Effect of glass substrate and deposition technique on the properties of sol gel TiO2 thin films

Na+ ions have a detrimental effect on the photocatalytic activity of thin sot gel films deposited on soda lime glass due to their diffusion into the film during the calcination process. Given that the content of sodium in glass substrate might be the crucial parameter in determining the activity of a photocatalyst, the aim of the present work was the comparison of the photoinduced properties of a thin TiO2 film prepared on three different glass substrates namely on quartz (Q) glass, borosilicate (BS) glass and soda lime (SL) glass which have different sodium content. The prepared layers were characterised by X-ray diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy. The diffusion of Na+ from the substrate into the layers was determined by Glow Discharge Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the films were assessed using two model pollutant test systems (resazurin/resorufin ink and stearic acid film), which appeared to correlate reasonably well. It was observed that TiO2 layer on SL glass has a brookite crystalline structure while the TiO2 layer on BS and Q glass has an anatase crystalline structure. On the other hand, the photodegradation of the model dye on TiO2 films deposited on Q and BS glass is about an order higher than on SL glass. The low sodium content of BS glass makes it the most suitable substrate for the deposition of photoactive sol gel TiO2 films. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Skin-reducing mastectomy and one-stage implant reconstruction with a myodermal flap: A safe and effective technique in risk-reducing and therapeutic mastectomy

Introduction: Immediate reconstruction following mastectomy for breast cancer has been shown to be oncologically safe and associated with improved psychosocial outcomes for patients. Bostwick described a technique for one-stage implant based reconstruction, combining skin-sparing mastectomy with concurrent reduction of the skin envelope. This report reviews the experience of a single centre using skin-reducing mastectomy and one-stage implant reconstruction in both early stage breast cancer and risk-reducing mastectomy, with specific reference to frequency of complications, implant loss and oncological outcomes.

Methods and results: A retrospective review was undertaken to identify women who had undergone skin-reducing mastectomy and one-stage implant reconstruction using a de-epithelialised dermal flap, between October 2008 and October 2012. One hundred and four consecutive mastectomies, with reconstruction, were performed by two surgeons on 64 patients. No complications were seen in 43.8% of patients. At three months, four implants were lost (3.8% of breast reconstructions, 6.3% of patients), due to either peri-implant infection or mastectomy skin flap necrosis. One patient required unplanned return to theatre for evacuation of a haematoma. Minor mastectomy skin flap necrosis was seen in 10 breasts (9.6% of reconstructed breasts) and superficial wound infection in 8 breasts (7.7% of reconstructed breasts). All of these complications were managed conservatively and none required operative intervention. At a median follow up of 35 months (4-53 months) there had been one episode of ipsilateral axillary nodal recurrence.

Conclusion: One-stage implant reconstruction using a myo-dermal flap technique following skin-reducing mastectomy is safe and should be considered in selected patients. Most complications are minor and will resolve with conservative management. Major complications such as implant failure or immediate reoperation, were relatively uncommon (6.3% patients, 3.8% of reconstructed breasts). Early follow-up suggests that oncological outcomes are satisfactory, but longer follow-up is required to substantiate this. (C) 2013 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modelling of Evaporator in Waste Heat Recovery System using Finite Volume Method and Fuzzy Technique

The evaporator is an important component in the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) system since the effective heat transfer of this device reflects on the efficiency of the system. When the WHR system operates under supercritical conditions, the heat transfer mechanism in the evaporator is unpredictable due to the change of thermo-physical properties of the fluid with temperature. Although the conventional finite volume model can successfully capture those changes in the evaporator of the WHR process, the computation time for this method is high. To reduce the computation time, this paper develops a new fuzzy based evaporator model and compares its performance with the finite volume method. The results show that the fuzzy technique can be applied to predict the output of the supercritical evaporator in the waste heat recovery system and can significantly reduce the required computation time. The proposed model, therefore, has the potential to be used in real time control applications.

ULTRASTRUCTURAL-LOCALIZATION OF PANCREATIC POLYPEPTIDE AND FMRFAMIDE IMMUNOREACTIVITIES WITHIN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF THE NEMATODE, ASCARIS-SUUM (NEMATODA, ASCAROIDEA)

A post-embedding immunogold technique has been used to examine the subcellular distribution of immunoreactivities to vertebrate pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and to the invertebrate peptide, FMRFamide within the central nervous system (CNS) of the nematode, Ascaris suum. Gold labelling of peptide was localized exclusively over dense-cored vesicles within nerve cell bodies, nerve axons and nerve terminals of the main ganglia and nerve cords in the CNS. Double-labelling of peptides demonstrated an apparent co-localization of PP and FMRFamide immunoreactivities in the same dense-cored vesicles, although populations of dense-cored vesicles that labelled solely for FMRFamide were also evident. Antigen preabsorption studies indicated little or no cross-reactivity between the two antisera.

ULTRASTRUCTURAL-LOCALIZATION OF FMRFAMIDE-IMMUNOREACTIVITY AND PANCREATIC POLYPEPTIDE-IMMUNOREACTIVITY WITHIN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF THE LIVER FLUKE, FASCIOLA-HEPATICA (TREMATODA, DIGENEA)

A post-embedding immunogold technique was used to examine the subcellular distribution of immunoreactivities to the invertebrate peptide, FMRFamide, and to vertebrate pancreatic polypeptide (PP) within the central nervous system of the trematode, Fasciola hepatica. Gold labeling of peptide was localised exclusively over both dense-cored and ellipsoidal electron-dense vesicles (with a homogeneous matrix) present within nerve cell bodies, small and 'giant' nerve processes of the neuropile in the cerebral ganglia and transverse commissure, as well as in the main longitudinal nerve cords. Double labeling demonstrated an apparent co-localisation of FMRFamide and PP immunoreactivities in the same dense-cored vesicles, although populations of ellipsoidal electron-dense vesicles that labeled solely for FMRFamide were also evident. Antigen pre-absorption studies indicated little, if any, cross-reactivity of the two antisera.

Children drawing their own conclusions: Children’s perceptions of a ‘post-conflict’ society

In societies emerging from conflict/war, sustained occurrence of violence appears to be a common feature. In Northern Ireland, while incidents of violent deaths and injuries specifically related to the political conflict have decreased dramatically since 1998, regular riots and paramilitary activity confirm continuing division and conflict. The study described here explored children’s perceptions of their own lives and their predecessors’ lives in the country, through a draw-and-tell technique (n=179). While multiple positive elements of peace/hope were depicted by the majority of children, especially in the pictures portraying the present, negative elements and violent references mostly appeared in the pictures representing the past. Violence was more likely to be portrayed by boys, older children, and those attending segregated education.

Unsupervised Solution Post Identification from Discussion Forums

Discussion forums have evolved into a dependablesource of knowledge to solvecommon problems. However, only a minorityof the posts in discussion forumsare solution posts. Identifying solutionposts from discussion forums, hence, is animportant research problem. In this paper,we present a technique for unsupervisedsolution post identification leveraginga so far unexplored textual feature, thatof lexical correlations between problemsand solutions. We use translation modelsand language models to exploit lexicalcorrelations and solution post characterrespectively. Our technique is designedto not rely much on structural featuressuch as post metadata since suchfeatures are often not uniformly availableacross forums. Our clustering-based iterativesolution identification approach basedon the EM-formulation performs favorablyin an empirical evaluation, beatingthe only unsupervised solution identificationtechnique from literature by a verylarge margin. We also show that our unsupervisedtechnique is competitive againstmethods that require supervision, outperformingone such technique comfortably.

Gamma-ray Spectra and Enhancement Factors for Positron Annihilation with Core Electrons

Many-body theory is developed to calculate the γ spectra for positron annihilation in noble-gas atoms. Inclusion of electron-positron correlation effects and core annihilation gives spectra in excellent agreement with experiment [K. Iwata et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 39 (1997)]. The calculated correlation enhancement factors γnl for individual electron orbitals nl are found to scale with the ionization energy I_nl (in eV), as γnl=1+ √A/Inl+(B/I_nl)β, where A≈40  eV, B≈24  eV, and β≈2.3.

User perspective on palliative care services: experiences of middle-aged partners bereaved through cancer known to social work services in Northern Ireland

This qualitative research study explores experiences of partners bereaved through cancer, who were resident in an urban area of Northern Ireland and who had been service users of the social work services. Data were collected in 2004 from 10 individuals who participated in semi-structured interviews. Emergent themes were identified using thematic content analysis and findings analysed under four categories: cancer journey; impact of bereavement; process of adjustment and change; and experience of support services. Opportunities to facilitate communication were not always maximised, often resulting in poor bereavement outcomes. Although hospices undertook bereavement risk assessment, participants were unaware of its use and queried its accuracy without service user involvement. The most cited informal support was family and friends, although such help was time-limited. Service user feedback regarding social workers was generally positive; however, there was a lack of knowledge about their role in palliative care. Post-bereavement adjustment was influenced by the quality of social networks, the responsibilities of lone parenthood, and challenges to life values and core beliefs. A framework for palliative care social work has been recommended based on research findings.

Labor unions and Nash bargaining using coalition formation games

In this paper we examine the properties of stable coalitions under sequential and simultaneous bargaining by competing labor unions. We do this using the Nash bargaining solution and various notions of stability, namely, Nash, coalitional, contractual and core stability. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,

Pterin detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy incorporating a straightforward silver colloid-based synthesis technique

Optical techniques toward the realization of sensitive and selective biosensing platforms have received considerable attention in recent times. Techniques based on interferometry, surface plasmon resonance, and waveguides have all proved popular, while spectroscopy in particular offers much potential. Raman spectroscopy is an information-rich technique in which the vibrational frequencies reveal much about the structure of a compound, but it is a weak process and offers poor sensitivity. In response to this problem, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has received much attention, due to significant increases in sensitivity instigated by bringing the sample into contact with an enhancing substrate. Here we discuss a facile and rapid technique for the detection of pterins using SERS-active colloidal silver suspensions. Pterins are a family of biological compounds that are employed in nature in color pigmentation and as facilitators in metabolic pathways. In this work, small volumes of xanthopterin, isoxanthopterin, and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin have been examined while adsorbed to silver colloids. Limits of detection have been examined for both xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin using a 10-s exposure to a 12 mW 532 nm laser, which, while showing a trade-off between scan time and signal intensity, still provides the opportunity for the investigation of simultaneous detection of both pterins in solution. (C) 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.3600658]