Impact of Surface Treatment of Flax Fibers on Tensile Mechanical Properties Accompanied by a Statistical Study

In this work, a surface treatment with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) at different concentrations of 4 and 8% is applied to the surface of the flax fiber for a period of 80 hours at room temperature. The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of different treatment processes on the flax fiber, i.e. on its mechanical properties such as: stress and strain at break and Young's modulus. A major test campaign of more than 240 tests is carried out. Due to the variability of the plant fibers, more than 80 samples were tested for each group at a gauge length (GL = 10 mm). The results of the quasi-static tensile tests have a large dispersion which makes it possible to measure the degree of variability in the stress and strain deformation and the Young's modulus of the fiber. This degree of variability has been studied by means and statistical tools such as the Weibull distribution at two

Olika attityder till studielån hos studenter med utländsk och svensk bakgrund. : En kvalitativ studie om förhållandet mellan studeranden med utländsk och svensk bakgrund och CSN:s studielån

I föreliggande uppsatts undersöks förhållandet mellan studeranden och CSN:s studielån. Syftet med undersökningen är att jämföra hur studerande med utländsk och svensk bakgrund uppfattar avsikten med CSN:s studielån för att vidare klargöra varför studerande med utländsk bakgrund tar studielån i mindre utsträckning. För att åstadkomma ett bra svar i forskningen används kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Förmånen med att sig hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervju i allmänt är att den har som grund öppna frågor och utförlige svar. Uppsatsens empiriska material består av sammanlagt sex samtalsintervjuer. För att kunna utföra jämförelsen mellan studerande med utländsk och svensk bakgrund har det genomförts tre samtalsintervjuer med studerande med utländsk bakgrund och tre andra samtalsintervjuer med studerande med svensk bakgrund. Teorin som används i uppsatsen är Bourdieus begrepp Kapital och Habitus till användning för att breda och skapa en större förståelse om ämnet. Sammankoppling och dess relationer kan tydliggöra olika strukturer som kan inverka på människors val i livet. Undersöknings resultat har visat att det finns tre huvudfaktorer som gör att studerande med utländsk och svensk bakgrund tänker olika kring CSN:s studielån och vidare leder till att studerande med utländsk bakgrund tar färre studielån. Dessa faktorer är tankar om framtiden, individualism och familjerelationer och kultur.2019-03-09</p

Structural, elastic, electronic, optical and anisotropy properties of newly quaternary Tl2HgGeSe4 via DFPT predictions associated to XPES and RS experiments

Abstract In the present work, we report on theoretical studies of thermodynamic properties, structural and dynamic stabilities, dependence of unit-cell parameters and elastic constants upon hydrostatic pressure, charge carrier effective masses, electronic and optical properties, contributions of interband transitions in the Brillouin zone of the novel Tl2HgGeSe4 crystal. The theoretical calculations within the framework of the density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT) are carried out employing different approaches to gain the best correspondence to the experimental data. The present theoretical data indicate the dynamical stability of the title crystal and they reveal that, under hydrostatic pressure, it is much more compressible along the a-axis than along the c-axis. Strikingly, the charge effective mass values ( $$m_{e}^{{^{*} }}$$ m e ∗ and $$m_{h}^{{^{*} }}$$ m h ∗ ) vary considerably when the high symmetry direction changes indicating a relative anisotropy of the charge-carrier’s mobility. Furthermore, the Young modulus and compressibility are characterized by the maximum and minimum values ( $$E^{max}$$ E max and $$E^{\min }$$ E min ) and ( $$\beta^{max}$$ β max and $$\beta^{\min }$$ β min ) that are equal to (62.032 and 28.812) GPa and (13.672 and 6.7175) TPa–1, respectively. Additionally, we have performed calculations of the Raman spectra (RS) and reached a good correspondence with the experimental RS spectra of the Tl2HgGeSe4 crystal. The XPES associated to RS constitutes powerful techniques to explore the oxidized states of Se and Ge in Tl2HgGeSe4 system

Motor disorders related to oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy: long-term severity and impact on quality of life

International audiencePurpose: Sensory chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is well-recognized, but motor CIPN remains understudied. This secondary analysis focused on the long-term severity and impact of motor disorders, their relation to sensory CIPN, neuropathic pain, psychological distress, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors.Methods: Data from a multicenter, cross-sectional study were re-analyzed to explore motor CIPN among CRC survivors up to 5 years post-chemotherapy, with no longitudinal follow-up. Questionnaires assessed sensory and motor CIPN (QLQ-CIPN20), neuropathic pain (DN4), anxiety and depression (HADS), and HRQoL (QLQ-C30).Results: Among 405 CRC survivors, 31.1% had sensory CIPN as previously described. When categorizing the 405 CRC survivors based on the years since their last oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, the motor scores derived from the QLQ-CIPN20 showed no significant difference between years (p = 0.08). Motor CIPN scores correlated with female gender, higher oxaliplatin dose intensity, sensory CIPN, and neuropathic pain. Motor CIPN also linked to decreased HRQoL and increased psychological distress.Conclusion: The study underscores the detrimental impact of motor disorders on CRC survivors post-oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Oncologists should prioritize assessing and managing motor manifestations alongside sensory symptoms to enhance post-cancer quality of life

Long-Term Prevalence of Sensory Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy for 5 Years after Adjuvant FOLFOX Chemotherapy to Treat Colorectal Cancer: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

International audience(1) Background: Oxaliplatin is among the most neurotoxic anticancer drugs. Little data are available on the long-term prevalence and consequences of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), even though the third largest population of cancer survivors is made up of survivors of colorectal cancer. (2) Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in 16 French centers to assess the prevalence of CIPN, as well as its consequences (neuropathic pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of life) in cancer survivors during the 5 years after the end of adjuvant oxaliplatin chemotherapy. (3) Results: Out of 406 patients, the prevalence of CIPN was 31.3% (95% confidence interval: 26.8-36.0). Little improvement in CIPN was found over the 5 years, and 36.5% of patients with CIPN also had neuropathic pain. CIPN was associated with anxiety, depression, and deterioration of quality of life. None of the patients with CIPN were treated with duloxetine (recommendation from American Society of Clinical Oncology), and only 3.2%, 1.6%, and 1.6% were treated with pregabalin, gabapentin, and amitriptyline, respectively. (4) Conclusions: Five years after the end of chemotherapy, a quarter of patients suffered from CIPN. The present study showed marked psychological distress and uncovered a failure in management in these patients

Colorectal Cancer Survivors Suffering From Sensory Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Are Not a Homogenous Group: Secondary Analysis of Patients’ Profiles With Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

International audienceOxaliplatin, a pivotal drug in the management of colorectal cancer, causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in a third of cancer survivors. Based on a previous cross-sectional study assessing oxaliplatin-related sensory CIPN in colorectal cancer survivors, a secondary analysis was designed to explore the possibility that different clusters of patients may co-exist among a cohort of patients with oxaliplatin-related CIPN. Other objectives were to characterize these clusters considering CIPN severity, anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), patients’ characteristics and oxaliplatin treatments. Among the 96 patients analyzed, three clusters were identified (cluster 1: 52, cluster 2: 34, and cluster 3: 10 patients). Clusters were significantly different according to CIPN severity and the proportion of neuropathic pain (cluster 1: low, cluster 2: intermediate, and cluster 3: high). Anxiety, depressive disorders and HRQOL alteration were lower in cluster 1 in comparison to clusters 2 and 3, but not different between clusters 2 and 3. This study underlines that patients with CIPN are not a homogenous group, and that CIPN severity is associated with psychological distress and a decline of HRQOL. Further studies are needed to explore the relation between clusters and CIPN management

Geriatric analysis from PRODIGE 20 randomized phase II trial evaluating bevacizumab + chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in older patients with untreated metastatic colorectal cancer

IF 7.191 (2017)International audienceBackgroundOlder patients have frailty characteristics that impair the transposition of treatment results found in younger patients. Predictive factors are needed to help with treatment choices for older patients. The PRODIGE 20 study is a randomized phase II study that evaluated chemotherapy associated with bevacizumab (BEV) or not (CT) in patients aged 75 years or older.Patients and methodsPatients underwent a geriatric assessment at randomization and at each evaluation. The predictive value of geriatric and oncologic factors was determined for the primary composite end-point assessing safety and efficacy of treatment (BEV or CT) simultaneously and also progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).Results102 patients were randomized (51 BEV and 51 CT; median age 80 years [range 75–91]). On multivariate analysis, baseline normal independent activity of daily living (IADL) score and no previous cardiovascular disease predicted the primary end-point. High (versus low) baseline Köhne score predicted short PFS and baseline Spitzer quality of life (QoL) score 2 LN levels above normal and high baseline Köhne score predicted short OS. Survival without deteriorated QoL and autonomy was similar with BEV and CT. On subgroup analyses, the benefit of bevacizumab seemed to be maintained in patients with baseline impaired IADL or nutritional status.ConclusionNormal IADL score was associated with a good efficacy and safety of both BEV and CT. Köhne criteria may be relevant prognostic factors in older patients. Adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy does not impair patient autonomy or QoL

Culture and order in world politics

This chapter sets out the central argument of Culture and Order in World Politics. It provides definitions of cultural diversity and international order, and makes the case for an expansive conception of the latter. It then revisits four key propositions from Reus-Smit’s On Cultural Diversity (2018), on which this volume builds. It goes on to detail four elaborations of these propositions, informed by the analyses provided in contributors’ chapters. These concern the productive power of diversity regimes, the connection between cultural diversity and legitimacy crises, the complex relationship between political centralization and intolerance, and the plural and multiscalar nature of diversity regimes