Prediction of Renal Acid Load in Adult Patients on Parenteral Nutrition

Metabolic acidosis and metabolic bone disease are frequent complications in patients on parenteral nutrition (PN). A common contributor to these complications could be a daily high renal acid load. This study aims to find a method for predicting the potential total acid load (PTAL) and the pH of the compounded parenteral nutrition mixtures. The pH and titratable acidity (TA) of fifty compounded mixtures were measured. The potential metabolic acid load (PMAL) was calculated by considering the amount of nutrients that are acid producers and consumers. The PTAL of the TPN mixtures was calculated by adding TA to PMAL. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to develop a predictive model for the TA and pH of the compounded mixtures. The predicted TA and pH values of the analyzed mixtures agreed with those measured (Passing-Bablok analysis). The PTAL was >50 mmol/day for 82% of the mixtures, >75 mmol/day for 40% of the mixtures, and >100 mmol/day for 22% of the mixtures. The prediction of the renal acid load in patients on long-term PN could allow more appropriate acid-base balancing. Moreover, predicting the pH of such mixtures could be useful to pharmacists to assess the stability and compatibility of the components in the compounded mixtures

Ytterbium disilicate-based glass-ceramic as joining material for ceramic matrix composites

A key aspect of ceramic matrix composites integration is related to a reliable joining technique. An ytterbium disilicate based glass-ceramic material is processed by reactive viscous flow sintering between a barium aluminium borosilicate glass and ytterbium oxide and it is used to join SiC/SiC and C/SiC composites. The joining temperature and the in situ formation of the Yb2Si2O7 is optimised at 1200°C without pressure, on the basis of the sintering and crystallisation mechanisms. The mechanical characterization of SiC/SiC and C/SiC joined with the ytterbium disilicate-based glass-ceramic, tested by single-lap offset at RT, exhibits an apparent shear strength of 35 MPa, similar to their interlaminar shear strength. The proposed system displays self-healing behaviour at 1000 °C and 1150 °C, as demonstrated by the partial and complete sealing of induced cracks by Vickers indentation on its surface at different loads, thus suggesting that it can effectively be used as promising joining material for CMCs

Glass-based sealants for joining α to β’’-Al2O3 in Na–Zn batteries

This study deals with the design and the characterisation of glass-based materials for the hermetic sealing of ceramic components (α-to β’’-Al2O3) in solid-electrolyte cells operating at approximately 300 °C. A silica-based commercially available glass and a newly developed silica-free glass, potentially resistant to corrosion by molten sodium salts, are reviewed and discussed. 25 wt% alumina powder is incorporated into both formulations. The sintering behaviour of the glass systems and their wetting characteristics on alumina are evaluated at the selected sealing temperatures: 900 °C for 40 min (for the silica-based system) and 700 °C for 1 h (for the silica-free system). The viscosity of both glass systems at these temperatures, which is approximately 105 Poise, is deemed suitable for facilitating proper glass flow and bonding with the alumina components. Furthermore, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the potential sealant candidates is investigated. The results demonstrate good compatibility between the glass-based systems (CTE ≈ 7–7.6· 10−6 K−1 at temperatures ranging from 100 to 300 °C) and α- and β’’-Al2O3 (CTE ≈ 7.3· 10−6 K−1 within the same temperature range). The microstructural analysis conducted using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) confirms good thermo-mechanical matching between the glass-based sealants and the alumina ceramic components and that no reaction occurs during the sealing between alumina powder and the glass matrix

Optimizing rheological behavior of glass-based sealant inks for robocasting deposition: A design of experiment approach

Robocasting is a commonly used method for depositing ceramic and glass inks, especially for glass-based sealants. Developing an ink recipe that optimizes an existing process can be a complex and time-consuming task. This study utilized a statistical approach based on the Design of Experiment theories to fine-tune the rheological properties of a water-based glass-based suspension with a limited number of experiments. The key components of the sealant were characterized with a scanning electron microscope, and a fractional factorial design 2(5-1) was implemented to investigate the influence of each component on the rheological characteristics of the ink within a predefined domain of variation. The information obtained and the resulting models were useful in designing a new formulation that closely mimics the rheology of a state-of-the-art ink formulation. This analytical approach not only facilitated the development of a new sealant ink but also enabled its seamless integration into an existing industrial robocasting deposition process without requiring additional adjustments. The study contributes to a better understanding of the influence of each ink component on the rheological behavior and to the design of a new formulation with rheological characteristics very close to those of a reference paste

Oxidation Protective Hybrid Coating for Thermoelectric Materials

Two commercial hybrid coatings, cured at temperatures lower than 300 °C, were successfully used to protect magnesium silicide stannide and zinc-doped tetrahedrite thermoelectrics. The oxidation rate of magnesium silicide at 500 °C in air was substantially reduced after 120 h with the application of the solvent-based coating and a slight increase in power factor was observed. The water-based coating was effective in preventing an increase in electrical resistivity for a coated tethtraedrite, preserving its power factor after 48 h at 350 °C

Religious participation and attitude towards LGBT+ communities. The case of Italy

In recent years, LGBT + communities have obtained significant victories in terms of recognition and civil rights in Western countries. Nonetheless, various forms of discrimination are still common, and a wide extent of variation is observed in societal attitudes towards LGBT + people. Several reasons may explain this heterogeneity, including religion. This work proposes a novel measure of tolerance towards LGBT + people, i.e. the Queer Friendliness Index, based on microdata drawn from a survey of citizen perception in Italy. Subsequently, we analyse the effect of active religious participation on the degree of tolerance towards LGBT + communities. To address self-selection among parish members, we resort to the Heckman procedure. We find that religious participation, reinforcing traditional values and creating strong relational ties among parish members, distorts the marginal effects of the socio-economic determinants of tolerance, producing an adverse effect. This problem may explain the large territorial differences observed across Italian macro-areas

Caratterizzazione geochimica del porto di Napoli

Quello che viene presentato in questo lavoro, rappresenta un primo tentativo di sintesi del dataset chimico-fisico a disposizione per il Porto di Napoli che, a sua volta, rappresenta un interessante caso studio per l’indagine di aree fortemente sottoposte ad impatto antropico e pressione da parte di aree urbane importanti

Does democracy improve human development? Evidence from former socialist countries

Between the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, the changes in the political regimes in the Eastern European countries have enabled millions of people to have access to new political, economic and civil liberties. According to several economists, political and social sciences, the transition from a dictatorship to a democratic political regime has positive effects on Human Development (HD). However, recent studies do not provide strong empirical evidence in favour of this hypothesis. Therefore, the debate about the relationship between democracy and HD is still open. Considering the case of former Socialist countries, the aim of this paper is to empirically analyse whether and to what extent democracy affected the level of HD in these countries during the transition period. Using data on Polity IV and Human development index for 18 former Socialist countries from 1990 to 2014, we find evidence of a positive relationship between democracy and HD. Also, the results were robust when we checked for a set of control variables as growth rate, the degree of trade openness and log population