Three-phase packed bed reactor with an evaporating solvent—I. Experimental: the hydrogenation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in methanol

In this paper we present experimental data on the three-phase hydrogenation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) to triaminotoluene. The experiments are performed in a cocurrent upflow packed bed reactor. Methanol is used as an evaporating solvent. The influence of the main operating parameters, the reactor pressure, the feed temperature and the molar ratio of hydrogen to TNT in the feed, are investigated experimentally. A rapid deactivation of the catalyst was observed. The rate of deactivation was investigated by performing experiments at standardized conditions at regular time intervals and by continuous operation of the reactor. Several experiments were done to find out if the catalyst could be regenerated in situ. This regeneration proved successful: the catalyst activity was practically equal to the initial one

Erg lens with built-in ganzfeld light-source for stimulation and adaptation

A contact lens for routine electroretinography which contains a Ganzfeld light source is described. The light source consists of six light-emitting diodes and serves both as a stimulus source and a background illumination. The response characteristics with this source are comparable with those of an integrating sphere stimulator

Erg lens with built-in ganzfeld light-source for stimulation and adaptation

A contact lens for routine electroretinography which contains a Ganzfeld light source is described. The light source consists of six light-emitting diodes and serves both as a stimulus source and a background illumination. The response characteristics with this source are comparable with those of an integrating sphere stimulator

Assessment of Contraceptive Counseling and Contraceptive Use in Women After Bariatric Surgery

BACKGROUND: Reproductive-aged women are, according to American and European guidelines, recommended to avoid pregnancy for 12-24 months after bariatric surgery. Oral contraceptives may have suboptimal efficacy after malabsorptive bariatric procedures. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess contraceptive use pre- and postoperatively in women who underwent bariatric surgery in two obesity clinics in The Netherlands. Also, the recall of contraceptive and pregnancy counseling was investigated. METHODS: A validated questionnaire was performed among women aged 18-45 years who underwent bariatric surgery from October 2017 through August 2018. RESULTS: In total, 230 women were eligible for final analysis. Postoperatively, 60% used safe contraception, 16.1% unsafe contraception, and 23.9% no contraception. In this study, 43.7% of women using a potential unsafe contraceptive method preoperatively switched to a safe method of contraception postoperatively (p < 0.0001). Only 62.6% of women confirmed to have received contraceptive counseling, mainly preoperatively. The odds ratio for receiving contraceptive counseling and using safe contraceptive methods compared with not receiving contraceptive counseling was 2.20 (95% CI, 1.27-3.79; p = 0.005). Eighty-three percent confirmed that they have received counseling regarding delaying a pregnancy, and 52.6% were familiar with the recommendation to avoid a pregnancy for 24 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, 60% of women are using safe contraception postoperatively. Contraceptive counseling is suboptimal as 62.6% recall receiving counseling. Those who confirmed receiving counseling were more likely to use safe contraception after bariatric surgery. More counseling and monitoring in the postoperative and in the outpatient setting is recommended

Thermo-mechanical response FEM simulation of ceramic refractories undergoing severe temperature variations

T. K Papathanasiou and F. Dal Corso gratefully acknowledge support from the European Union FP7 project “Mechanics of refractory materials at high–temperature for advanced industrial technologies” under contract number PIAPP–GA–2013–609758. A. Piccolroaz would like to acknowledge financial support from the European Union‟s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement number PITN-GA-2013-606878-CERMAT2