Unexpected contraction of a zeolite framework upon isomorphous substitution of Si by Al

Isomorphous substitution of Si by Al in the framework of sodalites synthesized in ethylene glycol causes an unexpected contraction of the zeolite framework

Symptomatic pes planus in children : a synthesis of allied health professional practices

This study sought to explore professional perspectives on the assessment and management of symptomatic pes planus in children. Data was collected from three professional groups (podiatrists, physiotherapists, and orthotists) with experience of managing foot problems in children. The survey was undertaken in the United Kingdom via a self-administered, online survey. Data was captured over a four-month period in 2018. Fifty-five health professionals completed the survey and the results highlighted that assessment techniques varied between professions, with standing tip-toe and joint range of motion being the most common. Treatment options for children were diverse and professionals were adopting different strategies as their first line intervention. All professions used orthoses. There were inconsistencies in how the health professionals assessed children presenting with foot symptoms, variation in how the condition was managed and differences in outcome measurement. These findings might be explained by the lack of robust evidence and suggests that more effort is needed to harmonise assessment and treatment approaches between professions. Addressing discrepancies in practice could help prioritise professional roles in this area, and better support the management of children with foot pain. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s). 2020.

Financial globalization, governance, and the evolution of the home bias

Standard portfolio theories of the home bias are disconnected from corporate finance theories of insider ownership. We merge the two into what we call the optimal ownership theory of the home bias. The theory has the following components. In countries with poor governance, it is optimal for insiders to own large stakes in corporations and for large shareholders to monitor insiders. Foreign portfolio investors will exhibit a large home bias against such countries because their investment is limited by the shares held by insiders (the "direct effect" of poor governance) and domestic monitoring shareholders ("the indirect effect").> ; Foreigners can also enter as foreign direct investors; if they are from countries with good governance, they have a comparative advantage as insider monitors in countries with poor governance, so that the relative importance of foreign direct investment in total foreign equity investment is negatively related to the quality of governance. Using two datasets, we find strong evidence that the theory can help explain the evolution of the home bias. Using country-level U.S. data, we find that on average the home bias of U.S. investors towards the 46 countries with the largest equity markets did not fall over the past decade, but it decreased the most towards countries in which the ownership by corporate insiders decreased, and the importance of foreign direct investment fell in countries in which ownership by corporate insiders fell. Using firm-level data for Korea, we find evidence of the additional indirect effect of poor governance on portfolio equity investment by foreign investors.Investments, Foreign ; Globalization

Characterisation of Bidor Kaolinite and Illite

Two types of commercial clay minerals from the Bidor region of Perak were studied. From the X-ray diffraction study, these clays were identified as disordered kaolinite and 2 M polymorph of illite. The morphologies, the surface properties, the pore structures and the infrared absorption properties were examined. The basis for the identification of these clays is discussed

In Vitro Culture Conditions for Maintaining a Complex Population of Human Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiota

A stable intestinal microbiota is important in maintaining human physiology and health. Although there have been a number of studies using in vitro and in vivo approaches to determine the impact of diet and xenobiotics on intestinal microbiota, there is no consensus for the best in vitro culture conditions for growth of the human gastrointestinal microbiota. To investigate the dynamics and activities of intestinal microbiota, it is important for the culture conditions to support the growth of a wide range of intestinal bacteria and maintain a complex microbial community representative of the human gastrointestinal tract. Here, we compared the bacterial community in three culture media: brain heart infusion broth and high- and low-carbohydrate medium with different growth supplements. The bacterial community was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), pyrosequencing and real-time PCR. Based on the molecular analysis, this study indicated that the 3% fecal inoculum in low-concentration carbohydrate medium with 1% autoclaved fecal supernatant provided enhanced growth conditions to conduct in vitro studies representative of the human intestinal microbiota

Solid-liquid mass transfer in agitated vessels with high solids concentration

Solid-liquid agitated vessels are widely used in a number of chemical and mineral process industry operations such as adsorption, ion-exchange, leaching, dissolution and crystallisation. Due to the strong demand in the mineral processing industry to process more ore, these vessels are often required to process slurries with higher solids concentration than normally used. The increase in solids concentration will have an effect on impeller power draw and solid-liquid mass transfer coefficient thereby affecting the overall mass transfer rate. It is of interest to the industry to intensify the solid-liquid mass transfer operations to process more minerals whilst minimising energy consumption. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to determine the ‘optimum solid concentration’ and the best impeller type and baffle arrangement that will ensure high impeller energy efficiency input and highest achievable mass transfer coefficient. Experiments were carried out in 0.20 and 0.30 m diameter cylindrical tanks. Four equally spaced vertical baffles were used to study the effect of baffles on mass transfer, critical impeller speed for off-bottom suspension (N js ) and impeller power draw. Aqueous NaOH solution and cationic ion-exchange resins were used as the liquid and solid phases, respectively. Impellers used in this work were: Rushton disc turbine, 45 o pitched blade turbine and A310 impeller. Experimental results show the presence of an optimum solids concentration (C v ) op , at which the specific power value is minimum, for all impeller types and it varies between 0.20 and 0.25 (v/v) depending on the impeller type and baffle arrangement. These results indicate that the energy efficiency of solid-liquid mixing vessels can be increased by operating them at an optimum solids concentration, which is higher than those normally used. The specific power values under unbaffled condition are much lower than those under baffled condition indicating that the agitator energy efficiency at high solids concentrations can be improved for all impeller types by removing the baffles. Rushton turbine is found to be more energy efficient compared to other impellers under unbaffled condition whereas it is found to be the least energy efficient under baffled condition. Mass transfer experiments conducted at the critical impeller speed N js show that the solid-liquid mass transfer coefficient increases with an increase in solid concentration up to 0.20 (v/v) and decreases thereafter. The solids concentration at which the highest mass transfer coefficient is obtained is designated as the effective solids concentration (C v ) eff . Rushton turbine is found to produce the highest mass transfer coefficient values under both baffled and unbaffled conditions as it has the highest agitation energy efficiency. Removal of baffles has no significant effect on mass transfer coefficient values regardless of the solids concentration and impeller type used. A correlation to estimate the solid-liquid mass transfer coefficient is developed using experimental results and the concept of the Kolmogoroff’s theory of isotropic turbulence to estimate the energy dissipation rate in agitated vessels

Ultrasound in the study and monitoring of osteoarthritis

This review addresses the use of ultrasound (US) as an imaging technique for the evaluation and monitoring of the osteoarthritic joint. US complements both the clinical examination and radiological imaging by allowing the rheumatologist to recognize not only the bony profile but also to visualize the soft tissues. Systematic US scanning following established guidelines can demonstrate even minimal abnormalities of articular cartilage, bony cortex and synovial tissue. US is also extremely sensitive in the detection of soft tissue changes in the involved joints including the proliferation of the synovium and changes in the amount of fluid present within the joint. Monitoring the amount of fluid in the hip and knee joint with osteoarthritis may be a potentially useful finding in the selection of patients for clinical investigation and for assessing their response to therapeutic interventions. © 2008

Analisis Markov Chain terhadap Persediaan: Studi Kasus pada CV Sinar Bahagia Group

Supply is one of the most important factors for the company, but there are still so many companies who don't understand about how to monitoring their supplies so there will be not too much or too little supplies for them to manage. Some of the important things are to know how many supplies that a company should prepare to fulfill the needs of supply for the next period. This essay is aimed to investigate whether there was a shift/moving towards the supplies and the factor, which trigger the moving, how many supplies that the company should have and the cost that they have to pay to fulfill the supplies. The result shows that there was a moving of supplies, which has been cause by some factors. The kind of research that being used is a descriptive research, with a quantitative data. And the methods that being used is the case study, The point of this research is because of the moving of supplies that has been caused by the age of the supplies, the company have to calculate how many supplies that they should have to fulfill the needs of the next period