Structuring effect of tools conceptualized through initial goal fixedness for work activity

Analysis of work activities in nuclear industry has highlighted a new psycho-cognitive phenomenon: the structuring effect of tools (SET) sometimes leading to unexpected operating deviations; the subject is unable to perform a task concerning object A using or adapting a tool designed and presented to perform the same task concerning object B when object A is expected by the subject. Conditions to isolate and identify the SET were determined and reproduced in experiments for further analysis. Students and seven professional categories of adults (N = 77) were involved in three experimental conditions (control group, group with prior warning, group with final control) while individually performing a task with similar characteristics compared to real operating conditions and under moderate time-pressure. The results were: (1) highest performance with prior warning and (2) demonstration that academic and professional training favor the SET. After discussing different cognitive processes potentially related to the SET, we described (3) the psycho-cognitive process underlying the SET: Initial Goal Fixedness (IGF), a combination of the anchoring of the initial goal of the activity with a focus on the features of the initial goal favored by an Einstellung effect. This suggested coping with the negative effect of the SET by impeding the IGF rather than trying to increase the subjects’ awareness at the expense of their health. Extensions to other high-risk industries were discussed

Acidogenic fermentation of agroindustrial residues for the production of “green” chemicals

Within the context of biomass biorefining, valorisation of residual streams for energetic and/or material use is gaining increasing attention. Among other processes, anaerobic digestion has been extensively used for the production of methane from organic waste. Acidogenic fermentation (acidogenesis) is mainly studied as an intermediate stage of anaerobic digestion for the optimisation of methane production, but it could be also seen has a stand-alone process for the production of chemicals like volatile fatty acids (VFA: organic acids with a carbon number C2-C6). VFA can be used as building blocks for the "green" chemistry (e.g. solvents, aromas), for the production of biofuels, for the production of bioplastics (i.e. polyhydroxyalkanoates) or as susbstrate for biological nutrient removal. Our research focuses on the acidogenesis of agroindustrial residues with a complex composition (e.g. fruit pulps, brewery residues) by natural, mixed microbial populations (e.g. sludge, ruminal juice) for the selective production of VFA. The challenge is to master the experimental conditions in order to get the desired fermentation profile, while considering the complexity of both the substrate and the microbial consortium. Fermentation of agroindustrial residues provided total VFA (tVFA) concentrations in the range of 15-20 gCOD/kg_fermentation liquor and conversion yields in the area of 0.25 gCOD_tVFA/gCOD_substrate. Butyric and acetic acid were the predominant VF

Acidogenic fermentation of organic residues for the production of "green" chemicals and new biofuels

Anaerobic digestion has long been used for the production of methane from organic material. Microbial hydrolysis and acidogenic fermentation (acidogenesis) are the first stages of anaerobic digestion and can be investigated as individual processes not only to enhance biomass conversion to methane, but also for the production of “green” chemicals, like volatile fatty acids (VFA). VFA are short chained organic acids, with a carbon number of 2-6 and a variety of uses (e.g. production of bioplastics like poly-hydroxy-alkanoates (PHA), monomers for the chemical industry, synthesis of esters for biofuels). A number of factors affect the profile of acidogenic fermentation, such as the composition of the substrate (residual agro-industrial fractions like fruit pulp, trub, spent grain, spent yeast etc.), the complexity of the mixed microbial communities involved and the experimental conditions (e.g. pH, temperature). Purpose of the research is to evaluate, on the one hand, how these factors influence the concentration and yield of different fermentation products and, on the other hand, whether it is possible to master acidogenic fermentation in order to selectively produce a targeted VFA. Within the context of limited biomass availability and the resulting growth of the biorefinery concept (i.e. multiple valuable products from multiple biomass feedstock), this research will offer information on alternative ways of valorising agro-industrial residue

Safety of anticholinergics in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Background: Storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or overactive bladder (OAB) often coexist with voiding symptoms in patients with benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Anticholinergic medications to treat storage LUTS are often withheld in such patients for fear of significantly increasing post-void residual urine volumes or provoking acute urinary retention (AUR). Objective: To assess the clinical validity of concerns regarding urinary safety of anticholinergics in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Methods: Review of indexed literature and congress abstracts. Results/conclusions: Existing urinary and non-urinary safety data on BPO patients administered anticholinergics, either alone or in combination with α-blockers, do not seem to support the above-mentioned concerns. Nevertheless, precise criteria for patient and drug selection to ascertain safe and effective administration are not yet established and need to be investigated in future trials. © 2008 Informa UK Ltd

Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Kidney with Massive Retroperitoneal Recurrence. A Case Presentation

Solitary fibrous tumor is an unusual spindle cell neoplasm that usually occurs in the pleura but has also been described in other sites. Renal presentation is rare and only 38 cases of SFT of the kidney have been described until now. Up to 90% of the tumors have benign characteristics. Local retroperitoneal recurrence is extremely rare. We report a case of a large malignant solitary fibrous tumor recurrence after the surgical excision of the primary tumor. Histological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis by revealing highly positive reaction of the neoplasmatic cells for vimentin, CD34, bcl-2 and moderately positive for actin. The rate of Ki67 lied between 2–7%. No adjuvant therapy was given to the patient and he is disease-free with no imaging findings of recurrence or metastasis 9 months after the re-operation

Comparison of the acidogenic and methanogenic potential of agroindustrial residues

The methanogenic and acidogenic potentials of six different agroindustrial residues, i.e. of fruit pulps and brewery residues, were determined. For all substrates, the methanogenic conversion yield was systematically higher than the acidogenic one in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) terms, ranging from 0.46 to 0.87 gCOD_CH4/gCOD_substrate_fed and from 0.24 to 0.56 gCOD_tVFA/gCOD_substrate_fed, respectively. During methanogenic conversion, brewery trub exhibited the highest methane potential (304 mlCH4/gCOD_substrate). Trub also exhibited the highest total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) concentrations in the mixed liquor (ML) during acidogenic conversion (29.7 gCOD_tVFA/kgML). Acetic, butyric and caproic acids were the main carboxylates produced by the different substrates. Despite the lower conversion yields, the economic value of the acidogenic product (carboxylate streams) is higher than that of methanogenic conversion (methane) due to the higher value of carboxylates and their potential use in finer applications (e.g. bio-based products) compared to energy production form methane