h is a multi-steps process with the average activation energy of 99.38 ± 2.36 kJ mol−1. Moreover, the thermal decomposition of mechanically activated Ag2O–graphite powder for 4 h is a single-step process with the average activation energy of 93.68± 2.26 kJ mol−1.

High Quality Graphene for Low Temperatures Lithium-Ion Batteries Application

The properties of high quality few-layers graphene, produced though multisteps process involving microwave irradiation of expandable graphite, are presented. Such innovative approach fulfills all desirable requirements (so far missing in the conventional methods, e.g. Hummers method) of being reproducible, low-cost, environmental friendly, with high yield, and scalable.When used as anode material the so-obtained graphene (hereinafter GRAL), differently from the commonly employed reduced graphene oxide, is able, similarly to graphite, to intercalate/de-intercalate Li ions in the few-layers structure. Its peculiar features such as (i) presence of few defects, (ii) small sheets size, and (iii) nanometric thickness, enable the negative electrode to work at considerably lower temperatures than conventional graphite.During galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments (specific current of 50 mA g-1), performed in a temperature range comprised between +20°C and -30°C, GRAL exhibits remarkable capacity retention with comparison to commercial graphite. At temperatures above 0°C, GRAL performs quite similarly to graphite. However, at lower temperatures, graphite suffers from dramatic capacity decay resulting on only 9% of capacity retention at -30°C. On the contrary, GRAL is able to retain 65% and 34% of the room temperature capacity when operating at -20°C and -30°C, respectively.The outstanding performances of this novel few-layers graphene are confirmed also by the very promising low temperature stability, with a coulombic efficiency close to 100%.

Electrospun metallic nanowires: Synthesis, characterization, and applications

Metals are known to have unique thermal, mechanical, electrical, and catalytic properties. On the other hand, metallic nanowires are promising materials for variety of applications such as transparent conductive film for photovoltaic devices, electrodes for batteries, as well as nano-reinforcement for composite materials. Whereas varieties of methods have been explored to synthesize metal nanowires with different characteristics, electrospinning has also been found to be successful for that purpose. Even though electrospinning of polymeric nanofibers is a well-established field, there are several challenges that need to be overcome to use the electrospinning technique for the fabrication of metallic nanowires. These challenges are mainly related to the multi-steps fabrication process and its relation to the structure evolution of the nanowires. In addition to reviewing the literature, this article identifies promising avenues for further research in this area with particular emphasis on the applications that nonwoven metal wires confined in a nano-scale can open.

Health Cost Modelisation of Home Versus Hospital Administration of Bortezomib. Experience of a French Hematologic Care Network

AbstractAbstract 4233 Introduction:Among innovative drugs used for hematological malignancies, Bortezomib (BTZ) is widely prescribed by systemic route in multiple myeloma (MM). Frequent hospitalizations required by the recommended schedule of administration, usually 4 infusions every 21 days, reduce quality of life for patients (pts), increase the medical team workload and health costs of care and transport. Therefore, we previously conducted a feasibility study for a home administration of chemotherapy (ASH: Blood, Nov 2010; 116: 3823). The aim of this study is to evaluate the economic weight of a cohort of 54 consecutive unselected pts with MM treated as a combinated management associating Hospital Outpatient (HO) and “Hospital at Home” (HaH) in Limousin’s region, a French rural area. The costs are compared towards an exclusive HO management. Methods:A French hematological care network (HEMATOLIM) aggregating a reference university hospital, distant non-university hospitals and HaH units, has validated secure risk procedures for home injection of chemotherapy according to a multi-steps process. The first cycle of BTZ and the first infusion of each subsequent cycle are performed in HO. Remaining infusions are performed in HaH. Chemotherapy is prepared in hospital pharmacy according with legal requirements. Inclusion criteria:Consecutive willing MM pts treated with BTZ from January 2009 to December 2011, treated at least, one day in HaH.Costs were recorded in three categories: Medication, transports and drug administration. The cost of BTZ is US$ 368.28 (US$ 1 = € 0.87093738). The administration cost in HO is US$ 456.49 for all pts. The administration cost for HaH, depends on 4 criteria 1) the main diagnosis (chemotherapy infusion); 2) associated procedures; 3) Karnofsky index; 4) length of stay. With these data, HaH costs vary from US$ 153.36 to US$ 283.04 per day for both public and private sector. Transportation was calculated according to the number of kilometers (km) and the mode of transport (taxi, ambulance, private car…). The distance was calculated in km using Google map between the patient’s home and the HO. All the costs are based on 2012 national French insurance tariffs. All pts gave their consent for the study and provided us with their mode of transport. This work has received the agreement of local ethic comity. Results:Among 88 pts treated by BTZ in HO/HaH, 54 fulfilled inclusion criteria: median age was 65 years (40–89). Sex ratio was 1.08. The total number of infusions of BTZ was 1292 (900 in HaH and 392 in HO). The mean number of infusions of BTZ in HaH per pts was 16.7 (1–44) and 7.3 (1–30) in HO. The mean duration of treatment with BTZ in HaH was 5.7 months (1day, >2 years). The median home-hospital distance was 34.2 kms (2–140). Transport was performed by taxi 59.3 %, private car 31.4%, ambulance 7.4% and other 1.9%. Karnofsky index average was 68% (50–90). The following table summarizes the unit costs per pts (US$).Average cost per patientHO/HaHHOBTZ (per mg)368.28368.28Administration (per day)293.41456.49Transport (per km)0.371.16Total cost by injection per patient1095.601312.86Wilcoxon signed-rank testP<0.0001Modelisation of pts’s management according to the administration (HO/HaH versus HO) is shown in graphs. The total health cost for the 54 pts was US$ 1,409,000 (HO/HaH) versus US$ 1,696,000 (HO) with a significative Wilcoxon signed-rank test difference (p<0.0001) between the two categories (US$ 287,000=16.5% less). Discussion:This study showed that administration of BTZ in a combined HO/HaH setting is less expensive for the society health costs than the exclusive administration in HO. This is the first time in France we get the proof that there is a significant medico-economic interest for this kind of management. This work was carried out under real conditions in a rural region and these encouraging results justify development of home administration of BTZ not only for the benefit economic but also for improving the quality of life. Conclusion:The innovative molecules such as BTZ could be administered in HaH settings with safety conditions conferred by organization and processes of a regional hematological care network. Our study**This work was supported by an academic grant from JANSSEN-CILAG Company. provides an objective saving in health cost of 16.5%. Furthermore, quality of life of this willing MM pts has been improved and this will be objectivated in future studies by quality researches. [Display omitted] [Display omitted] Disclosures:Touati:JANSSEN-CILAG: Research Funding. Lamarsalle:JANSSEN-CILAG: Honoraria.

Multi-steps degradation process prediction for bearing based on improved back propagation neural network

Bearing degradation process prediction is extremely important in industry. This article proposed a new method to achieve multi-steps bearing degradation prediction based on an improved back propagation neural network model. Firstly, time domain and time–frequency domain features extraction methods are employed to extract the original features from the mass vibration signals. However, the extracted original features still with high dimensional and include superfluous information, the multi-features fusion technique principal component analysis is used to merge the original features and reduce the dimension, the typical sensitive features can be extracted. Then, based on the extracted features, the improved three-layer back propagation neural network model is constructed and trained for multi-steps bearing degradation process prediction. The phase space construction method is used to determine the embedding dimension of the back propagation neural network model. An accelerated bearing run-to-failure experiment was carried out, the results proved the effectiveness of the methodology.

Structural, thermal, and spectral investigations of the lanthanide(III) biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylates

The lanthanide biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylates (bpdc) series of the general formulae Ln2(bpdc)3·nH2O, where Ln = lanthanides from La(III) to Lu(III); bpdc = C12H5(COO) 2 2− ; n = 4, 5 or 6 have been obtained by the conventional precipitation method. All prepared complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, simultaneous thermal analyses thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC) and TG–FT-IR, FT-IR, and FT-Raman spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffraction patterns measurements. In the whole series of analyzed complexes the bpdc2− ligand is completely deprotonated. In view of that, four carboxylate oxygen atoms are engaged in the coordination of Ln(III) ions. The synthesized compounds are polycrystalline and insoluble in water. They crystallize in the low symmetry crystal systems, like monoclinic and triclinic. Heating in the air atmosphere resulted in the multi-steps decomposition process, namely endothermic dehydration and strong exothermic decomposition processes. The dehydration process leads to the formation of stable anhydrous Ln2bpdc3 compounds which subsequently decompose to the corresponding lanthanide oxides.