Modelling Provenance of Sensor Data for Food Safety Compliance Checking

The research described here was funded by an award made by the RCUK IT as a Utility Network+ (EP/K003569/1) and the UK Food Standards Agency. We thank the owner and staff of Rye & Soda restaurant, Aberdeen for their support throughout the project.Postprin

Laboratory alcohol self-administration experiments do not increase subsequent real-life drinking in young adult social drinkers

BACKGROUND: While the utility of experimental free-access alcohol self-administration paradigms is well established, little data exist addressing the question of whether study participation influences subsequent natural alcohol consumption. We here present drinking reports of young adults before and after participation in intravenous alcohol self-administration studies. METHODS: Timeline Follow-back drinking reports for the 6 weeks immediately preceding the first, and the 6 weeks after the last experimental alcohol challenge were examined from subjects completing 1 of 2 similar alcohol self-administration paradigms. In study 1, 18 social drinkers (9 females, mean age 24.1 years) participated in 3 alcohol self-infusion sessions up to a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 160 mg%. Study 2 involved 60 participants (30 females, mean age 18.3 years) of the Dresden Longitudinal Study on Alcohol Use in Young Adults (D-LAYA), who participated in 2 sessions of alcohol self-infusion up to a maximum BAC of 120 mg%, and a nonexposed age-matched control group of 42 (28 females, mean age 18.4 years) subjects. RESULTS: In study 1, participants reported (3.7%) fewer heavy drinking days as well as a decrease of 2.5 drinks per drinking day after study participation compared to prestudy levels (p < 0.05, respectively). In study 2, alcohol-exposed participants reported 7.1% and non-alcohol-exposed controls 6.5% fewer drinking days at poststudy measurement (p < 0.001), while percent heavy drinking days and drinks per drinking day did not differ. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that participation in intravenous alcohol self-administration experiments does not increase subsequent real-life drinking of young adults

A Stochastic Multi-scale Approach for Numerical Modeling of Complex Materials - Application to Uniaxial Cyclic Response of Concrete

In complex materials, numerous intertwined phenomena underlie the overall response at macroscale. These phenomena can pertain to different engineering fields (mechanical , chemical, electrical), occur at different scales, can appear as uncertain, and are nonlinear. Interacting with complex materials thus calls for developing nonlinear computational approaches where multi-scale techniques that grasp key phenomena at the relevant scale need to be mingled with stochastic methods accounting for uncertainties. In this chapter, we develop such a computational approach for modeling the mechanical response of a representative volume of concrete in uniaxial cyclic loading. A mesoscale is defined such that it represents an equivalent heterogeneous medium: nonlinear local response is modeled in the framework of Thermodynamics with Internal Variables; spatial variability of the local response is represented by correlated random vector fields generated with the Spectral Representation Method. Macroscale response is recovered through standard ho-mogenization procedure from Micromechanics and shows salient features of the uniaxial cyclic response of concrete that are not explicitly modeled at mesoscale.Comment: Computational Methods for Solids and Fluids, 41, Springer International Publishing, pp.123-160, 2016, Computational Methods in Applied Sciences, 978-3-319-27994-

Impact load characterization for security barrier performance assessment through simulations using generic vehicle models

The threat stemming from the use of vehicles as a weapon in urban environments may be mitigated by employing properly designed protective structures such as bollards, street furniture or landscaping options. In order to assess the performance of a barrier resistance to a vehicle impact, the initial step involves characterizing the load on the barrier. To this aim, two recently developed generic vehicle models are utilized to conduct numerical simulations of vehicle impacts on a security barrier. Various impact configurations are examined and compared based on force-time functions. In addition to comparing the impact loadings in terms of peak forces, comparisons are also done in terms of equivalent static loads, determined by computing the dynamic load factors (DLF). The study provides new insights into the characterization of vehicle impact loads on security barriers, which could improve current engineering practices in the field

On the parametrization of velocity-based constraints in EUROPLEXUS

This report presents some notes on the treatment of constraints by Lagrange Multipliers in EUROPLEXUS, a computer code jointly developed by CEA DMT Saclay and by JRC. Recently, EPX is being used to simulate vehicle crash against obstacles such as road barriers for safety and security studies. These studies involve the treatment of complex contact-impact scenarios, which in EPX are typically modelled by the method of Lagrange Multipliers (LM), although other methods (e.g. penalty-based) are also available in the code. Recent investigations concerning (elastic) impact tests have shown that the LM-based mid-step velocity constraints strategy (the default one in EPX) leads to smooth solutions (few oscillations), but some energy is lost at the moment of the impact, namely each time some previously free nodes get into contact, so that the total energy of the system is not exactly conserved. On the contrary, the full-step velocity constraints strategy produces a lot of oscillations (if the material is elastic) but it conserves much better the energy of the system. Therefore, it has been proposed to implement a parametrization of the velocity constraints, allowing to choose an intermediate value of the time at which the constraints are imposed. The goal is to reduce the spurious energy dissipation observed with the mid-step strategy, but hopefully without triggering the large oscillations produced by the full-step strategy.JRC.E.3 - Safety and Security of Building

A revision of the SOLI model of rigid bodies in EUROPLEXUS

This report presents a revision and re-formulation of the so-called old model for the simulation of rigid bodies (SOLI model) in the EUROPLEXUS code. This model is based on the substitution ( decomposition ) of the discretized rigid body by a mechanically equivalent set of four points in 3D space (two points in 2D space, but the 2D version of the model has not been implemented yet). The rigidity of the equivalent mechanical system is enforced by a suitable set of constant-distance constraints on the equivalent points via the Lagrange multipliers method. Although EUROPLEXUS is primarily dedicated to the simulation of deformable mechanical sys ems (both uids and structures), it is not infrequent that at least some (solid) parts of the numerical model behave at least approximately as rigid, non-deformable bodies. A class of problems where a rigid model might be useful is that of crashes. For example, when treating the impact and crash of vehicles in the framework of protection of public spaces against terrorist attacks, e.g. by means of road barriers, some parts (typically the vehicle body and some components) are highly deformable while others (e.g. the engine) are comparatively much sti er and could be treated as rigid. Modelling such nearly-rigid parts as a very sti solid severely penalizes the transient explicit solution because of the drop it causes on the stability step of the time integration procedure. What is needed is the possibility of treating a rigid body in a more rigorous, but also in a more general manner than by simple blockages. The present report presents a possible approach to this task (the SOLI model) that was historically implemented in EUROPLEXUS and has been recently completely revised and enhanced by several new features (NODE, ELE2, HYBR, FEXT directives) in order to make it more functional to vehicle crash simulations for the protection of public spaces.JRC.E.3 - Built Environmen

Correction of friction implementation in the LM-based PINB contact model of EUROPLEXUS

This report presents some notes on the use of pinball-based contact-impact models with friction by the method of Lagrange Multipliers (LM) in EUROPLEXUS [1] (also abbreviated as EPX). Recently, EPX is being used to simulate vehicle crash against obstacles such as road barriers for safety and security studies. These studies involve complex contact-impact scenarios, which in EPX are typically modelled by the method of Lagrange Multipliers (LM), although other methods (e.g. penalty-based) are also available in the code. In some test cases, the effect of friction may be important and it must be included in the numerical simulations. Recent simulations concerning (elastic) impact tests with friction using the LM-based version of the pinball contact model have revealed some malfunctionings, which may be attributed to the friction model. Therefore, it has been proposed to completely review the formulation and implementation of the friction algorithm in the LM-based pinball contact model. The model used a single-tangent formulation that could lead to problems. It has now been replaced by the same friction model used by the sliding surface model (GLIS), which uses a more robust two-tangent formulation. Despite this improvement, and the correction of other minor issues, the LM version of the PINB contact model remains somewhat fragile in cases with friction, and the penalty-based version should preferably be used in industrial applications.JRC.E.3 - Safety and Security of Building

Payers' views of the changes arising through the possible adoption of adaptive pathways

Payers are a major stakeholder in any considerations and initiatives concerning adaptive licensing of new medicinal products, also referred to as Medicines Adaptive Pathways to patients (MAPPs). Firstly, the scope and necessity of MAPPs need further scrutiny, especially with regard to the definition of unmet need. Conditional approval pathways already exist for new medicines for seriously debilitating or life-threatening diseases and only a limited number of new medicines are innovative. Secondly, MAPPs will result in new medicines on the market with limited evidence about their effectiveness and safety. Additional data are to be collected after approval. Consequently, adaptive pathways may increase the risk of exposing patients to ineffective or unsafe medicines. We have already seen medicines approved conventionally that subsequently proved ineffective or unsafe amongst a wider, more co-morbid population as well as medicines that could have been considered for approval under MAPPs but subsequently proved ineffective or unsafe in Phase III trials and were never licensed. Thirdly, MAPPs also put high demands on payers. Routine collection of patient level data is difficult with high transaction costs. It is not clear who will fund these. Other challenges for payers include shifts in the risk governance framework, implications for evaluation and HTA, increased complexity of setting prices, difficulty with ensuring equity in the allocation of resources, definition of responsibility and liability and implementation of stratified use. Exit strategies also need to be agreed in advance, including price reductions, rebates, or reimbursement withdrawals when price premiums are not justified. These issues and concerns will be discussed in detail including potential ways forward

Increased circulating T cell reactivity to GM3 and GQ1b gangliosides in primary progressive multiple sclerosis

We have previously shown that patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly elevated plasma levels of antibody to GM3 ganglioside compared to patients with relapsing-remitting MS, healthy subjects and patients with other neurological diseases. Anti-GM3 antibody levels were elevated also in patients with secondary progressive MS but to a lesser extent than in primary progressive MS. As gangliosides are particularly enriched in the axonal membrane, these findings suggested that antiganglioside immune responses might contribute to the axonal damage in progressive forms of MS. The present study was performed to determine whether peripheral blood T cell responses to GM3 are also increased in progressive MS. Blood was collected from 98 untreated patients with MS (40 with relapsing-remitting, 27 with secondary progressive and 31 with primary progressive MS), 50 healthy subjects and 24 patients with other disorders of the CNS, and reactivity to GM1, GM3, GD1a, GD1b, GD3, GT1b, GQ1b and sulphatide was assessed by 6-day T cell proliferation assays. Increased T cell reactivity to GM3 and GQ1b occurred significantly more often in patients with primary progressive MS than in healthy subjects and patients with other CNS diseases. These findings suggest that ganglioside-specific T cells may contribute to the axonal damage in primary progressive MS. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Surgery of primary melanomas

Surgery remains the mainstay of melanoma therapy, regardless of the tumor site. Only the early diagnosis combined with proper surgical therapy currently gives patients affected by this malignancy the chance for a full cure. The main goal of surgical therapy is to provide the local control of the disease and to secure long-term survival of the patient without reasonable functional and esthetic impairment. The recommended method of biopsy-excisional biopsy, as an initial diagnostic and, to some extent, therapeutic procedure-is performed under local anesthesia as an elliptical incision with visual clear margins of 1-3 mm and with some mm of subcutaneous tissue. The extent of radical excision of the primary tumor (or scar after excisional biopsy) is based on the histopathologic characteristics of the primary tumor and usually consists of 1-2 cm margins with primary closure. The philosophy behind conducted randomized clinical trials has been to find the most conservative surgical approach that is able to guarantee the same results as more demolitive treatment. This has been the background of the trials designed to define the correct margins of excision around a primary cutaneous melanoma. Much less definition can be dedicated to the surgical management of patients with non-cutaneous melanomas