Fragmentation of biomass-templated CaO-based pellets

The use of biomass templating materials with a cheap production method as an enhanced sorbent for CO2 uptake has been proposed recently. However, the attrition and fragmentation behaviour of this type of material, which is a vital parameter for calcium looping sorbents, has not yet been investigated in detail. In this work the fragmentation behaviour of biomass-templated sorbents is investigated. Three types of materials were prepared using a mechanical pelletiser: 1. lime and cement (LC); 2. lime and flour (LF); and 3. lime, cement and flour (LCF). These samples were heat treated in a pressurised heated strip reactor (PHSR) and in a bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) and changes in particle size distribution were measured to assess fragmentation. Results indicated that the addition of biomass enhances the propensity to undergo fragmentation. Upon heat treatment in the PHSR the particle size of LC was not modified significantly; on the contrary the mean particle diameter of LF decreased from 520 μm to 116 μm and that of LCF from 524 μm to 290 μm. Fragmentation tests in the BFB confirmed the trend: 67% of the particles of LF fragmented, against 53% of LCF and 18% of LC samples. The addition of cement to the LF samples partially counteracts this performance degradation with respect to attrition. However, calcium aluminate pellets (LC) showed the lowest rate of fragmentation amongst all of the samples tested

155 Effects on sacubitril/valsartan on natriuretic peptides in patients with a reduced ejection fraction

Abstract Aims The PARADIGM-HF trial proved the superiority of sacubitril/valsartan (Sa/Va) vs. enalapril in reducing mortality and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). Sacubitril/valsartan, new drug used in treatment of heart failure with reduced systolic function (HFrEF) has recently been shown to improve tolerance to exercise and cardiovascular performance. Methods and results We prospectively enrolled 40 outpatient patients with HFrEF with indication for therapy with sacubitril/valsartan and subjected to serial controls with blood tests, echocardiogram before and during gradual optimization of therapy, with the aim of evaluating the effects of the drug on left ventricular remodelling. We studied 40 patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan for at least 3 months. After a mean follow-up of 120 ± 40 days, 95% of patients reached the maximum dose of the drug without major side effects. The ejection fraction increased while end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes of the left ventricle decreased. We also observed a significant reduction in NT-proBNP values without significant worsening of renal function or hyperkalaemia. There NYHA functional class has improved with a positive impact on the prognosis of heart failure at 2 years (P = 0.006). Conclusions In our population, medium-term treatment with sacubitril/valsartan demonstrated a favourable effect on left ventricular remodelling and functional status, confirming the data of previous clinical trials in real life. One more follow-up long and a larger population will help confirm these to confirm these positive effects of the drug on patients with HfrEF

Do Local Institutions Affect Labour Market Participation? the Italian Case

Italy features very low labour market participation rates for both men and women, coupled with a sizeable participation gender gap. This work investigates empirically the relation between institutional quality and labour market participation at the local level. Using official records on the Italian provinces over the 2004-2012 timespan and the Institutional Quality Index, we use a Spatial Lag of X model to gauge the direct and indirect impact of local institutions on male and female participation rates, with particular regard to the participation gender gap. The results support the idea that institutional quality has a significant impact on local labour market participation, for both men and women, while it does not affect the participation gap. Moreover, institutions generate spatial spillovers, affecting participation in neighbouring provinces. Finally, the availability of public child care facilities is as a key determinant of female participation

The relationship between depression and cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis

Objective: Studies on the relationship between depression and cognition on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are inconsistent and it is not clear whether higher depression levels are associated with impairment of specific cognitive domains or processes. This meta-analytic study aimed at evaluating the possible association between depressive symptomatology and performance on cognitive tests assessing several cognitive domains (global cognition, attention, processing speed, verbal, spatial and working memory, verbal fluency, inhibitory control, set-shifting) in individuals living with MS. Method: The literature search on three electronic databases yielded 5402 studies (4333 after the duplicates removal); after the evaluation of titles, abstracts full-text articles, 37 studies were included in the meta-analytic study. A random-effect model meta-analysis was performed and mean weighted effect sizes (ESs) were calculated using Hedges' g. Results: Small ESs were found for the relationship between depression and verbal memory (g = 0.25, p < 0.001), spatial memory (g = 0.23, p < 0.001), verbal fluency (g = 0.26, p < 0.001), and inhibitory control (g = 0.32, p = 0.003). Medium ESs were found for the relationship between depression and global cognition (g = 0.46, p < 0.001), attention (g = 0.43, p < 0.001), processing speed (g = 0.47, p < 0.001) and working memory (g = 0.38, p = 0.037). The relationship between set-shifting abilities and depression was not significant (g = 0.39, p = 0.095). Conclusions: Results suggest that patients with MS and higher levels of depressive symptomatology may also show more difficulties in several aspects of cognition, especially those needed to retain, respond, and process information in one's environment, and to those needed be adequately stimulated in processing relevant information

Comparing two scenarios in the transition towards circular economy in the EU-27. The role of EU waste directives

EU waste Directives have been setting specific environmental targets since the 1990s. National policymakers transpose EU Directives into national laws, taking into account their own preferences and resources in the implementation of national-level waste management plans. Over the last two decades, the European Commission has been aiming to foster the transition towards a circular economy, although the transition is not yet complete. The aim of this study is twofold. First, we model the national policymaker’s choice with respect to the recycling and landfilling targets imposed by EU Directives. Then, we estimate policymaker preferences under two different scenarios, i.e. 1) assuming full waste management efficiency in line with EU Directives (the hypothetical scenario) and 2) looking at actual efficiency based on country-level characteristics (the actual scenario). To estimate policymaker preferences, we implement Structural Equation Modelling, while to obtain actual efficiency, we use Data Envelopment Analysis. Our dataset is drawn from Eurostat and refers to the 2000–2019 period. We look at the time path of policymaker preferences to characterize countries in terms of policy discrepancy and anticipation of EU Directives

A Regional Perspective on Social Exclusion in European Regions: Context, Trends and Policy Implications

Social exclusion represents a popular topic in the policy agendas of European governments, especially after the Great Recession. The existing literature highlights the presence of spatial patterns, although previous contributions consist of local or national level studies, lacking a broader continental perspective. This work resorts to regional data covering 22 EU countries and aims to characterise the nature of spatial patterns, controlling for socio-economic covariates. Using the Spatial Markov Chain Matrix, we find that the strong clusterisation process unfolded by previous studies tends to become less intense if socio-economic covariates are taken into account. Socio-economic factors represent in other words a containment cage that reduces the extent of neighbour influence

A topotactic transition in a liquid crystal compound

The title compound, bis(4-butyloxyacetophenon)azine, exhibits a rich phase behavior. It has two different crystal phases and one liquid crystal phase before transition to the isotropic liquid phase. The liquid crystalline phase is nematic. All the phase transitions of the compound are reversible. In particular, the solid–solid transition at 83 °C is single-crystal-to-single-crystal as proven by optical and electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis and it shows a remarkable degree of reversibility; single crystals can undergo several cycles of transition between the two phases without any damage. The crystal phase stable at lower temperature has been fully characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis. It shows an arrangement of the molecules in layers in the plane (a, b), with the layers piled up along c without interdigitation of the alkyl tails of molecules belonging to consecutive layers. The crystal phase stable at higher temperature is disordered