Relocation trends in manufacturing and the impact on South China exports

CEMSHPH Trust’s business was supposed to be impacted by the relocation trends that the manufacturing industry is actually undergoing in South China, due to changing factors such as rising wages and policy changes. A combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative studies, based on comprehensive desk research, found that relocation trends are limited and might even represent a growth opportunity if HPH Trust extends its catchment area to West and Centre China provinces, through end-user marketing. Lastly, an academic discussion over the “Diamond of National Advantage”, illustrated by Michael E. Porter in his publication “The Competitive Advantage of Nations”, is presented

Management of chronic constipation in adults

Chronic constipation (CC) is an extremely common condition with an estimated prevalence of up to 24%. Most patients with CC should be treated in primary care. Changes in lifestyle, including increased intake of dietary fibre, fluid, and exercise, should be attempted in most patients. Osmotic or stimulant laxatives are indicated if there are insufficient effects of lifestyle changes. Prokinetics and secretagogues should be restricted to those not responding to basic treatment. Anorectal physiology tests and assessment of colorectal transit time are indicated if medical treatment fails or if symptoms indicate severely obstructed defecation. If symptoms indicate an underlying structural disorder, barium or magnetic resonance evacuation proctography is indicated. Biofeedback therapy is effective in patients with dyssynergic defecation. In patients with other evacuation disorders, rectally administered laxatives or transanal irrigation should be attempted. Surgery is restricted to the minority of CC patients with very severe symptoms not responding to conservative treatment

Complementary and alterative treatments in functional dyspepsia

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has steadily increased in Western countries. We aimed at analyzing available data on CAM effectiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients. METHODS: A bibliographical search was performed in PubMed using the following keywords: "complementary/alternative medicine”, “hypnosis”, “acupuncture” and/or “functional dyspepsia”. RESULTS: In community settings, almost 50% of patients with FGIDs used CAM therapies. Herbal remedies consist in multi-component preparations, whose mechanisms of action have not been systematically clarified. Few studies analyzed the effectiveness of Acupuncture in Western countries, yielding conflicting results and possibly reflecting a population bias of this treatment. Hypnosis has been extensively used in irritable bowel syndrome, but few data support its role in treating FD. CONCLUSIONS: Although some supporting well-designed studies have been recently performed, additional randomized control trials are needed before stating any recommendation on CAM effectiveness in treating FD

Complementary and alternative treatment in functional dyspepsia

The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has steadily increased in Western countries. We aimed at analyzing available data on CAM effectiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients

Novel elastic rubbers from CO₂-based polycarbonates

We report the fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into novel rubber polymers based on polycarbonate domains. Our strategy consisted in the atom-efficient terpolymerisation of CO2 with a long-alkyl-chain epoxide and an unsaturated epoxide to obtain polycarbonates with a glass transition temperature (Tg) below room temperature and with pendant double bonds along the backbone to enable peroxide-promoted cross-linking, thus generating an elastic rubber. First, a wide range of epoxides with long alkyl chains (C6-C12) were coupled with CO2 to give polycarbonates with high yields, using a binary catalytic system consisting of an aluminium amino-tris(phenolate) complex and bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium chloride (PPNCl). The synthesised polycarbonates were characterised using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy to determine yields and selectivity, using DSC to measure the Tg, and using GPC to obtain the molecular weight distribution. Next, the terpolymerisation was carried out by including allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) in the reaction mixture together with a long-alkyl-chain epoxide and CO2. Almost complete epoxide conversions (81-100%) and extremely high selectivity (&gt;97%) towards the desired polycarbonates were achieved, with only traces of the cyclic carbonate side-products. The obtained polycarbonates displayed a Tg &lt; 0 °C and thus behave as low-viscosity fluids at room temperature. The pendant unsaturated groups introduced with the AGE monomers allowed cross-linking of the terpolymers with dicumyl peroxide, leading to an elastic rubber-like behaviour as witnessed by their markedly decreased solubility in gel-content tests and by their storage modulus, loss modulus, and Tg, which were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). In summary, we have successfully demonstrated that the terpolymerisation of long-chain epoxides, AGE and CO2 yields polycarbonates that can be cross-linked to obtain elastic rubber properties, thus opening the prospects for a new range of applications for CO2-based green polycarbonates.</p

Intramural Hematoma of the Esophagus Complicating Severe Preeclampsia

Intramural hematoma of the esophagus is a rare injury causing esophageal mucosal dissection. Forceful vomiting and coagulopathy are common underlying causes in the elderly population taking antiplatelets or anticoagulation agents. Acute retrosternal pain followed by hematemesis and dysphagia differentiates the hematoma from other cardiac or thoracic emergencies, including acute myocardial infarction or aortic dissection. Direct inspection by endoscopy is useful, but chest computed tomography best assesses the degree of obliteration of the lumen and excludes other differential diagnoses. Intramural hematoma of the esophagus is generally benign and most patients recover fully with conservative treatment. Bleeding can be managed medically unless in hemodynamically unstable patients, for whom surgical or angiographic treatment may be attempted; only rarely esophageal obstruction requires endoscopic decompression. We report an unusual case of esophageal hematoma, presenting in a young preeclamptic woman after surgical delivery of a preterm twin pregnancy, with a favorable outcome following medical management

Dyes as efficient and reusable organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂

Inexpensive dyes available at the industrial scale, namely, rhodamine B (RhB), rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and methylene blue (MB), were investigated as organocatalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 to styrene oxide to yield styrene carbonate under solvent-free conditions (80 °C, 10 bar CO2, 24 h). Each of these dyes consists of a bulky cation, and a chloride anion that can act as a nucleophilic catalytic species in the target reaction. In order to prepare additional catalysts, the Cl− containing dyes were ion-exchanged with KX (X = Br, I) to afford their counterparts with Br− or I− as the anion. Among this set of nine organocatalysts (three dyes, each with three types of halide), the highest yield of styrene carbonate was obtained with Rh6G-I, and trends were identified based on the nature of the organic cation and halide, with the latter having a much larger impact on the activity (I− &gt; Br− &gt; Cl−). Additionally, we explored the effect of adding H2O as a green, inexpensive hydrogen bond donor acting as a co-catalyst, further optimising the styrene carbonate yield (96% with RhB-I and Rh6G-I in the presence of 50 mg H2O). However, the activity of these organocatalysts was only modest if the reaction temperature was decreased to 45 °C. To tackle this limitation, we designed a tailored yet straightforward modification of RhB-I to synthesise a bifunctional organocatalyst bearing a hydrogen bond donor in proximity of the iodide anion (RhB-EtOH-I). This strategy proved successful and the RhB-EtOH-I catalyst achieved a major increase in styrene carbonate yield (29% after 18 h at 45 °C, 10 bar CO2) compared to the RhB-I/H2O catalytic system (7%). The RhB-EtOH-I catalyst was also versatile and promoted the conversion of a broad scope of epoxides with good to high cyclic carbonate yields under relatively mild reaction conditions (60 °C, 10 bar, 24 h). Although these dye organocatalysts were homogeneous, RhB-EtOH-I could be easily recovered by precipitation with diethyl ether and reused without any loss of catalytic activity. Additionally, we demonstrated that nanofiltration was an effective technique for removing the dye organocatalysts from the cyclic carbonate, affording a high purity product (≤0.1 ppm of RhB in propylene carbonate). The metal-free nature of the optimum organocatalyst (RhB-EtOH-I), its facile preparation and the low cost and commercial availability of its precursors, its promising activity under mild reaction conditions and its reusability are all assets in the context of green chemistry and for potential large-scale applicability.</p

Dyes as efficient and reusable organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂

Inexpensive dyes available at the industrial scale, namely, rhodamine B (RhB), rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and methylene blue (MB), were investigated as organocatalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 to styrene oxide to yield styrene carbonate under solvent-free conditions (80 °C, 10 bar CO2, 24 h). Each of these dyes consists of a bulky cation, and a chloride anion that can act as a nucleophilic catalytic species in the target reaction. In order to prepare additional catalysts, the Cl− containing dyes were ion-exchanged with KX (X = Br, I) to afford their counterparts with Br− or I− as the anion. Among this set of nine organocatalysts (three dyes, each with three types of halide), the highest yield of styrene carbonate was obtained with Rh6G-I, and trends were identified based on the nature of the organic cation and halide, with the latter having a much larger impact on the activity (I− &gt; Br− &gt; Cl−). Additionally, we explored the effect of adding H2O as a green, inexpensive hydrogen bond donor acting as a co-catalyst, further optimising the styrene carbonate yield (96% with RhB-I and Rh6G-I in the presence of 50 mg H2O). However, the activity of these organocatalysts was only modest if the reaction temperature was decreased to 45 °C. To tackle this limitation, we designed a tailored yet straightforward modification of RhB-I to synthesise a bifunctional organocatalyst bearing a hydrogen bond donor in proximity of the iodide anion (RhB-EtOH-I). This strategy proved successful and the RhB-EtOH-I catalyst achieved a major increase in styrene carbonate yield (29% after 18 h at 45 °C, 10 bar CO2) compared to the RhB-I/H2O catalytic system (7%). The RhB-EtOH-I catalyst was also versatile and promoted the conversion of a broad scope of epoxides with good to high cyclic carbonate yields under relatively mild reaction conditions (60 °C, 10 bar, 24 h). Although these dye organocatalysts were homogeneous, RhB-EtOH-I could be easily recovered by precipitation with diethyl ether and reused without any loss of catalytic activity. Additionally, we demonstrated that nanofiltration was an effective technique for removing the dye organocatalysts from the cyclic carbonate, affording a high purity product (≤0.1 ppm of RhB in propylene carbonate). The metal-free nature of the optimum organocatalyst (RhB-EtOH-I), its facile preparation and the low cost and commercial availability of its precursors, its promising activity under mild reaction conditions and its reusability are all assets in the context of green chemistry and for potential large-scale applicability.</p

Dyes as efficient and reusable organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂

Inexpensive dyes available at the industrial scale, namely, rhodamine B (RhB), rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and methylene blue (MB), were investigated as organocatalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 to styrene oxide to yield styrene carbonate under solvent-free conditions (80 °C, 10 bar CO2, 24 h). Each of these dyes consists of a bulky cation, and a chloride anion that can act as a nucleophilic catalytic species in the target reaction. In order to prepare additional catalysts, the Cl− containing dyes were ion-exchanged with KX (X = Br, I) to afford their counterparts with Br− or I− as the anion. Among this set of nine organocatalysts (three dyes, each with three types of halide), the highest yield of styrene carbonate was obtained with Rh6G-I, and trends were identified based on the nature of the organic cation and halide, with the latter having a much larger impact on the activity (I− &gt; Br− &gt; Cl−). Additionally, we explored the effect of adding H2O as a green, inexpensive hydrogen bond donor acting as a co-catalyst, further optimising the styrene carbonate yield (96% with RhB-I and Rh6G-I in the presence of 50 mg H2O). However, the activity of these organocatalysts was only modest if the reaction temperature was decreased to 45 °C. To tackle this limitation, we designed a tailored yet straightforward modification of RhB-I to synthesise a bifunctional organocatalyst bearing a hydrogen bond donor in proximity of the iodide anion (RhB-EtOH-I). This strategy proved successful and the RhB-EtOH-I catalyst achieved a major increase in styrene carbonate yield (29% after 18 h at 45 °C, 10 bar CO2) compared to the RhB-I/H2O catalytic system (7%). The RhB-EtOH-I catalyst was also versatile and promoted the conversion of a broad scope of epoxides with good to high cyclic carbonate yields under relatively mild reaction conditions (60 °C, 10 bar, 24 h). Although these dye organocatalysts were homogeneous, RhB-EtOH-I could be easily recovered by precipitation with diethyl ether and reused without any loss of catalytic activity. Additionally, we demonstrated that nanofiltration was an effective technique for removing the dye organocatalysts from the cyclic carbonate, affording a high purity product (≤0.1 ppm of RhB in propylene carbonate). The metal-free nature of the optimum organocatalyst (RhB-EtOH-I), its facile preparation and the low cost and commercial availability of its precursors, its promising activity under mild reaction conditions and its reusability are all assets in the context of green chemistry and for potential large-scale applicability.</p

Dyes as efficient and reusable organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂

Inexpensive dyes available at the industrial scale, namely, rhodamine B (RhB), rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and methylene blue (MB), were investigated as organocatalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 to styrene oxide to yield styrene carbonate under solvent-free conditions (80 °C, 10 bar CO2, 24 h). Each of these dyes consists of a bulky cation, and a chloride anion that can act as a nucleophilic catalytic species in the target reaction. In order to prepare additional catalysts, the Cl− containing dyes were ion-exchanged with KX (X = Br, I) to afford their counterparts with Br− or I− as the anion. Among this set of nine organocatalysts (three dyes, each with three types of halide), the highest yield of styrene carbonate was obtained with Rh6G-I, and trends were identified based on the nature of the organic cation and halide, with the latter having a much larger impact on the activity (I− &gt; Br− &gt; Cl−). Additionally, we explored the effect of adding H2O as a green, inexpensive hydrogen bond donor acting as a co-catalyst, further optimising the styrene carbonate yield (96% with RhB-I and Rh6G-I in the presence of 50 mg H2O). However, the activity of these organocatalysts was only modest if the reaction temperature was decreased to 45 °C. To tackle this limitation, we designed a tailored yet straightforward modification of RhB-I to synthesise a bifunctional organocatalyst bearing a hydrogen bond donor in proximity of the iodide anion (RhB-EtOH-I). This strategy proved successful and the RhB-EtOH-I catalyst achieved a major increase in styrene carbonate yield (29% after 18 h at 45 °C, 10 bar CO2) compared to the RhB-I/H2O catalytic system (7%). The RhB-EtOH-I catalyst was also versatile and promoted the conversion of a broad scope of epoxides with good to high cyclic carbonate yields under relatively mild reaction conditions (60 °C, 10 bar, 24 h). Although these dye organocatalysts were homogeneous, RhB-EtOH-I could be easily recovered by precipitation with diethyl ether and reused without any loss of catalytic activity. Additionally, we demonstrated that nanofiltration was an effective technique for removing the dye organocatalysts from the cyclic carbonate, affording a high purity product (≤0.1 ppm of RhB in propylene carbonate). The metal-free nature of the optimum organocatalyst (RhB-EtOH-I), its facile preparation and the low cost and commercial availability of its precursors, its promising activity under mild reaction conditions and its reusability are all assets in the context of green chemistry and for potential large-scale applicability.</p