Synergistic Effect of Cerium Oxide for Improving the Fire-Retardant, Mechanical and Ultraviolet-Blocking Properties of EVA/Magnesium Hydroxide Composites.

Rare earth oxide particles have received important attention in recent years, and due to the wide diversity of promising applications, the need for this kind of material is predicted to expand as the requirements to use the current resources become more demanding. In this work, cerium oxide (CeO2) was introduced into ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)/magnesium hydroxide (MDH) composites for enhancing the flame retardancy, mechanical properties and anti-ultraviolet aging performance. The target EVA/MDH/CeO2 composites were prepared by extrusion and injection molding, and the effects of the addition of the CeO2 were explored by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94, cone calorimetry test, and anti-ultraviolet aging test. Typically, the incorporation of the CeO2 allows a significant increase of the elongation at break and Young’s modulus compared with EVA/MDH by 52.25% and 6.85%, respectively. The pHRR remarkably decreased from 490.6 kW/m2 for EVA/MDH to 354.4 kW/m2 for EVA/MDH/CeO2 composite. It was found that the CeO2 presents excellent synergism with MDH in the composites for the anti-UV properties in terms of mechanical properties preservation. Notably, the combination of CeO2 with MDH is a novel and simple method to improve the filler–polymer interaction and dispersion, which resulted in the improvement of the mechanical properties, flame retardancy and the anti-ultraviolet aging performance of the composites.post-print5300 K

Visible light photoactivity of Polypropylene coated Nano-TiO2 for dyes degradation in water

The use of Polypropylene as support material for nano-TiO2 photocatalyst in the photodegradation of Alizarin Red S in water solutions under the action of visible light was investigated. The optimization of TiO2 pastes preparation using two commercial TiO2, Aeroxide P-25 and Anatase, was performed and a green low-cost dip-coating procedure was developed. Scanning electron microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction analysis were used in order to obtain morphological and structural information of as-prepared TiO2 on support material. Equilibrium and kinetics aspects in the adsorption and successive photodegradation of Alizarin Red S, as reference dye, are described using polypropylene-TiO2 films in the Visible/TiO2/water reactor showing efficient dyes degradation

Developing a comprehensive information security framework for mHealth: a detailed analysis

It has been clearly shown that mHealth solutions, which is the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology to provide healthcare services, deliver more patient-focused healthcare, and improve the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. In addition, these solutions can potentially reduce the cost of providing healthcare in the context of the increasing demands of the aging populations in advanced economies. These solutions can also play an important part in intelligent environments, facilitating real-time data collection and input to enable various functionalities. However, there are several challenges regarding the development of mHealth solutions: the most important of these being privacy and data security. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing is becoming an option for the healthcare sector to store healthcare data; but storing data in the cloud raises serious concerns. This paper investigates how data are managed both on mHealth devices as well as in the cloud. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of security requirements are identified in order to develop a new information security framework. It then examines individual information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the cloud, noting similarities and differences. Furthermore, key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Finally, the paper presents how the new framework could be implemented in order to develop an Advanced Digital Medical Platform

Pediatric campylobacteriosis in northern Taiwan from 2003 to 2005

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There has been a marked increase in the incidence of, and concern regarding, human <it>Campylobacter jejuni </it>and <it>C. coli </it>infections worldwide during the last decade. As the highest infectious disease control apparatus in Taiwan, we aimed to describe the character of <it>Campylobacter </it>isolates from infected children, as well as basic information about the patients, from December 2003 to February 2005.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 894 fecal specimens were collected by several clinics and hospitals from children who had diarrhea, followed by plating onto selective media. Drug susceptibility test of the isolates from these specimens were conducted by disc diffusion method and their serotypes were also studied using commercial antisera made in Japan.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The isolation rate of <it>Campylobacter </it>during these 15 months was 6.8% and was higher in winter (11.1%) than in other seasons. <it>C. jejuni </it>was the most prevalent (95.1%) species in northern Taiwan, comparable to other developed countries. Among the 61 <it>Campylobacter </it>isolates, most were resistant to tetracycline (93.4%), nalidixic acid (91.8%), ciprofloxacin (90.2%), and ampicillin (85.5%). Erythromycin-resistant isolates represented 3.3% of all isolates, suggesting that this drug may be the first choice for treatment. The serotypes of the 61 isolates were demonstrated and only 41.4% were typable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, the Taiwan CDC provided an epidemiological analysis of <it>Campylobacter </it>infection, including the isolation rate, age, seasonal distribution, antimicrobial drug susceptibility patterns, and serotypes of the isolates from pediatric patients in northern Taiwan from 2003 to 2005.</p