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The paper aims to take stock of China’s recent biopharmaceutical industry development by analyzing product innovation and changes in the firms’ product portfolios during the five-year period between 2012 and 2017.

The paper introduces a classification of biopharmaceutical products. By applying the classification to the product data of China’s drug regulator, the CFDA, it becomes possible to trace the developments within the sector by looking at changes in the number of firms within each subgroup and changes in the number of subgroups in which each firm is involved. The classification allows an evaluation of the latest product innovation achievements.

The paper demonstrates a mild shakeout of firms in the relatively long-existing domestic market segments, a trend toward more specialized product portfolios and an enduring prevalence of innovation strategies aimed at exploiting relatively unpopulated domestic market niches instead of pioneering entirely new products. Especially the capability of upgrading to second-generation protein therapeutics has become a key criterion for separating the wheat and the chaff in China’s domestic sector. The paper moreover points out the relevance of acquisitions as a corporate growth strategy.

The research does not consider complementary indicators, product pipelines in particular. Future research should compare patterns across emerging economies.

The paper is unique in using the CFDA database for systematic academic research on (bio)pharmaceutical innovation and in introducing a biopharmaceutical product classification to trace innovative activities and changes in corporate product portfolios over time.

This paper aims to present a long-term research project to understand the nature and extent of degradation in a selected segment of the Colombo Flood Detention Area (CFDA) wetlands. It qualitatively explores the gradual process of change in watersheds and the wetland ecology affecting flood control services, thereby leading to full-blown disasters. It underlines the importance of protecting ecosystem health of urban ecological features for strengthening the disaster resilience of cities.

Through analyzing the long-term change of landscape level parameters, water-quality, vegetation and soil quality, the authors emphasize the potential of an outright ecological regime change and the effects on ecosystem services of the wetlands.

Colombo is a city surrounded by a large and interconnected system of natural wetlands that provides a valuable flood control service. The rapid and partly ad hoc urbanization in the past 15-25 years has caused a steady degradation in the wetlands that severely threatens the ecosystem services. It was found that the native, grass-dominated marshy habitat of the wetland is rapidly transforming into a habitat with shrubs and small trees (44 percent of the extent). Typical peaty soil in the marsh has also changed into a semi-mineral soil. Both changes result in a significant reduction in water-holding capacity of the wetland, thus increasing the flood frequency.

These ecological changes have undermined the effectiveness of the repeated cost-intensive engineering measures taken by the authorities to contain floods.

CFDA had not been studied previously in an ecosystem services and disaster resilience perspectives. The ecological and hydrological aspects have been studied separately without integration.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of supermarketization in the vegetable retail sector in China and its impact on food safety.

Data from food safety reports by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) are used to investigate the degree of vegetable safety in different value chain types. To assess the predictors of the degree of vegetable safety, a logistic regression model is applied.

Supermarketization has led to the reorganization of the vegetables provision system, through closer coordination along the supply chain and the use of secured production bases. We identify four types of vegetable value chains in China based on their form of coordination. Supermarkets improve vegetable safety even when they rely on external suppliers, but also wet markets perform significantly better than other small-scale retailers in terms of vegetable safety.

The study has expanded the knowledge of the supermarketization in urban China by collecting data from CFDA. Furthermore, the study used the theory of food value chain to understand determinant factors in securing food safety. Moreover, this study reveals that wet markets also have prospects in solving vegetable safety problems in China, especially in underdeveloped areas.

This paper aims to evaluate the cellular injuries associated with spray‐drying of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) in trehalose/monosodium glutamate (MSG) media by means of flow cytometry measurements; and also whether, and to what extent, the probiotic remain stable and viable in food formulations.

Spray‐drying was applied in the production of trehalose‐based preparations containing LGG. To gain more insights on the cellular damages that must have occurred during drying, flow cytometric analysis was applied in combination with carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and PI stains. Spray‐dried samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The storage stability of spray‐dried LGG was monitored in food samples over a period of time.

It was observed that during spray‐drying, 1.80×10⁹ CFU/ml viable counts, which were equivalent of 68.8 per cent cells, were recovered in trehalose matrices but on incorporating 12.5 g/l MSG as a carrier component, survival rates were significantly improved. Density plot analysis showed a higher degree of membrane damage in cells spray‐dried in trehalose without MSG. SEM revealed no difference in the shapes and surfaces of spray‐dried samples. Evaluation of the recovery rates of LGG, initial count of ∼10⁹ CFU/ml or g, at storage time intervals revealed a minimum level of ∼10⁵ CFU/ml in apple juice after 12 days and ∼10⁷ CFU/g in chocolate beverages after ten weeks.

The potential contribution of MSG as a carrier component with trehalose in preventing higher losses during spray‐drying and food storage is pointed out in this study.

This paper aims to describe the physiological analysis of L. rhamnosus VTT E‐97800 and its adaptive response to osmotic stress induced by trehalose.

Cells of L. rhamnosus E800 in the stationary phase of growth were subjected to osmotic stress induced by trehalose treatments. The effects of osmotic stress on the viability of the study strain were determined by conducting flow cytometric analysis with carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and propidium iodide (PI) and by observing the corresponding cells growth on MRS agar plates. Osmotic‐induced changes of esterase activity and membrane integrity were monitored. Ability to extrude intracellular accumulated cF (additional vitality marker) was taken into consideration.

The fluorescence‐based approach gave additional insights on osmotic induced changes of cellular events, which could not be explicitly assessed by culture techniques. Trehalose treatments caused a transient membrane permeabilization as revealed by a gradual decrease in esterase activity (a measure of enzyme activity and thus of viability) with increase in trehalose molarity. However, culturability on MRS agar was not significantly affected. Membrane integrity was maintained and there was an improvement in the ability of cells to extrude intracellular accumulated cF.

The paper provides a comparative study of the conventional culture techniques and the flow cytometric viability assessment which showed that esterase activity cannot be relied on to ascertain the culturability and viability status of an organism.

The purpose of this paper is to produce an electroactive monomer containing ketonic resins and then to investigate redox reaction between Fe+3 and bounded thiophene in comonomers. First, thiophene functionalised ketonic resins (Th-CFPDMSR) were synthesised by esterification reaction of thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride (ThCCl) and hydroxyl groups of cyclohexanone formaldehyde resin (CFR). Th-CFPDMSR was then polymerised by ferric salt. Thiophene modified ketonic resins (Th-CFPDMSR) as comonomers were characterised by common techniques such as gel permeation chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter and scanning electron microscope.

Th-CFPDMSR comonomers were synthesised by esterification reaction of ThCCl and hydroxyl groups of ketonic resins. Then, the in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) of ThC-CFR in the presence of iron (III) chloride salt (FeCl3) was accomplished in chloroform/acetonitrile mixture solutions at room temperature.

Important structural factor determined quantitatively for Th-CFPDMSR is the CFPDMS/TCCl ratio after reaction. The mole ratio effect of TCCl and ketonic resin on the solubility, molecular weight, melting temperature (Tm) and glass transition temperature (Tg) values of the comonomers (TCCl-CFPDMSR) was investigated.

The ferric ion (Fe+3) has a standard oxidation potential. Furthermore, FeCl3 can react with thiophene to produce a cation radical. FeCl3 cannot react with hydroxyl groups of ketonic resins. When ferric is used for ISCO application at relatively low temperatures (e.g. < 20°C), the oxidation reactions are usually less aggressive.

This work provides technical information for the synthesis of conducting block copolymer and for the synthesis of chain-extended resins. The modified resins contain thiophene. The chemical oxidation system has been used to polymerise these thiophene groups, and resins with much higher molecular weight might be produced. The resins may also promote the adhesive strength of a coating and corrosion inhibition to metal surfaces of a coating.

Novel Th-CFPDMSR comonomers were synthesised. These comonomers have higher Tg and Tm values than CF-PDMSR alone. The chemical oxidation system has been used to polymerise these thiophene functionalised ketonic resins.

Data has become one of the most significant instruments in e-commerce innovation. Benefits to the entire society can be summarized as following: from the government’s perspective - to assess the impact of e-commerce to the economy; for merchants - to understand consumers’ needs; and for consumers - to be offered with the right product he/she is looking for. The digital revolution in the past five years has shown the need to offer more differentiated services than the physical stores, when consumers are not able to try and touch products. It is for this reason that e-commerce has continuously developed and transformed Research Online, Purchase Offline into a true experience. Considering the future of e-commerce is to enhance economic development and growth, this research will discuss the disruption of Research and Development through big data. The core objective of this research is to propose a predictive model to deeply understand consumer behavior by analyzing new regulations and transaction records.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a probiotic of human origin, known to have health beneficial effects can be exposed to osmotic stress when applied in food production as important quantities of sugars are added to the food product. The aim of this study is to assess the mode of action of non‐electrolytes stress on its viability.

Investigations were carried out on stationary phase cells treated with 0‐1.5M sugars, by means of flow cytometric method (FCM) and plate enumeration method. Osmotically induced changes of microbial carboxyfluorescein (cF)‐accumulation capacity and propidium iodide‐exclusion were monitored. The ability of the cells to extrude intracellularly accumulated cF upon glucose energization was ascertained as an additional vitality marker, in which the kinetics of dye extrusion were taken into consideration as well. Sugar analysis by HPLC was also carried out.

The results of FCM analysis revealed that with sucrose, only cells treated at 1.5M experienced membrane perturbation but there was a preservation of membrane integrity and enzymatic activity. There was no loss of viability as shown by plate counts. In contrast, the majority of trehalose‐treated cells had low extent of cF‐accumulation. For these samples a slight loss of viability was recorded on plating (logN/N_o ∼ −0.45). At 0.6M, cells had similar extrusion ability as the control cells upon glucose energization. However, 20 per cent of sucrose‐treated cells and 80 per cent of trehalose‐treated cells extruded the dye in the first 10min.

This finding pointed out the importance of trehalose to enhance the dye extrusion activity, which is regarded as an analogue of the capability of cells to extrude toxic compounds. Sugars exert different effects on the physiological and metabolic status of LGG but none caused a significant viability loss. LGG can be a choice probiotic bacterium in sugar‐rich food production e.g. candies, marmalade etc., in which exposure to high osmotic pressure is be expected.

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