Novel Enzymatic Synthesis of 3-hydroxybutyric Acid Oligomerswith Inserted Lactobionic Acid Moieties

3-Hydroxybutyric acid and lactobionic acid yielded linear and cyclic oligomers in a lipase-catalyzedcondensation polymerization reaction, performed at 80°C in bulk and organic solvent systems. Novozyme435 was the most efficient biocatalyst, and a mixture of t-butanol and dimethylsulfoxide in 80:20 (v/v) ratioprovided the highest copolymer conversions. The highest degree of polymerization reached 7 in case ofcopolymers with inserted lactobionic acid moiety and 11 for the 3-hydroxybutyric acid homopolymer by-product

Development of the designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 for HER2 molecular imaging

s funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for HER Imaging and Molecular Interaction Mapping in Breast Cancer (Imagint EC grant 259881) and the Breast Cancer Campaign. The research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre

Influence of Titanium Additions on The Electrochemical Behaviour of NiCr/Ti Laser Cladded Coatings

In this research, the electrochemical evaluation of NiCr/Ti laser cladded coatings in simulated polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) environment was investigated. The Laser Cladding technique was used to develop protective coatings on mild steel substrate using NiCr-based powders mixed with 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20 wt.% Ti additions. The samples were tested at room temperature in Na2SO4 0.1M + 0.1 ppm F-. The potentiodynamic polarization curves are presented before and after the samples were subjected to accelerated stress tests, for 6 hours each, at +0.736 V (cathodic environment) and at -0.493 V (anodic environment). Afterwards, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the effect of Ti addition in terms of morphology. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was performed for chemical evaluation of the surface after corrosion tests

Systemic Measures and Legislative and Organizational Frameworks Aimed at Preventing or Mitigating Drug Shortages in 28 European and Western Asian Countries

Drug shortages have been identified as a public health problem in an increasing number of countries. This can negatively impact on the quality and efficiency of patient care, as well as contribute to increases in the cost of treatment and the workload of health care providers. Shortages also raise ethical and political issues. The scientific evidence on drug shortages is still scarce, but many lessons can be drawn from cross-country analyses. The objective of this study was to characterize, compare, and evaluate the current systemic measures and legislative and organizational frameworks aimed at preventing or mitigating drug shortages within health care systems across a range of European and Western Asian countries. The study design was retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational. Information was gathered through a survey distributed among senior personnel from ministries of health, state medicines agencies, local health authorities, other health or pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement authorities, health insurance companies and academic institutions, with knowledge of the pharmaceutical markets in the 28 countries studied. Our study found that formal definitions of drug shortages currently exist in only a few countries. The characteristics of drug shortages, including their assortment, duration, frequency, and dynamics, were found to be variable and sometimes difficult to assess. Numerous information hubs were identified. Providing public access to information on drug shortages to the maximum possible extent is a prerequisite for performing more advanced studies on the problem and identifying solutions. Imposing public service obligations, providing the formal possibility to prescribe unlicensed medicines, and temporary bans on parallel exports are widespread measures. A positive finding of our study was the identification of numerous bottom-up initiatives and organizational frameworks aimed at preventing or mitigating drug shortages. The experiences and lessons drawn from these initiatives should be carefully evaluated, monitored, and presented to a wider international audience for careful appraisal. To be able to find solutions to the problem of drug shortages, there is an urgent need to develop a set of agreed definitions for drug shortages, as well as methodologies for their evaluation and monitoring. This is being progressed

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Identification of in-line defects and failures during Additive Manufacturing Powder Bed Fusion processes

Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes are enablers of new approaches in the field of production and design engineering, product design and business modelling. Beginning to view additive manufacturing in an industrial environment, reliable statements about the product quality are indispensable. Statements regarding compliance with geometric tolerances and exact quantifiable physical parameters, in terms of product certification are therefore imperative. The quality of the components must not only be sustainably secured but also reproducible at any time. Quality control and quality assurance are the prerequisite for highly customized unique parts, or even batch size 1 product, that can be produced by additive manufacturing as efficiently as conventional mass-produced parts. This paper will discuss an approach for the identification of in-line defects and failures during Additive Manufacturing Powder Bed Fusion processes using the example of the Selective Laser Sintering process

Shadow Economy Index for Moldova and Romania

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. This report presents estimates of the size of the shadow economy in Moldova and Romania during the years 2015–2016. The estimates are based on surveys of entrepreneurs in both countries, following the method of Putniņš and Sauka (Journal of Comparative Economics 43:471–490, 2015). The components of the shadow economy captured by this approach include misreported business income, unregistered or hidden employees, and ‘envelope’ wages. Our findings suggest that both Moldova and Romania exhibit high levels of bribery, which is influenced by the number of unregistered companies. The results of this chapter highlight the importance of focusing on different forms of entrepreneurship particularly in transition economies