Photocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Anatase Coatings Obtained by Cold Gas Spray

This article describes a photocatalytic nanostructured anatase coating deposited by cold gas spray (CGS)supported on titanium sub-oxide (TiO22x) coatings obtained by atmospheric plasma spray (APS) onto stainless steel cylinders. The photocatalytic coating was homogeneous and preserved the composition and nanostructure of the starting powder. The inner titanium sub-oxide coating favored the deposition of anatase particles in the solid state. Agglomerated nano-TiO2 particles fragmented when impacting onto the hard surface of the APS TiO22x bond coat. The rough surface provided by APS provided an ideal scenario for entrapping the nanostructured particles, which may be adhered onto the bond coat due to chemical bonding; a possible bonding mechanism is described. Photocatalytic experiments showed that CGS nano-TiO2 coating was active for photodegrading phenol and formic acid under aqueous conditions. The results were similar to the performance obtained by competitor technologies and materials such as dip-coating P25 photocatalysts. Disparity in the final performance of the photoactive materials may have been caused by differences in grain size and the crystalline composition of titanium dioxide.

Entry Mode Choice in a Hard Service Company

Pro gradun tavoitteena oli löytää tärkeimmät seikat, jotka vaikuttavat kansainvälisen operaatiomuodon valintaan. Tutkimuskohteena olivat suomalaiset pienet tai keskisuuret tuotteistetut ohjelmistopalveluyritykset. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin kvalitatiivista tutkimusta sekä case-tutkimusta. Tutkimus koostui kahdesta osasta: teoreettinen osa sekä empiirinen kahden case yrityksen analyysi. Operaatiomuodon valintaan vaikuttavat tekijät jaettiin sisäisiin (yritys, tuote ja päätöksentekijä), ulkoisiin (ala ja maa) ja operaatiomuodon (kontrolli, riski, resurssit, joustavuus, tuotot ja kulut) tekijöihin. Teoreettisesti operaatiomuodon valinta on erittäin monimutkainen päätös ja sitä on tutkittu monelta kannalta. Tämä empiirinen tutkimus osoittaa, että yrityksen resurssit olivat tärkein vaikuttava tekijä molemmissa yrityksissä.

Reuse of information for selection of methods and operating conditions for drying of pharmaceutical materials

Drying is a major step in the manufacturing process in pharmaceutical industries, and the selection of dryer and operating conditions are sometimes a bottleneck. In spite of difficulties, the bottlenecks are taken care of with utmost care due to good manufacturing practices (GMP) and industries' image in the global market. The purpose of this work is to research the use of existing knowledge for the selection of dryer and its operating conditions for drying of pharmaceutical materials with the help of methods like case-based reasoning and decision trees to reduce time and expenditure for research. The work consisted of two major parts as follows: Literature survey on the theories of spray dying, case-based reasoning and decision trees; working part includes data acquisition and testing of the models based on existing and upgraded data. Testing resulted in a combination of two models, case-based reasoning and decision trees, leading to more specific results when compared to conventional methods.

Materials selection for superheater tubes in municipal solid waste incineration plants

Corrosion reduces the lifetime of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) superheater tubes more than any other cause. It can be minimized by the careful selection of those materials that are most resistant to corrosion under operating conditions. Since thousands of different materials are already known and many more are developed every year, here the selection methodology developed by Prof. Ashby of the University of Cambridge was used to evaluate the performance of different materials to be used as MSWI superheater tubes. The proposed materials can operate at steam pressures and temperatures over 40 bars and 400ºC, respectively. Two case studies are presented: one makes a balanced selection between mechanical properties and cost per thermal unit; and the other focuses on increasing tube lifetime. The balanced selection showed that AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel (wrought, hard tempered) is the best candidate with a good combination of corrosion resistance, a relatively low price (0.83-0.92 e/kg) and a good thermal conductivity (23-27 W/m K). Meanwhile, Nitronic 50/XM-19 stainless steel is the most promising candidate for longterm selection, as it presents high corrosion resistance with a relatively low price (4.86-5.14 e/kg) compared to Ni-alloys.

Pro and con arguments in using alternative dialysis regimens in the frail and elderly patients.

In the last decade, an increasing number of patients over 75 years of age are starting renal replacement therapy. Frailty is highly prevalent in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the context of the increased prevalence of some ESRD-associated conditions: protein-energy wasting, inflammation, anaemia, acidosis or hormonal disturbances. There are currently no hard data to support guidance on the optimal duration of dialysis for frail/elderly ESRD patients. The current debate is not about starting dialysis or managing conservatory frail ESRD patients, but whether a more intensive regimen once dialysis is initiated (for whatever reasons and circumstances) would improve patients' outcome. The most important issue is that all studies performed with extended/alternative dialysis regimens do not specifically address this particular type of patients and therefore all the inferences are derived from the general ESRD population. Care planning should be responsive to end-of-life needs whatever the treatment modality. Care in this setting should focus on symptom control and quality of life rather than life extension. We conclude that, similar to the general dialysed population, extensive application of more intensive dialysis schedules is not based on solid evidence. However, after a thorough clinical evaluation, a limited period of a trial of intensive dialysis could be prescribed in more problematic patients.

Précarité et problèmes cutanés [Skin problems associated with poor living conditions].

Les personnes vivant dans une situation de précarité sont susceptibles de développer un large éventail de problèmes médicaux et les atteintes cutanées sont très fréquentes. Nous présentons quatre situations cliniques de problèmes cutanés fréquemment retrouvés au sein des populations précaires. Leurs diagnostic et prise en charge précoces sont essentiels pour en prévenir l'ultérieure dissémination dans des contextes de promiscuité. People living in poor conditions are at high risk of developing different medical diseases of which dermatological diseases are very common. We present 4 clinical cases of skin diseases, which are the most prevalent amongst the majority of socially and economically vulnerable patients. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are of paramount importance, in order to avoid their spread in close- knit communities where these patients often live.

Transition of young people with chronic conditions: a cross-sectional study of patient perceptions before and after transfer from pediatric to adult health care.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to compare perceived barriers to and the most preferred age for successful transition to adult health care between young people with chronic disorders who had not yet transferred from pediatric to adult health care (pre-transfer) and those who had already transferred (post-transfer). In a cross-sectional study, we compared 283 pre-transfer with 89 post-transfer young people, using a 28-item questionnaire that focused on perceived barriers to transition and beliefs about the most preferred age to transfer. Feeling at ease with the pediatrician was the most important barrier to successful transition in both groups, but was rated significantly higher in the pre-transfer compared to the post-transfer group (OR = 2.03, 95 %CI 1.12-3.71). Anxiety and lack of information were the next most important barriers, rated equally highly by the two groups (OR = 0.67, 95 %CI 0.35-1.28 and OR = 0.71, 95 %CI 0.36-1.38, respectively). More than 80 % of the respondents in both groups reported that 16-19 years was the most preferred age to transfer; more than half of all the respondents reported 18-19 years and older as the most preferred age. CONCLUSION: Better transition planning through the provision of regular and more detailed information about adult health-care providers and the transition process could reduce anxiety and contribute to a more positive attitude to overcome perceived barriers to transition from young people's perspective. Young people's preferences about transferring to adult health care provide a challenge to those children's hospitals that transfer to adult health care at a younger age.

"A Hard Battle to Fight": Natural Theology and the Dismal Science, 1820-1850

William Whewell's and Richard Jones's criticism of Jeremy Bentham's and David Ricardo's "dismal" views on the relation of theory and evidence in political economy was motivated by the former's views on the structuring role of natural theology for questions of method and evidence in the sciences, including political economy. In comparison, natural theology was for Richard Whately as structuring on these issues as it was for the Cambridge men. Whately's view on natural theology, however, conformed with the Ricardian predilection for theory over facts. The differences between the Cambridge men and Whately became manifest after (or better: during) the publication of Jones's book on rent in 1831 and led to a somewhat acerbic exchange of views on the role of definitions in science and the use of history for establishing scientific evidence. As far as political economy was concerned, Whately's stance carried the day in Victorian England.

NLRC5 shields T lymphocytes from NK-cell-mediated elimination under inflammatory conditions.

NLRC5 is a transcriptional regulator of MHC class I (MHCI), which maintains high MHCI expression particularly in T cells. Recent evidence highlights an important NK-T-cell crosstalk, raising the question on whether NLRC5 specifically modulates this interaction. Here we show that NK cells from Nlrc5-deficient mice exhibit moderate alterations in inhibitory receptor expression and responsiveness. Interestingly, NLRC5 expression in T cells is required to protect them from NK-cell-mediated elimination upon inflammation. Using T-cell-specific Nlrc5-deficient mice, we show that NK cells surprisingly break tolerance even towards 'self' Nlrc5-deficient T cells under inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, during chronic LCMV infection, the total CD8(+) T-cell population is severely decreased in these mice, a phenotype reverted by NK-cell depletion. These findings strongly suggest that endogenous T cells with low MHCI expression become NK-cell targets, having thus important implications for T-cell responses in naturally or therapeutically induced inflammatory conditions.

High Altitude Increases Alteration in Maximal Torque but Not in Rapid Torque Development in Knee Extensors after Repeated Treadmill Sprinting.

We assessed knee extensor neuromuscular adjustments following repeated treadmill sprints in different normobaric hypoxia conditions, with special reference to rapid muscle torque production capacity. Thirteen team- and racquet-sport athletes undertook 8 × 5-s "all-out" sprints (passive recovery = 25 s) on a non-motorized treadmill in normoxia (NM; FiO2 = 20.9%), at low (LA; FiO2 = 16.8%) and high (HA; FiO2 = 13.3%) normobaric hypoxia (simulated altitudes of ~1800 m and ~3600 m, respectively). Explosive (~1 s; "fast" instruction) and maximal (~5 s; "hard" instruction) voluntary isometric contractions (MVC) of the knee extensors (KE), with concurrent electromyographic (EMG) activity recordings of the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles, were performed before and 1-min post-exercise. Rate of torque development (RTD) and EMG (i.e., Root Mean Square or RMS) rise from 0 to 30, -50, -100, and -200 ms were recorded, and were also normalized to maximal torque and EMG values, respectively. Distance covered during the first 5-s sprint was similar (P > 0.05) in all conditions. A larger (P < 0.05) sprint decrement score and a shorter (P < 0.05) cumulated distance covered over the eight sprints occurred in HA (-8 ± 4% and 178 ± 11 m) but not in LA (-7 ± 3% and 181 ± 10 m) compared to NM (-5 ± 2% and 183 ± 9 m). Compared to NM (-9 ± 7%), a larger (P < 0.05) reduction in MVC torque occurred post-exercise in HA (-14 ± 9%) but not in LA (-12 ± 7%), with no difference between NM and LA (P > 0.05). Irrespectively of condition (P > 0.05), peak RTD (-6 ± 11%; P < 0.05), and normalized peak RMS activity for VL (-8 ± 11%; P = 0.07) and RF (-14 ± 11%; P < 0.01) muscles were reduced post-exercise, whereas reductions (P < 0.05) in absolute RTD occurred within the 0-100 (-8 ± 9%) and 0-200 ms (-10 ± 8%) epochs after contraction onset. After normalization to MVC torque, there was no difference in RTD values. Additionally, the EMG rise for VL muscle was similar (P > 0.05), whereas it increased (P < 0.05) for RF muscle during all epochs post-exercise, independently of the conditions. In summary, alteration in repeated-sprint ability and post-exercise MVC decrease were greater at high altitude than in normoxia or at low altitude. However, the post-exercise alterations in RTD were similar between normoxia and low-to-high hypoxia.