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Prediction of pulp yield of Eucalyptus globulus wood samples based on partial least squares (PLS) regression can be optimized by utilizing specific near infrared (NIR) wavelengths. A critical feature of this approach is the weighting of constraint conditions. Equal weighting balances optimization in terms of calibration and prediction; however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding prediction performance of wood property models when different weight factors are used. In this study, pulp yield models were developed using two E. globulus data sets characterized by narrow (5%) and extreme (22.6%) yield ranges and represented by untreated and second derivative NIR spectra. The global optimization solver pySOT was used to optimize the performance of a PLS regression model in terms of wavelengths selected and number of latent variables. A linear function of R-squares for calibration ( R c 2 ) and prediction ( R p 2 ) sets was utilized as the objective function with the aim of maximizing α R c 2 + 1 - α R p 2 for all values of α between 0 (maximizing R p 2 without concern for R c 2 ) and 1 (only maximizing R c 2 ). Values of α ≤ 0.8 provided good predictive performance, whereas α ≥ 0.9 tended to overfit the calibration data indicating that models are robust for values of α from 0 to 0.8. Representative wavelengths for each data set were identified and assigned to corresponding wood components through a band assignment process. Strong agreement was observed for α ≤ 0.8 ; however, for α ≥ 0.9 , identified wavelengths generally occurred in regions unrelated to vibrations arising from specific wood components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-infrared wavelengths selected by genetic algorithm were used to optimize partial least squares (PLS) regression models for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) from the southeastern United States. Wood properties examined included density (D), microfibril angle, modulus of elasticity and tracheid coarseness (C), radial diameter (R), tangential diameter (T), and wall thickness (w)—measured by SilviScan. The optimization process was run for each property with Agenda 2020 samples utilized for PLS model development and the other sets used for prediction. The number of variables (i.e. wavelengths) varied from 10 to 100 with an optimum number identified by genetic algorithm. When compared to a full data set model (based on 700 wavelengths), calibration and prediction performance of optimized PLS regression models were superior for all properties. Importantly, representative wavelengths for each property were consistently related to recognized bond vibrations observed in specific wood components demonstrating that optimization targets wavelengths directly related to changes in wood chemistry within the examined loblolly pine samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aims to investigate pharmacokinetics (PK) and exposure-response parameters of the 400 mg once-daily venetoclax dose regimen in combination with obinutuzumab, which was approved for the first-line (1L) treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) based on data from the phase 3 CLL14 study and the phase 1b dose-finding GP28331 study. Methods: Parameter estimates and uncertainty, which were estimated by a previously developed population PK (popPK) model, were used as informative priors for this analysis. They were re-estimated, and then used to evaluate additional covariate effects, describe venetoclax PK when administered with obinutuzumab, and provide empirical Bayes estimates of PK parameters and exposure. Exposure-progression-free survival (PFS) and exposure–safety relationships were assessed using data from CLL14, with steady-state nominal venetoclax exposure (CmeanSS,nominal) as the predictor variable. Exposure-safety analyses were conducted using logistic regression for selected treatment-emergent grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs). Dose intensities were summarized by tertiles of CmeanSS,nominal. Results: PK data from 274 patients (CLL14, n = 194; GP28331, n = 80) were included. The final model provided good fit of the observed data. Obinutuzumab co-administration, history of prior treatments, and disease severity at baseline had no appreciable influence on venetoclax steady-state exposure. No significant correlations were observed between venetoclax exposure and PFS, or between venetoclax exposure and the probability of treatment-emergent grade ≥ 3 neutropenia, grade ≥ 3 thrombocytopenia, grade ≥ 3 infections, and SAEs. Median dose intensities for venetoclax and obinutuzumab remained similar across venetoclax exposure tertiles. Conclusion: PopPK and exposure-efficacy, exposure-safety, and exposure-tolerability analyses support the 400 mg once-daily venetoclax dose plus obinutuzumab for 1L treatment in patients with CLL. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers NCT02242942 and NCT02339181. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sustainable alternative for wood waste is turning them into structural panels since it adds value to the raw material and contributes to the sector's circular economy. Strand-based composites such as oriented strand board is a natural fit for these wood wastes. A molded core composite with sandwich geometry with trapezoidal core guarantees significant increases in the stiffness of the panel, enabling its use as structural components in civil construction. Therefore, in this study, the mechanical properties of OSB sandwich panel with trapezoidal core produced with Balsa wood (Ochroma Pyramidale) waste agglomerated with bicomponent castor oil polyurethane resin (phenol free) were evaluated. The results indicate that the panel under study presented properties in the longitudinal direction that enable its use as a structural component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Outcomes remain poor in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who overexpress BCL-2 protein. We present population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) and exposure–response (ER) analyses for venetoclax (a selective BCL-2 inhibitor) administered with rituximab-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) and previously untreated (1L) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from the phase 1b/2 CAVALLI study, to confirm dose selection for future studies. Methods: Analyses included 216 patients with R/R or 1L NHL treated for eight 21-day cycles with 400–800 mg venetoclax (cycle 1: days 4–10; cycles 2–8: days 1–10) in combination with R for eight cycles and CHOP for 6–8 cycles. A legacy PopPK model for venetoclax was used to describe the observed data and provide post hoc PK parameters. Venetoclax steady-state exposure (AUCss) was used to predict clinical efficacy, safety, or tolerability. To isolate the effect of venetoclax, ER analyses referenced data from the R-CHOP arm of a historical control study, GOYA, in 1L DLBCL. Results: There was no significant association between venetoclax AUCss and progression-free survival or complete response either for all-comers or the BCL-2-immunohistochemistry-positive subpopulation. No statistically significant trends were observed with venetoclax AUCss and the key grade ≥ 3 adverse events and serious adverse events. Similar dose intensities were observed for venetoclax and R-CHOP components across venetoclax exposures, suggesting venetoclax did not impact delivery of the R-CHOP backbone. Conclusions: The PopPK and ER analyses, in addition to the positive benefit–risk observed in the clinical data, support the selection of 800 mg venetoclax given with R-CHOP for future studies in BCL-2-immunohistochemistry-positive patients with 1L DLBCL. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02055820. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali treated jute fibre incorporated silanized ZrO2 based unsaturated polyester composites were synthesized using compression moulding technique. The filler loading was adopted with a progressive wt. %, of 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 respectively. These samples were further subjected to structural investigation using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction technique to observe the morphological features and crystalline nature of the matrix. The mechanical characterization was accomplished at the microstructural length scale from macro to submicron range. It was observed that the composite with 35 wt. % filler loading resulted in the best properties among the lot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimization problem was developed by using a genetic algorithm to select wavelengths for establishing multivariate calibration models based on partial least squares (PLS) regression. Two near infrared (NIR) data sets represented by untreated and second derivative spectra were used to predict Eucalyptus globulus pulp yield. The optimization process was run with the number of variables (i.e., wavelengths) varied from 10 to 100 to determine the optimum wavelengths and number of latent variables for PLS regression model. A linear function of R-squares for calibration and prediction sets was utilized as the objective function of the optimization problem. The optimum wavelengths selected by genetic algorithm helped to considerably improve the performance of the PLS regression model, not only for the calibration sets but also for the prediction sets. The optimum number of latent variables varied over a wide range, from the maximum allowed (20) to a lower limit of six. Representative wavelengths for each data set were also statistically determined and assigned to corresponding wood components through a band assignment process, which showed strong agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsaturated Polyester (UP) based composites with 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 wt% filler content have been fabricated by compression moulding technique. The NaOH treated discontinuous jute fibre has been used along with vinyl silane treated zirconia (ZrO2) particle as the dispersing phases. The structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the UP and UP based composites were observed using electronic thermal insulation tester, thermo-gravimetric analyser, differential scanning calorimetry and limiting oxygen index analyser. The swelling behaviour has been investigated in different solutions having a range of pH values. The optimum results were obtained with 35 wt% filler content for UP/Jute/ZrO2 composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micromechanical response of silicon carbide particle dispersed Al/Mg/Ti/Cu composite, synthesized by powder metallurgy technique was investigated. A correlation between their microhardness and nanomechanical properties at submicron length scale was established. Hardening effect of SiC particles on the hardness, elastic modulus, recovery index, and plastic energy of the matrices was prominent and may be due to the interactions between geometrically necessary and statistically stored dislocations along with their impediment with dispersoids-matrix interface. The elastic recovery obtained from nanoscratch measurement was also correlated with the recovery parameter, which was derived from the nanoindentation of the composite compacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable porous layer of mixed AlO and TiO has been formed on the Ti-(~49 at. pct) Ni alloy surface with an aim to suppress leaching of Ni from the alloy surface in contact with bio-fluid and to enhance the process of osseointegration. Aluminum coating on the Ni-Ti alloy surface prior to the anodization treatment has resulted in enhancement of depth and uniformity of pores. Thermal oxidation of the anodized aluminum-coated Ni-Ti samples has exhibited the formation of AlO and TiO phases with dense porous structure. The nanoindentation and nanoscratch measurements have indicated a remarkable improvement in the hardness, wear resistance, and adhesiveness of the porous aluminum-coated Ni-Ti sample after thermal oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to test the hypotheses that bipolar disorders or depressive disorders, minority status, and the presence of pediatric inpatient psychiatric unit will be individual predictors of pediatric psychiatric inpatient admission, and to provide a model that will evaluate which individual and organizational characteristics predict pediatric psychiatric inpatient. For this purpose, a secondary analysis of the medical records of 1,520 pediatric patient visits between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008, was conducted using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Independent predictors of pediatric psychiatric inpatient admission were presence of bipolar and depressive disorders, greater average daily census, and increasing operating margin. Minority status was a significant predictor of not being admitted, as was presence of an anxiety disorder, greater total margin and older age. The results indicate that both individual and organizational factors impact disposition outcomes in particular subsets of pediatric patients who present to emergency departments for psychiatric reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture toughness of wood and wood composites has traditionally been characterized by a stress intensity factor, an initiation strain energy release rate ( G) or a total energy to fracture ( G). These parameters provide incomplete fracture characterization for these materials because the toughness changes as the crack propagates. Thus, for materials such as wood, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), it is essential to characterize the fracture properties during crack propagation by measuring a full crack resistant or R curve. This study used energy methods during crack propagation to measure full R curves and then compared the fracture properties of wood and various wood-based composites such as, OSB, LVL and plywood. The effect of exposure to elevated temperature on fracture properties of these materials was also studied. The steady-state energy release rate ( G) of wood was lower than that of wood composites such as LVL, plywood and OSB. The resin in wood composites provides them with a higher fracture toughness compared to solid lumber. Depending upon the internal structure of the material, the mode of failure also varied. With exposure to elevated temperatures, G for all materials decreased while the failure mode remained the same. The scatter associated with conventional bond strength tests, such as internal bond and bond classification tests, renders any statistical comparison using those tests difficult. In contrast, fracture tests with R curve analysis may provide an improved tool for characterization of bond quality in wood composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry has relied heavily on wood and wood-based composites, such as oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood for timber frame construction. Therefore, it is highly imperative to categorize the response of wood-based composites when exposed to elevated temperatures for a sustained period of time. The essence of fire-resistant structural design is to ensure that structural integrity be maintained during and after the fire, prevent collapse and maintain means of egress. Another aspect is to assess post-fire structural integrity and residual strength of existing structure. The objective of this project was (a) to study the effect of exposure time on bending strength (MOR) of OSB and plywood at elevated temperatures, (b) to interpret any relationships between different temperature and time of exposure using a kinetics model for thermal degradation of strength, and (c) to develop a master curve representing temporal behavior of OSB and plywood at a reference temperature. As much as 1,152 samples were tested in static bending as a function of exposure time and several temperatures. Strength (MOR) of both OSB and plywood decreased as a function of temperature and exposure time. These results were fit to a simple kinetics model, based on the assumption of degradation kinetics following an Arrhenius activation energy model. The apparent activation energies for thermal degradation of strength were 54.1 kJ/mol for OSB and 62.8 kJ/mol for plywood. Furthermore, using the kinetics analysis along with time-temperature superposition, a master curve was generated at a reference temperature of 150°C which predicts degradation of strength with time on exposure at that reference temperature. The master curves show that although plywood has a higher initial strength, OSB performs better in terms of strength degradation after exposure to elevated temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]