Results of salt intake restriction monitored with the new sodium control biosensor

Adherence to a low sodium (Na) diet is crucial in patients under hemodialysis, as it improves cardiovascular outcomes and reduces thirst and interdialytic weight gain. Recommended salt intake is lower than 5 g/day. The new 6008 CareSystem monitors incorporate a Na module that offers the advantage of estimating patients' salt intake. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary Na restriction for 1 week, monitored with the Na biosensor.A prospective study was conducted in 48 patients who maintained their usual dialysis parameters and were dialyzed with a 6008 CareSystem monitor with activation of the Na module. Total Na balance, pre/postdialysis weight, serum Na (sNa), changes in pre- to post-dialysis sNa (ΔsNa), diffusive balance, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were compared twice, once after 1 week of patients' usual Na diet and again after another week with more restricted Na intake.Restricted Na intake increased the percentage of patients on a low-sodium diet (<85 Na mmol/day) from 8% to 44%. Average daily Na intake decreased from 149 ± 54 to 95 ± 49 mmol and interdialytic weight gain was reduced by 460 ± 484 g per session. More restricted Na intake also decreased pre-dialysis sNa and increased both intradialytic diffusive balance and ΔsNa. In hypertensive patients, reducing daily sodium by more than 3 g Na/day lowered their systolic blood pressure.The new Na module allowed objective monitoring of Na intake, which in turn could permit more precise personalized dietary recommendations in patients under hemodialysis.S. Karger AG, Basel

Depression and Motivation

Among the characteristic features of depression is a diminishment in or lack of action and motivation. In this paper, I consider a dominant philosophical account which purports to explain this lack of action or motivation. This approach comes in different versions but a common theme is, I argue, an over reliance on psychologistic assumptions about action–explanation and the nature of motivation. As a corrective I consider an alternative view that gives a prominent place to the body in motivation. Central to the experience of depression are changes to how a person is motivated to act and, also as central, are changes to bodily feelings and capacities. I argue that broadly characterizing motivation in terms of bodily capacities can, in particular, provide a more compelling account of depressive motivational pathology

Parenting the Parents: The Ethics of Parent-Targeted Paternalism in the Context of Anti-poverty Policies

Governments often aim to improve children’s wellbeing by targeting the decision-making of their parents. In this paper, I explore this phenomenon, providing an ethical evaluation of the ways in which governments target parental decision-making in the context of anti-poverty policies. I first introduce and motivate the concept of parent-targeted paternalism to categorize such policies. I then investigate whether parent-targeted paternalism is ever pro tanto wrong, arguing that it is when directed at parents who meet a threshold of parental competency. I next explore the factors that affect the degree of pro tanto wrongness of paternalistic anti-poverty policies targeting parents, and provide an account of the conditions under which such policies are on balance permissible, and when they are not. Finally, I illustrate the plausibility and usefulness of my framework by considering a case

Compression after impact test on woven CFRP laminates with graphene

Nowadays carbon fibre reinforced epoxy laminates represent the standard material in the designing and manufacturing of aeronautical composite structures. However, advantages related to metals manufacturing could represent an important menace for the role of composite materials in this industry. Therefore, new improvements in composite structures have to be seek in order to improve their competitiveness. Graphene is a nanomaterial that possess the higher stiffness and strength ever measured. Therefore, the use of Graphene Related Material (GRM) for enhancing composite laminate materials could represent an important advance in order to reduce their impact vulnerability and to improve the performance of Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) composites. &nbsp;&nbsp;In this work epoxy resin doped with GRM were used to manufacture carbon fiber aeronautical composites by RTM. Low velocity impacts and Compression After Impact (CAI) tests were performed. Regarding experimental methodology, ASTM standard was followed, also new measuring techniques were used as 3D High Speed Digital Image Correlations. All tests were performed on GRM enhanced material and reference material to compare their results. Under impact loads, elastic behavior, peak force or damage results do not depend on the addition of graphenic particles. Whereas, a minor improvement enhanced with GRM in compression preserving the visible damage for an impact equivalent to the tool drop (30 J). Is important to keep this effect in order to detect damages in the composites structures