An Enhanced Features Extractor for a Portfolio of Constraint Solvers

Recent research has shown that a single arbitrarily efficient solver can be significantly outperformed by a portfolio of possibly slower on-average solvers. The solver selection is usually done by means of (un)supervised learning techniques which exploit features extracted from the problem specification. In this paper we present an useful and flexible framework that is able to extract an extensive set of features from a Constraint (Satisfaction/Optimization) Problem defined in possibly different modeling languages: MiniZinc, FlatZinc or XCSP. We also report some empirical results showing that the performances that can be obtained using these features are effective and competitive with state of the art CSP portfolio techniques

Haemophilia care in Europe:a survey of 19 countries

In 2009, a questionnaire was circulated to 19 national haemophilia patient organizations in Europe affiliated to the European Haemophilia Consortium (EHC) and the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) to seek information about the organization of haemophilia care and treatment available at a national level. The responses received highlighted differences in the level of care despite the recent promulgation of consensus guidelines designed to standardize the care of haemophilia throughout the continent of Europe. There was a wide range in factor VIII consumption with usage ranging from 0.38 IU per capita in Romania to 8.7 IU per capita in Sweden (median: 3.6 IU per capita). Despite the specific inclusion of coagulation factor concentrate in the WHO list of essential medications, cryoprecipitate is still used in some eastern European countrie

A comparison of pilot-scale supersonic direct steam injection to conventional steam infusion and tubular heating systems for the heat treatment of protein-enriched skim milk-based beverages

peer-reviewedDirect supersonic steam injection, direct steam infusion, and indirect tubular heating were each applied to protein-enriched skim milk-based beverages with 4, 6 and 8% (w/w) total protein, and the effect of final heat temperature on the physical properties of these beverages was investigated. Supersonic steam injection resulted in significantly lower levels of denaturation of β-lactoglobulin (34.5%), compared to both infusion (76.3%) and tubular (97.1%) heating technologies. Viscosity, particle size and accelerated physical stability of formulations did not differ significantly between the heating technologies, while noticeable colour differences due to heat treatment (mainly attributed to increasing b* value) were observed, particularly for tubular heating. Overall, the extent of protein denaturation in high-protein dairy products was significantly influenced by the particular heating technology applied. The application of supersonic steam injection technology, with rapid heating and high shear characteristics, may enable differenciated product characteristics for ready-to-drink ambient-delivery high-protein dairy beverages. Industrial relevance: The design and application of novel direct supersonic steam injection technology was comprehensively studied and found to provide significant benefits over direct steam infusion and indirect tubular heating technologies for skim milk-based protein beverages. This type of injection heating system resulted in heat-treated formulations with lower levels of denatured whey proteins, compared to tubular and infusion heating, offering an alternative opportunity to the industry in terms of producing shelf-stable dairy protein beverages

Evidence of and recommendations for non-pharmacological interventions for common geriatric conditions: the SENATOR-ONTOP systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Non-pharmacological therapies for common chronic medical conditions in older patients are underused in clinical practice. We propose a protocol for the assessment of the evidence of non-pharmacological interventions to prevent or treat relevant outcomes in several prevalent geriatric conditions in order to provide recommendations. Methods and analysis: The conditions of interest for which the evidence about efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions will be searched include delirium, falls, pressure sores, urinary incontinence, dementia, heart failure, orthostatic hypotension, sarcopaenia and stroke. For each condition, the following steps will be undertaken: (A) prioritising clinical questions; (B) retrieving the evidence (MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PsychINFO will be searched to identify systematic reviews); (C) assessing the methodological quality of the evidence (risk of bias according to the Cochrane method will be applied to the primary studies retrieved from the systematic reviews); (D) developing recommendations based on the evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) items—risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness and publication bias—will be used to rate the overall evidence and develop recommendations). Dissemination: For each target condition, at least one systematic overview concerning the evidence of non-pharmacological interventions will be produced and published in peer-reviewed journals

Isolation and characterisation of κ-casein/whey protein particles from heated milk protein concentrate and role of κ-casein in whey protein aggregation

peer-reviewedMilk protein concentrate (79% protein) reconstituted at 13.5% (w/v) protein was heated (90 °C, 25 min, pH 7.2) with or without added calcium chloride. After fractionation of the casein and whey protein aggregates by fast protein liquid chromatography, the heat stability (90 °C, up to 1 h) of the fractions (0.25%, w/v, protein) was assessed. The heat-induced aggregates were composed of whey protein and casein, in whey protein:casein ratios ranging from 1:0.5 to 1:9. The heat stability was positively correlated with the casein concentration in the samples. The samples containing the highest proportion of caseins were the most heat-stable, and close to 100% (w/w) of the aggregates were recovered post-heat treatment in the supernatant of such samples (centrifugation for 30 min at 10,000 × g). κ-Casein appeared to act as a chaperone controlling the aggregation of whey proteins, and this effect was stronger in the presence of αS- and β-casein.This work was supported by Dairy Levy Research Trust (project MDDT6261 “ProPart”). S. J. Gaspard was funded under the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme (reference number 2012211

Repossessing 'Home' : a re-analysis of gender, homeownership and debtor default for feminist legal theory.

The current credit crisis has brought the subject of subprime and other problematic debt to the forefront of many agendas - both political and personal. This article explores some of the underlying legal, theoretical, economic, and phenomenological issues associated with default and foreclosure, particularly as they affect women home-owners. The analysis is embedded in feminist discourse on home, from traditional critiques of the association between women and home to evolving conceptions of the benefits and the burdens of home for contemporary feminist theory. This article traces the ideas of "home" and "homeownership" for American women and considers how it might be appropriate to respond to the risks associated with challenges to affordable homeownership through the lens of feminist legal theory

Writing domestic violence in Marian Keyes’ This Charming Man (2008)

Popular fiction for women has been variously criticised and derided for a focus on romance plots and superficial themes. Marian Keyes, a prolific author of contemporary women’s popular fiction, however, utilises romance to explore serious contemporary issues. This paper examines the representation of one of these serious issues, domestic violence, in Keyes’ novel This Charming Man (2008). The novel’s multi-story plot gradually weaves together the histories and experiences of four female protagonists from their individual points of view. Each protagonist has had a romantic involvement with one ‘charming man’, the rich and powerful Irish politician Paddy de Courcy. Chapters devoted to each woman are interspersed with short vignettes that recount moments of Paddy’s violent behaviour. The narrative organisation of This Charming Man represents domestic violence in a way that prioritises healing, physically, mentally and emotionally, for the protagonists through telling their stories and sharing those stories with other characters and readers. This form of creative writing prompts reader engagement and reflection. Such readerly engagement may increase awareness of this issue and potentially lead readers to actively seek change in their own lives