Study of two Anti-Biofouling Strategies for Marine Applications

Marine biofouling is an age-old problem - as long as mankind has used the sea with his artificial structures for transportation and can be defined as “the undesirable phenomenon of adherence and accumulation of biotic deposits on a submerged artificial surface or in contact with seawater”1-2. Biofouling accelerates the process of corrosion of affected materials (microbiological corrosion) and causes performance loss with damages taking place on both movable and stationary structures (1). Its consequences can be categorised into, environmental, ecological and economic. Mitigation strategies include, (i) modifying the exposed material surface and/or (ii) applying a technology to the exposed material surface. This study investigated, (1) surface modification using a commercially available carbon dioxide (CO2) laser engraving system, capable of etching bespoke micro-scale topography onto a material - the principle being that the modified surface is rendered less hydrophilic and less ‘favourable’ for sustained adhesion and growth from biofouling organisms and, (2) commercially available technology-based approach using ultrasound (US) waves - the principle being that continual wave exposure of a pre-set wave pattern and magnitude disrupts the capability of biofouling organisms to adhere to the exposed material. Both studies were performed on carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) – its lightweighting property makes it a ‘go-to’ material for use in more environmentally friendly marine vehicles. Analyses to include physico-chemcial, mechanical, thermal and biological methods

Amyloids - A functional coat for microorganisms

Amyloids are filamentous protein structures ~10 nm wide and 0.1–10 µm long that share a structural motif, the cross-β structure. These fibrils are usually associated with degenerative diseases in mammals. However, recent research has shown that these proteins are also expressed on bacterial and fungal cell surfaces. Microbial amyloids are important in mediating mechanical invasion of abiotic and biotic substrates. In animal hosts, evidence indicates that these protein structures also contribute to colonization by activating host proteases that are involved in haemostasis, inflammation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix. Activation of proteases by amyloids is also implicated in modulating blood coagulation, resulting in potentially life-threatening complications.

Oxidative stress in pregnancy and fertility pathologies

Oxidative stress designates the state of imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant levels. In a healthy placenta, there is an increase in ROS production, due to formation of new tissues and inherent metabolism, but this is balanced by higher levels of antioxidants. However, this balance is lost in some situations, with a consequent increase in oxidative stress levels. Oxidative stress has been implicated in several placental disorders and pregnancy pathologies. The present review intends to summarize what is known about the relationship between oxidative stress and well-known pregnancy disorders

Precise determination of the mass of the Higgs boson and tests of compatibility of its couplings with the standard model predictions using proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Measurement of the Zγ production cross section in pp collisions at 8 TeV and search for anomalous triple gauge boson couplings

Open Access, Copyright CERN, for the benefit of the CMS Collaboration. Article funded by SCOAP3.Abstract: The cross section for the production of Zγ in proton-proton collisions at 8 TeV is measured based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 fb−1. Events with an oppositely-charged pair of muons or electrons together with an isolated photon are selected. The differential cross section as a function of the photon transverse momentum is measured inclusively and exclusively, where the exclusive selection applies a veto on central jets. The observed cross sections are compatible with the expectations of next-to-next-to-leading-order quantum chromodynamics. Limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings of ZZγ and Zγγ are set that improve on previous experimental results obtained with the charged lepton decay modes of the Z boson

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Measurements of the t(t)over-bar production cross section in lepton plus jets final states in pp collisions at 8 and ratio of 8 to 7 TeV cross sections

Peer reviewe

Search for lepton flavour violating decays of the Higgs boson to eτand eμin proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV

A direct search for lepton flavour violating decays of the Higgs boson (H) in the H →eτand H →eμchannels is described. The data sample used in the search was collected in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeVwith the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.7fb−1. No evidence is found for lepton flavour violating decays in either final state. Upper limits on the branching fractions, B(H →eτ) <0.69%and B(H →eμ) <0.035%, are set at the 95% confidence level. The constraint set on B(H →eτ)is an order of magnitude more stringent than the existing indirect limits. The limits are used to constrain the corresponding flavour violating Yukawa couplings, absent in the standard model

Measurements of the Upsilon(1S), Upsilon(2S), and Upsilon(3S) differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

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