Triple Benefit Research Articles

Shear study on the interface between ultra-high durability concrete and low-cement-lightweight concrete for precast composite walls

Precast wall system is one of the solutions with great potential, as it makes it possible to build structures in a simple and quick way, without using columns and beams. Considering the advantages of this system, an innovative composite structural precast wall has been developed, using a layer of ultra-high durability concrete (UHDC) on the outside and another layer of low cement lightweight concrete (LCLWAC) on the inside. This provides a triple benefit: (a) a reduction in dead weight, (b) an increase in durability and therefore a higher life of the structure, and (c) a reduction in cement dosage and consequently a reduction of the carbon footprint of the product. The main topic of this research is the study of the interface shear strength between a low cement lightweight aggregate concrete (LCLWAC) and an eco-efficient ultra-high durability concrete (UHDC). An experimental program was carried out to evaluate this shear strength, considering two parameters: i) the roughness interface and (ii) the transversal reinforcement crossing the interface; and using two types of tests, push-off and flexural tests. Results were compared with the predictions of Eurocode 2 and fib Model Code 2010, including the new versions of both codes, to assess how suitable are the models and coefficients for this situation. The shear strength between LCLWAC-UHDC is quite effective, and the predictions are conservative for this combination, at least 2 times lower than the experimental results and close to 7 times in some cases.

Sponge iron-coupled biochar solution can achieve the synergistic augmentation of carbon sequestration, carbon sink capacity, and denitrification in ecological ditches

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a more powerful greenhouse gas due to its enhanced instantaneous radiative forcing. Since agricultural ecological ditches (eco-ditches) controlling agricultural non-point source pollution are potential CO2 hotspots, carbon capture technologies must be deployed immediately to sequester carbon and combat climate change. Zero-waste biochar, a negative-carbon technology, remains contentious regarding C sequestration. Iron (Fe) enhances long-term organic carbon (OC) preservation, but the cascading effects of Fe-biochar interactions on the promotion of C accumulation are unclear in eco-ditches. In this paper, we fill these research gaps and employ sponge iron (s-ZVI) and biochar coupling (Fe-C) to enhance the iron gate C protection in eco-ditches. The results reveal that Myriophyllum aquaticum(M.A.)-derived biochar prepared by low-temperature pyrolysis (Biochar_M.A.) enjoys the highest FI, the lowest SUVA254 and SUVA280 and moderate dissolution stability. The coupling of s-ZVI and environmentally compatible Biochar_M.A. achieve a triple benefit situation of C sequestration, C sink, and pollutant removal. Overall carbon gain is jointly determined by abiotic controls and biotic controls. The carbon burial effects of biochar-amended eco-ditches are mainly controlled by the trade-offs between Fe-bound OC mineralization via the biochar-induced prime effect and preservation of OC derived from microbial biomass. The unique Fe-C boosts the rusty sink and yields a negative priming as a result of the dominance of Fe-OC. The upregulated β-glucosidase activity and new-formed Fe-OC indirectly and directly contribute to overall C gain in Fe-C-filled eco-ditches, respectively. These findings provide novel insights into the coupled biotic-abiotic contribution mechanisms underlying the iron gate and reverse enzyme latch phenomenon and advance more robust and prospective theoretical knowledge of C dynamics that are not restricted to eco-ditches, soil, constructed wetlands C storage.

DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENT (RELINE) AS CATALYTIC SYSTEM IN SYNTHESIS OF SCHIFF BASES DERIVED FROM GLUCOSE AND DIFFERENT AMINES

In this work, seven new Schiff bases were obtained in two ways. In method (A), an equimolecular aqueous solution of glucose and an alcoholic solution of amine were refluxed for three hours, and in method (B), a deep eutectic solvent (Reline), prepared from one mole of choline chloride and two moles of urea,was used as catalyst. The reaction yield percentage in the traditional method (A) was found to be 60-79%, and in the catalytic method (Method B) using a deep eutectic solvent (Reline) yield percentage was 88-95%. The deep eutectic solvent catalytic system (Reline) is an environmentally friendly solution with the triple benefit of increased percentage yield, elimination of solvent, and faster reaction time by reducing reflux time by up to three times (i.e., just one hour).

Use of ladle slag for CO2 sequestration and zinc immobilization

Environmental pollution, waste management, and greenhouse gas emissions pose significant challenges to global sustainable development. To address these challenges, this study introduces an innovative approach by reusing an industrial waste, ladle slag (LS), and greenhouse gas, CO2, for fast immobilization of zinc. In this study, specimens were prepared by mixing LS with zinc nitrate with initial concentrations of 0–25,000 mg/kg and then subjected to conventional and CO2 curing. Leaching test and chemical analysis tests were also conducted. The results showed that LS with CO2 requires only 112 hours to achieve around 2–3 times lower leaching concentrations than that of conventional curing for 28 days, being around 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than that without CO2 and conventional curing. Simultaneously, CO2 up to 13.5 % of LS mass was also sequestered. This approach provides a triple benefit by simultaneously immobilizing zinc, mitigating LS landfilling, and capturing CO2.

In vitro assessment of antimicrobial potential of low molecular weight chitosan and its ability to mechanically reinforce and control endogenous proteolytic activity of dentine.

Chitosan-based biomaterials exhibit several properties of biological interest for endodontic treatment. Herein, a low molecular weight chitosan (CH) solution was tested for its antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and effects on dentine structure. The root canal of 27 extracted uniradicular teeth were biomechanically prepared, inoculated with a suspension of E. faecalis and randomly assigned to be irrigated with either 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), 0.2% CH or sterile ultrapure water (W). Bacteriologic samples were collected from root canals and quantified for of E. faecalis colony-forming units (CFUs). The effectiveness of CH over E. faecalis biofilms was further measured using the MBEC Assay®. Additionally, dentine beams and dentine powder were obtained, respectively, from crowns and roots of 20 extracted third molars. Dentine samples were treated or not with 17% EDTA and immersed in either CH or W for 1 min. The effects of CH on dentine structure were evaluated by assessment of the modulus of elasticity, endogenous proteolytic activity and biochemical modifications. The number of E. faecalis CFUs was significantly lower for samples irrigated with CH and NaClO. No significant differences were found between CH and NaClO treatments. Higher modulus of elasticity and lower proteolytic activity were reported for dentine CH-treated specimens. Chemical interaction between CH and dentine was observed for samples treated or not with EDTA. Present findings suggest that CH could be used as an irrigant during root canal treatment with the triple benefit of reducing bacterial activity, mechanically reinforcing dentine and inhibiting dentine proteolytic activity.

Interest of renal scintigraphy with captopril in the diagnosis of renovascular arterial hypertension

Introduction: Renal scintigraphy with captopril test of the kidney is a simple, non-invasive functional imaging technique that can be used to demonstrate the role of stenosis in the development of renovascular hypertension (RVH). It also makes it possible to distinguish renal artery stenosis responsible for RVH from stenosis associated with primary arterial hypertension. Objective: To illustrate the benefits of renal scintigraphy with captopril test in the diagnosis of RVH. Material and method: This was a prospective and descriptive study over a period of 12 months, from 1 March 2016 to 4 March 2017, carried out in the nuclear medicine department of the Institut des Radio Isotopes (IRI) in Niamey. The parameters studied were age, frequency, creatinemia, tracer used, relative perfusion, relative renal function and maximum uptake time. Results: We collected 6 cases presenting with either hypertension refractory to well-administered two- or three- therapy, or severe hypertension at the complication stage, or hypertension associated with hypokalaemia or unexplained renal failure or reversible renal failure induced by a conversion enzyme inhibitor. The mean age was 35 years. The age of diagnosis of hypertension ranged from 20 to 28 years. Four patients underwent echodoppler of the renal arteries: unilateral stenosis in patients A, C and F, and bilateral stenosis in patient D. The captopril test was positive in 3 cases, patients A, B and C. Conclusion: Dynamic renal scintigraphy with captopril testing is a non-invasive, low-radiation diagnostic method for the investigation of renovascular hypertension. It has a triple benefit, including the detection of the most severe arterial stenoses, the prediction of the curability of the stenosis by a revascularisation procedure and, finally, post-treatment follow-up.

Impact of Management and Reverse Logistics on Recycling in a War Scenario

Nowadays organizations search to maximize their profits, particularly with regard to recyclable materials, making new strategies according to several emerging and changing scenarios. Logistics management is an important tool in achieving these goals, serving as a link between the market and the various areas of an organization. It is responsible for managing physical and organizational flows, both within and between organizations. Reverse logistics management of waste is one of the most complex areas in any organization, due to the financial effort needed in the separation and management of all waste, and due to the human resources allocated to those processes. The supply chain management paradigm, due to the emerging conflicts caused by war inducing extreme changes, shows that supply chains have massive difficulties and costs in obtaining raw materials, namely ferrous and non-ferrous materials. Thus, it is important to study the impact of management and reverse logistics on recycling in a “War” scenario, considering a case study from the Alto Minho region. This article’s research has the objective to raise awareness of the possible impacts of improving operations in the context of the recovery and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment through the concept of reverse logistics management. The importance of the recovery of this waste, among others, will necessarily have a great impact on logistics operation and, in particular, reverse logistics. This process includes the collection, separation, storage, reprocessing and reintroduction of electronic waste into the production chains of raw materials and components. With the crisis in production and shortages of semiconductors and raw materials, as is the case with some metals from Russia and Ukraine (exponentially aggravated by the war), this is a credible alternative. This is also relevant to the treatment of waste in landfills, transforming and converting these into biogas, which can be converted into electricity and introduced into the energy network. With this situation we obtain a triple benefit: cheaper electricity, waste treatment, and protection of future generations and the reintroduction of raw materials into production chains; these results are only possible to obtain through reverse logistics management concepts.

Triple Benefit: Impact of an Integrated Early Childhood Development and PMTCT Intervention on ART Outcomes Among Mothers Living with HIV and Infants in Malawi—An Endline Evaluation

We conducted a programmatic, observational cohort study with mother-infant pairs (MIPs) enrolled in prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) programs in Malawi to assess the feasibility and potential HIV-related benefits of integrating Early Childhood Development (ECD) services into PMTCT programs. Six health facilities were included in the intervention. We offered ECD counseling from the WHO/UNICEF Care for Child Development package in PMTCT waiting spaces while MIPs waited for PMTCT and broader treatment consultations. Primary outcomes were mothers’ retention in HIV care at 12 months and infant HIV testing at 6 weeks and 12 months after birth. Routine facility-level data from six comparison health facilities were collected as an adhoc standard of care comparison and used to calculate the cost of delivering the intervention. A total of 607 MIPs were enrolled in the integrated ECD-PMTCT intervention between June 2018 and December 2019. The average age of MIPs was 30 years and 7 weeks respectively. We found that 86% of mothers attended ≥ 5 of the 8 ECD sessions over the course of 12 months; 88% of intervention mothers were retained in PMTCT versus 59% of mothers in comparison health facilities, and 96% of intervention infants were tested for HIV by six weeks compared to 66% of infants in comparison health facilities. Costing data demonstrated the financial feasibility of integrating ECD and PMTCT programs in government health facilities in Malawi. Integrating ECD into PMTCT programs was feasible, acceptable, resulted in better programmatic outcomes for both mothers and infants. Further investigation is required to determine optimal delivery design for scale-up.

Effectiveness of Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture System in Ethiopia

The scientific basis for conceptualizing how farm households achieve the three climate-smart agriculture (CSA) pillars, the “triple benefit”, is not well developed. This paper examined the impacts of CSA innovations on simultaneously enhancing food security, climate adaptation, and reducing GHG emissions. A cross-sectional household survey was collected from a multi-stage sample of 424 smallholder farmers selected from five agroecosystems of the upper Blue Nile highlands in Ethiopia and analyzed using an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model. CSA innovations, improved variety, compost, row planting, and agroforestry, provide farmers with the benefits of enhanced food security and climate change adaptation, reducing GHG emissions from farm plots. Crop rotation provides farmers with enhanced food security and reduced livelihood vulnerability, while SWC meets the goal of enhancing food security and reducing GHG emissions. Unfortunately, adopting crop residue management, one of the recommended CSA practices in Ethiopia, does not deliver at least two of the CSA pillars. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt improved variety, crop rotation, compost, row planting, soil and water conservation, and agroforestry as the best portfolio of CSA innovation for highland smallholder agriculture systems.

Effectiveness of Triple Benefit Health Education Intervention on Knowledge, Attitude and Food Security towards Malnutrition among Adolescent Girls in Borno State, Nigeria.

Knowledge and attitude are essential components of food security as malnutrition remains a critical public health concern among adolescents. The study evaluates the effectiveness of a Triple Benefit Health Education Intervention on knowledge, attitude and food security towards malnutrition among adolescent girls. This was a cluster randomized controlled trial among 417 randomly selected adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 years old in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria from October 2019 to March 2020. About 208 respondents were assigned to experimental while 209 to control group, respectively, using an opaque sealed envelope. A structured questionnaire using KoBo Collect Toolbox was used for the collection of data at baseline, three and six-months post intervention while the data collected were analyzed using generalized estimating equation (GEE). The outcome of the baseline shows no statistically significant difference in sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and food security between experimental and control groups. The study reveals a statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups for knowledge (p < 0.001; p < 0.001), attitude (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) and food security (p = 0.026; p = 0.001) at three and six-months post intervention, respectively. The triple benefit health education intervention package employed in this study can serve as an intervention tool to combat malnutrition among adolescent girls in Nigeria at large.

Circular Migration and Triple Benefits: The Case of Albanian Migrants to Italy

According to the 2008 IOM Report on Migration in the World, circular migration is "the fluid movement of people between countries, including temporary or long-term movements, which can be beneficial to all entities involved, if it happens voluntarily and if it is related to the labor market needs of the countries of origin and destination.” The already 30-year experience of emigration of Albanians to Italy has shaped new models of migration. The historical migration between the two countries, as well as the long migratory experience after the fall of the communist regime, has enabled the circulation of many individuals between the two countries.The purpose of this study is to explore through the experiences of migrants moving between Albania and Italy, their contribution to themselves, as well as for the host country and that of origin. This paper is based on a combination of data obtained from secondary sources, such as: studies and research by foreign and Albanian authors, reports and literature focused mainly on circular migrants, but not only, as well as primary data obtained from direct interviews and focus groups with 15 circular migrants. Based on the perceptions generated by the migrants themselves, who participated in this study, there seems to be a threefold benefit from this migration process, despite the fact that migrants' perceptions take on different nuances in relation to these benefits that sometimes lean more towards themselves, sometimes from the host country and sometimes from the country of origin. Throughout the interviews it was noted that migrants did not know policies in support of this category, either from the host country or from the country of origin, which can be considered as an important step to be taken in the framework of interstate cooperation, to increase the triple benefit from this type of migration. Received: 2 May 2021 / Accepted: 15 June 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

Scaling up urban infrastructure for physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Scaling up urban infrastructure for physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Molecular level investigation of curcumin self-assembly induced by trigonelline and nanoparticle formation.

Nanoparticle-facilitated drug delivery forms the core of medicine nowadays with the drug being delivered right at the target, reducing side effects and enhancing therapeutic value. Nanoparticles derived from natural compounds are further a point of focus being biocompatible and safe by and large. In this study, we have performed HF/6-31G calculations coupled with intermolecular interaction calculations and nanoscale molecular dynamics simulations to investigate self-assemblage in curcumin induced by trigonelline. Similar to recently reported self-assemblage in curcumin induced by sugar, trigonelline, a natural antidiabetic derived from fenugreek, can also induce auto-catalyzed self-assemblage in curcumin to form nanoparticles. It has been shown that these nanoparticles may be utilized for the delivery of drugs with severe side effects especially for diabetic patients with triple benefit of being antidiabetic, biocompatible and safe. As an example, carriage of antidiabetic drug pioglitazone and anticancer drug taxol have been depicted utilizing nanoparticles of curcumin and trigonelline. Twenty five taxol molecules could be comfortably carried in a 50 nm nanoparticle with an average overall root mean square deviation of 2.89 Å with reference to initial positions. For the first time, this study shows the possibility of developing antidiabetic nanoparticles with plethora of opportunities for diabetic patients. The study is expected to motivate experimental verification and has a long lasting impact in medicinal chemistry.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13204-020-01526-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Novel health insurance plan for low resource countries: Medical Complication Insurance (MCI) based on Sandesh-Triple insurance (S-TI) concept.

Medical care is associated with unexpected complications increasing the treatment cost causing financial burden on the patient especially when the patient doesn’t have a health insurance or when the treatment cost exceeds the sum insured limit of a health policy. A novel insurance plan – “Medical Complication Insurance (MCI)” based on a unique Sandesh Triple Insurance (S-TI) concept is described. It is a contract between three parties; Doctor, patient and the insurance company (hence the term ‘triple insurance’) providing coverage solely for the complications arising due to a medical/surgical treatment. A patient attains this policy when a treatment is decided, but before its commencement. The sum insured/premium/treatments covered/types of complications/chances of occurrence of complications/ severity etc. are decided based on mathematical and statistical calculations by the insurance companies after extensive consultations with insurance actuaries and doctors. MCI can be implemented as a sole policy or as addition to a regular health insurance. It can be comprehensively extended to all doctors/hospitals or can be restricted to those with certain credentials. Elderly patients can be included. Its transparent feature decreases the chances of insurance frauds. MCI could undoubtedly become effective scheme especially in the underdeveloped/developing countries which have an enormous market potential as most of its residents do not have a health insurance, when compared to a developed nation where its citizens are insured with unlimited health cover. Also, most medico-legal litigations in these countries commonly happen because of resentment to monetary losses causing a rift between the doctor and the patient. Hence the MCI based on triple insurance concept would benefit the doctor, patient and the insurance company (triple benefit), improves the doctor patient relationship and results in a healthier country.

Towards Sustainability in Trade, Energy and Climate

This paper aims at developing effective trade law and policy instruments for sustainable energy and environmental protection with a view to advance current legislation. In the past, trade law has been a very powerful instrument for change in other fields of science. My hypothesis is that trade law can be a tool to help mitigate climate change and enhance sustainable energy. And it is well known that, thanks to trade, countries grow economically. Hence, the triple benefit of trade, which can have a positive economic, environmental and social impact. This paper challenges the view that trade’s only impact on the environment is negative. On the contrary, it takes the unconventional view that the trading system goes beyond benefiting the economy and society in that it can also contribute to environmental protection, with a specific focus on decarbonization, which is one of the main challenges humanity faces today. In this sense, my research proposes a paradigm shift in how we approach trade and develops a new theory based on the triple benefit of trade. This paper incorporates the new trend of bottom-up, rather than top-down, solutions to today’s global challenges. My analysis of trade’s potential for environmental protection will: • Shift the scientific paradigm that trade’s only impact on the environment is negative by proposing the novel idea of using mega-regional trade agreements (RTAs) to mitigate climate change and enhance sustainable energy; • Explain that a bottom-up approach to governance can give us many answers to scientific issues by bringing forward the novel idea of how greater participation of citizens can be very promising in helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such an approach will show the potential of the trading system for moving forward many of the SDGs and is likely to create new opportunities and open new windows for further research.

Walrasian Equilibrium-Based Incentive Scheme for Mobile Crowdsourcing Fingerprint Localization.

Mobile crowdsourcing has been exploited to collect enough fingerprints for fingerprinting-based localization. Since the construction of a fingerprint database is time consuming, mobile users should be well motivated to participate in fingerprint collection task. To this end, a Walrasian equilibrium-based incentive mechanism is proposed in this paper to motivate mobile users. The proposed mechanism can eliminate the monopoly of the crowdsourcer, balance the supply and demand of fingerprint data, and maximize the benefit of all participators. In order to reach the Walrasian equilibrium, firstly, the social welfare maximization problem is constructed. To solve the original optimization problem, a dual decomposition method is employed. The maximization of social welfare is decomposed into the triple benefit optimization among the crowdsourcer, mobile users, and the whole system. Accordingly, a distributed iterative algorithm is designed. Through the simulation, the performance of the proposed incentive scheme is verified and analyzed. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed iterative algorithm satisfies the convergence and optimality. Moreover, the self-reconstruction ability of the proposed incentive scheme was also verified, indicating that the system has strong robustness and scalability.

Mare nostrum: the political ethics of migration in the Mediterranean

In the political theory debate about open borders and the ethics of immigration control there has been little discussion of trade-offs and a lack of distinctions between admission claims. This paper argues that freedom of movement, global distributive justice and democratic self-government form a trilemma that makes pursuing all three goals through migration policies difficult. It argues also that there are distinct normative grounds for refugee protection, admission of economic migrants and reciprocity-based free movement. Refugees have claims to protection of their fundamental human rights. Economic migrants should be admitted if there is a triple benefit for the receiving country, the country of origin and for themselves. Free movement is based on agreements between states to promote international mobility for their own citizens. These three normative claims call for different policy responses. However, in the current migration across the Mediterranean flows and motives are often mixed and policies of closure by destination states are bound to contribute to such mixing. The paper concludes by suggesting that the European Union as a whole has special responsibilities towards its geographic neighbours that include duties to admit asylum seekers, displaced persons and economic migrants.

Phage typing, antibiotic resistance and genomic rep-PCR fingerprinting of clinical Salmonella isolates from the Caucasus region

Background: In reaction to the use of antibiotics in farming and veterinary practices, MDR phenotypes have emerged. As Salmonella enterica serovars are widely diverse and spread through the food chain, rapid increase in antibiotic resistance is also observed in clinical strains. Therefore, rapid identification and treatment solutions are direly needed to treat MDR infections. The use of lytic phage-based systems offers a triple benefit: rapid and cost effective typing using therapeutic agents, which can potentially lyse the examined MDR strains. Methods & Materials: In this study we have focused on isolates from patients with Salmonellosis, who have not yet received any antibiotic therapy. In total, 71 non-typhoid Salmonella enterica clinical isolates from the “Nork” Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases (Yerevan, Armenia) and 22 strains from the Referral Laboratory at the Republican Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases (RCHID, Tbilisi, Georgia) were selected. Serotyping by polyvalent antisera for flagellar (H) and lipopolysaccharide (O) antigens, and by biochemical analysis, were performed in the respective clinical settings. MALDI-TOF analysis was performed to confirm the identification at the genus level. Semi-automated rep-PCR fingerprinting profiles were determined using the DiversiLab® system and analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis. The obtained clusters were compared with Salmonella group B, C, D, E, F, G, K, L, O, R reference libraries for serotype identification. Antibiotic resistance profiles were determined in accordance with the CLSI guidelines for standard disk diffusion assays. Phage typing was performed using the line spot-test method. Results: Species identification by phage typing confirmed the MALDI-TOF identifications. Forty-one percent of the tested clinical isolates were shown to be MDR, while none of the strains showed complete resistance to the tested phages. According to rep-PCR fingerprinting, 93 examined isolates clustered into 24 different cluster-serotypes. One isolate from RCHID showed 97.3% similarity with a Salmonella Dublin reference strain, one cluster harbored 14 strains with >95% similarity to a Salmonella typhimurium reference strain and another cluster consisted of 21 strains identified as Salmonella enteritidis. As expected, no correlation was observed between strain genotypes and phage types. Conclusion: A lytic phage-based characterization system can be relevant for epidemiological studies and rapid screening for therapeutic phage applications.

STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF A NOVEL LOW-COST MEDIUM BASED ON REGIONAL AGRO-INDUSTRIAL BY-PRODUCTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES BY Bacillus cereus

Bacillus sp. are specific producers of peptidase amongst bacteria and peptidase enzymes and are of significant ones due to their multifarious applications. Advances in industrial biotechnology offer potential opportunities for economic utilization of agro-industrial by-products for many biochemical reactions. Due to their rich organic nature, they can serve as an ideal substrate for the production of different value added products like peptidases. In the present work, an attempt was made to optimize different variables by Taguchi methodology for the production of peptidase using agro-industrial by-products hydrolyzed by a Bacillus cereus strain, resulting in brewer's spent grain (BSG) being the optimal organic substrate. Subsequently, operative variables for the BSG were investigated using Taguchi methodology in order to maximize the enzyme production. Additionally, the main medium components were optimized using a mixture design. Finally, the production of peptidase by B. cereus was investigated; also the possible interaction with other proteolytic microbial strains was evaluated. A notorious synergistic effect was observed when B. cereus was inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. These brought a triple benefit, first, opening the possibility to produce technical enzymes at low cost, second, giving greater value to a food industry by-product, and third, reducing the environmental impact caused by the product removal directly into the environment.

Modèle de coopération médico-pharmaceutique comme contributeur au succès du conditionnement de la greffe allogénique de cellules souches hématopoïétiques chez l’adulte : un regard croisé sur nos organisations

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (allo-SCT) remains the only cure for many hematological malignancies and some benign and congenital diseases. Busulfan, proposed in its injectable form, has quickly become a mainstay of pharmacological and myeloablative (or non-myeloablative) conditioning. This is following the outbreak in 2010 of a multicenter international clinical phase II trial, we tested the robustness and reliability of our organization in a complex model of organization and multifactorial partnership. In this type “BuCy2” protocol based on a classical treatment duration of 4 consecutive days, the administration of IV busulfan is given in one single daily infusion instead of the conventional 16 infusions, while keeping the same total dose. Under these conditions, the treatment is totally secured using a therapeutic drug monitoring of busulfan, applied in real-time. The process is technically complex and requires the very close cooperation of the teams involved. A strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis has been constructed; it fully supports continuous quality improvement to the triple benefit of the nursing chain, the patients and their environment. Several critical points were identified and corrected. The experiment strongly contributes to the safety and security of the medication circuit at the hospital and, improves the performance of allo-SCT. It also contributes to the protection of all actors in the health field and their working environment via a well-functioning quality management system.