In-line cosmetic end-point detection of batch coating processes for colored tablets using multivariate image analysis

In this study, an in-line Process Analytical Technology (PAT) for cosmetic (non-functional) coating unit operations is developed using images of the tablet bed acquired in real-time by an inexpensive industrial camera and lighting system. The cosmetic end-point of multiple batches, run under different operating conditions, is automatically computed from these images using a Multivariate Image Analysis (MIA) methodology in conjunction with a stability determination strategy. The end-points detected by the algorithm differed, on average, by 3% in terms of total batch time from those identified visually by a trained operator. Since traditional practice typically relies on a coating overage to ensure full batch aspect homogeneity in the face of disturbances, the current in-line method can be used to reduce coating material and processing time (over 40% for the operating policy adopted in this work). Additionally, monitoring of the color features calculated by the algorithm allowed the identification of abnormal process conditions affecting visible coating uniformity. This work also addresses practical challenges related to image acquisition in the harsh environment of a pan coater, bringing this tool closer to a state of maturity for implementation in production units and opening the path for their optimization, monitoring, and automatic control.

Inspection of baked carbon anodes using a combination of multi-spectral acousto-ultrasonic techniques and principal component analysis

This paper reports on the application of an acousto-ultrasonic (AU) scheme for the inspection of industrial-size carbon anode blocks used in the production of primary aluminium by the Hall-Héroult process. A frequency-modulated wave is used to excite the anode blocks at multiple points. The collected attenuated AU signals are decomposed using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DTW) after which vectors of features are calculated. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is utilized to cluster the AU responses of the anodes. The approach allows locating cracks in the blocks and the AU features were found sensitive to crack severity. The results are validated using images collected after cutting some anodes.

Influence of aerobic exercise training on the neural correlates of motor learning in Parkinson's disease individuals

Background

Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been shown to provide general health benefits, and to improve motor behaviours in particular, in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the influence of AET on their motor learning capacities, as well as the change in neural substrates mediating this effect remains to be explored.

Objective

In the current study, we employed functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess the effect of a 3-month AET program on the neural correlates of implicit motor sequence learning (MSL).

Methods

20 healthy controls (HC) and 19 early PD individuals participated in a supervised, high-intensity, stationary recumbent bike training program (3 times/week for 12 weeks). Exercise prescription started at 20 min (+ 5 min/week up to 40 min) based on participant's maximal aerobic power. Before and after the AET program, participants' brain was scanned while performing an implicit version of the serial reaction time task.

Results

Brain data revealed pre-post MSL-related increases in functional activity in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum in PD patients, as well as in the striatum in HC individuals. Importantly, the functional brain changes in PD individuals correlated with changes in aerobic fitness: a positive relationship was found with increased activity in the hippocampus and striatum, while a negative relationship was observed with the cerebellar activity.

Conclusion

Our results reveal, for the first time, that exercise training produces functional changes in known motor learning related brain structures that are consistent with improved behavioural performance observed in PD patients. As such, AET can be a valuable non-pharmacological intervention to promote, not only physical fitness in early PD, but also better motor learning capacity useful in day-to-day activities through increased plasticity in motor related structures.

•

Three months of aerobic exercise training (AET) improves fitness in PD patients.

•

Effects of AET on cognitive and motor skills in PD were evaluated concurrently.

•

Some executive functions and procedural learning capacity improved after AET.

•

Striatum, hippocampus and cerebellar brain plasticity was observed after AET.

•

AET can be used as a non-pharmacological intervention to improve functioning in PD.

Correlation between the plasma characteristics and the surface chemistry of plasma-treated polymers through partial least-squares analysis

We investigated the effect of various plasma parameters (relative density of atomic N and H, plasma temperature, and vibrational temperature) and process conditions (pressure and H2/(N2 + H2) ratio) on the chemical composition of modified poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). The plasma parameters were measured by means of near-infrared (NIR) and UV-visible emission spectroscopy with and without actinometry. The process conditions of the N2-H2 microwave discharges were set at various pressures ranging from 100 to 2000 mTorr and H2/(N2+H2) gas mixture ratios between 0 and 0.4. The surface chemical composition of the modified polymers was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A mathematical model was constructed using the partial least-squares regression algorithm to correlate the plasma information (process condition and plasma parameters as determined by emission spectroscopy) with the modified surface characteristics. To construct the model, a set of data input variables containing process conditions and plasma parameters were generated, as well as a response matrix containing the surface composition of the polymer. This model was used to predict the composition of PTFE surfaces subjected to N2-H2 plasma treatment. Contrary to what is generally accepted in the literature, the present data demonstrate that hydrogen is not directly involved in the defluorination of the surface but rather produces atomic nitrogen and/or NH radicals that are shown to be at the origin of fluorine atom removal from the polymer surface. The results show that process conditions alone do not suffice in predicting the surface chemical composition and that the plasma characteristics, which cannot be easily correlated with these conditions, should be considered. Process optimization and control would benefit from plasma diagnostics, particularly infrared emission spectroscopy.

A fluorophore-tagged RGD peptide to control endothelial cell adhesion to micropatterned surfaces

The long-term patency rates of vascular grafts and stents are limited by the lack of surface endothelialisation of the implanted materials. We have previously reported that GRGDS and WQPPRARI peptide micropatterns increase the endothelialisation of prosthetic materials in vitro. To investigate the mechanisms by which the peptide micropatterns affect endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation, a TAMRA fluorophore-tagged RGD peptide was designed. Live cell imaging revealed that the micropatterned surfaces led to directional cell spreading dependent on the location of the RGD-TAMRA spots. Focal adhesions formed within 3 h on the micropatterned surfaces near RGD-TAMRA spot edges, as expected for cell regions experiencing high tension. Similar levels of focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation were observed after 3 h on the micropatterned surfaces and on surfaces treated with RGD-TAMRA alone, suggesting that partial RGD surface coverage is sufficient to elicit integrin signaling. Lastly, endothelial cell expansion was achieved in serum-free conditions on gelatin-coated, RGD-TAMRA treated or micropatterned surfaces. These results show that these peptide micropatterns mainly impacted cell adhesion kinetics rather than cell proliferation. This insight will be useful for the optimization of micropatterning strategies to improve vascular biomaterials.

Selection and tuning of a fast and simple phase-contrast microscopy image segmentation algorithm for measuring myoblast growth kinetics in an automated manner

Acquiring and processing phase-contrast microscopy images in wide-field long-term live-cell imaging and high-throughput screening applications is still a challenge as the methodology and algorithms used must be fast, simple to use and tune, and as minimally intrusive as possible. In this paper, we developed a simple and fast algorithm to compute the cell-covered surface (degree of confluence) in phase-contrast microscopy images. This segmentation algorithm is based on a range filter of a specified size, a minimum range threshold, and a minimum object size threshold. These parameters were adjusted in order to maximize the F-measure function on a calibration set of 200 hand-segmented images, and its performance was compared with other algorithms proposed in the literature. A set of one million images from 37 myoblast cell cultures under different conditions were processed to obtain their cell-covered surface against time. The data were used to fit exponential and logistic models, and the analysis showed a linear relationship between the kinetic parameters and passage number and highlighted the effect of culture medium quality on cell growth kinetics. This algorithm could be used for real-time monitoring of cell cultures and for high-throughput screening experiments upon adequate tuning.

Single-cell level analysis of megakaryocyte growth and development

Several fundamental questions regarding cell growth and development can be answered by recording and analyzing the history of cells and their progeny. Herein, long-term and large-field live cell imaging was used to study the process of megakaryopoiesis at the single cell level (n = 9300) from human CD34+ cord blood (CB) in the presence of thrombopoietin (TPO) or the cytokine cocktail BS1 with or without nicotinamide (NIC). Comparative analyses revealed that the cocktail BS1 increased the mitotic and proplatelet rate of diploid and polyploid cells, respectively. Conversely, only NIC treatment increased the endomitotic rate of megakaryocytes (MKs) leading to the formation of CB-MKs with ploidy level frequently observed with BM-MKs. However, NIC failed to enhance platelet production. Rather, a 7- and 31-fold reduction in proplatelet formation was observed in tetraploid and octaploid CB-MKs, respectively, and ex vivo platelet production output was reduced by half due to a reduction in MK output in NIC cultures. Unexpectedly, a significant fraction of di- and polyploid CB-MKs were seen to undergo complete proplatelet regression. Though rare (< 0.6%), proplatelet reversal led to the formation of regular round cells that could at times resume normal development. The cell tracking data was then used to investigate the impact of "developmental fate" and ploidy on cell cycling time, and to identify potential developmental patterns. These analyses revealed that cell fate and ploidy level have major impacts on the cell cycling time of the cells, and that four recurrent cell lineage patterns could be identified for CD34+ cells undergoing MK differentiation.

Qualitative representation of trends: an alternative approach to process diagnosis and control

The potential for qualitative representation of trends in the context of process diagnosis and control is evaluated in this paper. The technique for qualitative description of the data series is relatively new to the field of process monitoring and diagnosis and is based on the cubic spline wavelet decomposition of the data. It is shown that the assessed qualitative description of trends can be coupled easily with existing process knowledge and does not demand the user to understand the underlying technique in detail, in contrast to, for instance, multivariate techniques in Statistical Process Control. The assessed links can be integrated straightforwardly into the framework of supervisory control systems by means of look-up tables, expert systems or case-based reasoning frameworks. This in turn allows the design of a supervisory control system leading to fully automated control actions. The technique is illustrated by an application to a pilot-scale SBR.

Comparison of two wavelet-based tools for data mining of urban water networks time series

In this paper, two approaches to data mining of time series have been tested and compared. Both methods are based on the wavelet decomposition of data series and allow the localization of important characteristics of a time series in both the time and frequency domain. The first method is a common method based on the analysis of wavelet power spectra. The second approach is new to the applied field of urban water networks and provides a qualitative description of the data series based on the cubic spline wavelet decomposition of the data. It is shown that wavelet power spectra indicate important and basic characteristics of the data but fail to provide detailed information of the underlying phenomena. In contrast, the second method allows the extraction of more and more detailed information that is important in a context of process monitoring and diagnosis.

cAMP protection of pancreatic cancer cells against apoptosis induced by ERK inhibition

Large increases in cAMP concentration inside the cell are generally growth inhibitory for most cell lines of mesenchymal and epithelial origin. Moreover, recent data suggest a role of cAMP in survival of different cell types. Herein, the ability of forskolin (an adenylyl cyclase activator) and IBMX (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine) (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) to modulate cell cycle progression and survival of human pancreatic cancer cells was evaluated. We showed that forskolin + IBMX inhibited serum-induced ERK activities, Rb hyperphosphorylation, Cdk2 activity, and p27(Kip1) downregulation and caused G1 arrest in MIA PaCa-2 cells. Furthermore, forskolin + IBMX protected pancreatic cells against apoptosis induced by prolonged inhibition of ERK activities by preventing Bcl-X(L) downregulation, activation of caspases 3, 6, 8, and 9, and PARP cleavage and by inducing Bad phosphorylation (ser112). Taken together, our data demonstrate for the first time that cAMP is an inhibitor of cell cycle progression and apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells.

Are consumers of modern fertility treatments satisfied?

OBJECTIVE

To determine the extent of patients satisfaction with fertility treatments, its antecedents, and its correlates.

DESIGN

This is a two-wave correlational panel study in which consumer satisfaction was assessed 6 and 12 months after admission to the clinic.

PATIENTS

The sample consisted of 385 couples who consulted the fertility clinic of a large metropolitan hospital.

MEASURES

After their admission, patients completed scales measuring psychosocial disturbances. These variables were reassessed 6 and 12 months later along with a consumer satisfaction questionnaire.

RESULTS

Patients were generally satisfied with modern fertility treatments. Approximately 10% of the sample expressed dissatisfaction with received services. Analyses revealed that consumer satisfaction was significantly related to poor psychosocial functioning at intake and after 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that consumers of fertility treatments are generally satisfied with the quality and quantity of service they received at the clinic. The more patients exhibited personal, marital, and social symptoms of distress when they were admitted to the clinic, the more they were likely to be later dissatisfied with fertility treatments.

Impact of a second insemination on the results of an in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program

In an attempt to increase the fertilization and pregnancy rates in our program, a second insemination was carried out when the first insemination yielded fewer than two fertilized oocytes. One hundred eighty consecutive patients were studied retrospectively and thirty-four required second insemination, 35% of them by donor semen. Fifty-five and nine-tenths percent of the patients had at least one fertilized oocyte for embryo transfer, but only 21.9% of the oocytes exposed to a second insemination were fertilized. No pregnancy resulted from the transfer of oocytes fertilized by the second insemination. There were no significant correlations between the success of fertilization after a second insemination and the number of oocytes retrieved, the protocol for the induction of superovulation, or the age of the female patient. Considering that the first insemination was done at a variable time after oocyte retrieval to allow oocyte maturation, we expected all oocytes to be mature at the time of first insemination and we considered the possibility of delayed fertilization as negligible since second insemination was done at least 24-30 hr after oocyte retrieval. Even though a second insemination provides further hope for the patient, by yielding additional fertilized oocytes for embryo transfer, its main value is that it may provide additional information about male fertility.

Psychosocial distress and infertility: men and women respond differently

The purpose of this study was to evaluate gender differences in psychosocial responses of 449 consecutive first-admission couples in a fertility clinic. Consistent with previous research, infertile women showed higher distress than their partners on a global measure of psychiatric symptoms and subscales of anxiety, depression, hostility, and cognitive disturbances, as well as on measures of stress and self-esteem. When compared with same-sexed population norms on the measure of psychiatric symptoms, both male and female infertile patients were significantly more distressed than average. No evidence was found for unusually high levels of marital or sexual distress at intake. Implications of results for clinical management are explored.

[The psychosocial profile of couples consulting a fertility clinic]

The objective of this study is to draw the psychosocial profile of couples who consult fertility clinics. More specifically, it consists of a) comparing the psychosocial status of subjects who seek fertility consultation with that of normal subjects or individuals at grips with psychological problems; b) determining whether there are profile differences between men and women who seek fertility consultation; and c) assessing whether it is possible to predict the nature of the psychosocial profile of the subjects from various sociodemographic and medical characteristics. The sampling includes 30 couples who are consulting a specialist in a fertility clinic belonging to a Montréal-area hospital. Analysis of results shows that the psychosocial profile of subjects consulting a fertility clinic is midway between that or normal subjects and that of individuals suffering of psychological problems. The psychological status of men and women consulting a fertility clinic is different according to three variables: depression, self-esteem and stress. Finally, multiple regression analysis has allowed the author to identify several medical characteristics linked to the extent of the psychosocial difficulties experienced by the infertile subjects.

Protein synthesis and acrosome reaction-inducing activity of human cumulus cells

The acrosome reaction of human spermatozoa is a prerequisite to fertilization. It has been hypothesized that secretions of cumulus cells could be involved in the induction of this sperm reaction. A source of variation in the in-vitro fertilization of human oocytes could be the maturational differences in the cumulus cells which affect the acrosome reaction. In order to investigate this possibility, we have studied the capability of secretions obtained from cumulus cells of different maturational stages to induce the acrosome reaction. Capacitated spermatozoa were exposed to the culture medium containing cumulus cell secretions and their acrosomal status was evaluated using the triple stain technique. The maturational status of the cumulus or fertilization of the enclosed oocyte did not influence the percentage of acrosome-reacted live spermatozoa. In order to further document these observations, cumulus cells were submitted to [35S]methionine incorporation and total and secreted proteins were analysed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. Neither quantitative nor qualitative changes were detected in the electrophoretic patterns of the proteins obtained from cumulus cells of different maturational status. Thus, variation of the acrosome reaction-inducing activity of cumulus cells does not appear to be involved in the variable fertilization of oocytes obtained from follicles of differing maturity.

Qualitative changes in protein synthesis associated with polyspermic fertilization of human eggs

To investigate the early molecular events in human oocytes that are triggered by fertilization, the authors examined the pattern of polypeptides synthesized by unfertilized and dispermic embryos obtained through an in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program. Compared with unfertilized oocytes of the same postovulatory age, the de novo protein synthesis in tripronuclear dispermic zygotes (21 hours postinsemination) was characterized by the appearance of three novel protein bands with molecular weights of 41.2, 35.3, and 26.0 kD. Concomitant with these changes, these zygotes showed the disappearance of bands at 54.0, 36.5, and 28.0 kD, along with the decreased synthesis of a protein band at 42.5 kD. Although 24% of the aged unfertilized oocytes exhibited bands corresponding to 41.2 and 35.3 kD, the 26.0 kD protein is restricted to the tripronuclear embryos. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to the use of polyspermic human oocytes as a model for the study of the early molecular events triggered by fertilization.

Profile of women who request reversal of tubal sterilization: comparison with a randomly selected control group

The characteristics of 96 women who requested reversal of tubal ligation at two fertility clinics in Montreal were compared with those of 403 randomly selected sterilized women in Quebec. The two groups were found to have a similar socioeconomic profile. In only two respects were the groups significantly different: the women who requested reversal generally had been sterilized at an earlier age and had more complex marital histories.

Bromocriptine mesylate for prevention of postpartum lactation

The efficacy and safety of bromocriptine mesylate in preventing postpartum breast engorgement and milk secretion were evaluated in 420 normal puerperal women. The usual dose was 2.5 mg twice a day for 14 days. Complete inhibition of the target symptoms was obtained in 97% (409 of 420) of the women after 5 days of therapy. Of 370 women who completed 14 days of therapy, 73.5% (272) were completely symptom free, and the remainder showed only grade I or grade II breast engorgement and secretion. Side effects, primarily nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, were experienced by 3% of the women, and 7% reported rebound engorgement and secretion. It was concluded that bromocriptine is safe and efficacious for the stated indication. Moreover, bromocriptine's apparent lack of thromboembolic complications and low incidence of rebound effects suggest possible advantages over other pharmacologic preparations, ie, estrogen-containing drugs, currently used to prevent postpartum lactation.