Application of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Zinc Oxide as a Green Fire-Retardant System in High Density Polyethylene

Polymeric materials are widely used in diverse applications. However, a major weakness in the majority of the thermoplastic polymers is their lack of ability to resist fire. Most of the chemicals and additives currently used to improve fire retardancy have deleterious effects on the environment. This research focuses on developing an environmentally safe and effective fire-retardant system for high density polyethylene (HDPE), using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The effect of CNCs coated with nano ZnO has been investigated for improving the fire resistance properties of the HDPE. Improved dispersion of CNCs into HDPE matrix was achieved by employing maleic anhydride as a coupling agent. It was found that addition of CNCs-ZnO can introduce a reasonable level of flame retardancy in HDPE matrix in addition to improving the maximum tensile strength and elongation at break

Representation of careers in British print media, 1985–2015

Using media analysis framework, this study aims is to identify the dominant themes in representation of careers in print media and to explore the possible changes in public discourse narratives of careers from 1985 to 2015 by analysing relevant articles in British newspapers. The study involves examining the use of language and journalistic styles to talk about careers, the nature of any career advice given, metaphors used, and the narrative forms employed. Over the last few decades, it has been said by many academics that the nature of careers is changing, and the notion of traditional careers based on hierarchical, highly rigid structures and linear direction of prescribed advancement is no longer applicable to the contemporary labour market. This thesis explores whether the anticipated changes that academics in the field of career studies discuss are aligned with the narratives in popular discourse. To achieve this, a structured comparison of the articles concerning careers in selected and contrasting printed media outlets over a 30‐year time span will be analysed alongside academic sources in the field of career studies. The analysis will then identify how popular discourse and academic discourse overlap, diverge and feed into one another. Investigating both academic literature and popular media in parallel allows the study to develop a contextual perspective which has rarely been the focus of academic research in careerstudies. Assessing the similarities and differences of the dominant academic discourses and inherently social characteristics of the press can provide a setting to draw conclusions about social implications of career theories. From the methodological perspective, this study offers an innovative way of observing the development of career theories and conducting a comparative analysis, by using a mixed‐ method approach which involves a quantitative study of the media trends and coverage over time as well as the discursive analysis of the selected newspaper articles. In this study, articles from three British newspapers, The Times, Guardian, and Daily Mail from 1985 to 2015 will be analysed using a combination of content analysis and discourse analysis

Examining career transition narratives through the lens of social justice: a critical study of the British Press

In this article we examine the print media portrayal of career transitions by adapting Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework. The aim is to explore and critically analyse the newspaper articles published in The Times, Guardian, and Daily Mail between 1985 and 2015, the same time span in which career development theories started to get public attention. In particular, we answer the question of how the language used by journalists influences assumptions about personal agency in career development. Assessing the similarities and differences of the dominant academic discourses and the social characteristic of the press provides a setting to draw conclusions about the social implications of career theories.</p

Parallel representations: Career development in media and academic literature

This paper focuses on the portrayal of careers in the press, a subject minimally addressed in career development studies. It employs media content analysis to compare and map the language used in British print media when discussing careers with that in academic discourse. Using VOSViewer for text mapping and data visualisation, this study mirrors Lee et al. (2014)'s approach to systematically analyse 1,287 newspaper articles, identifying and exploring prevalent terms and concepts within career-themed articles. It highlights the intersection of media and career development studies, revealing how media narratives can influence the perception and discussion of career development.</p

Deterioration in the Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Biopolymers Due to Reprocessing

Biopolymers are an emerging class of materials being widely pursued due to their ability to degrade in short periods of time. Understanding and evaluating the recyclability of biopolymers is paramount for their sustainable and efficient use in a cost-effective manner. Recycling has proven to be an important solution, to control environmental and waste management issues. This paper presents the first recycling assessment of Solanyl, Bioflex, polylactic acid (PLA) and PHBV using a melt extrusion process. All biopolymers were subjected to five reprocessing cycles. The thermal and mechanical properties of the biopolymers were investigated by GPC, TGA, DSC, mechanical test, and DMA. The molecular weights of Bioflex and Solanyl showed no susceptible effect of the recycling process, however, a significant reduction was observed in the molecular weight of PLA and PHBV. The inherent thermo-mechanical degradation in PHBV and PLA resulted in 20% and 7% reduction in storage modulus, respectively while minimal reduction was observed in the storage modulus of Bioflex and Solanyl. As expected from the Florry-Fox equation, recycled PLA with a high reduction in molecular weight (78%) experienced 9% reduction in glass transition temperature. Bioflex and Solanyl showed 5% and 2% reduction in molecular weight and experienced only 2% reduction in glass transition temperature. These findings highlight the recyclability potential of Bioflex and Solanyl over PLA and PHBV

The Cortical Bone Metabolome of C57BL/6J Mice Is Sexually Dimorphic

ABSTRACT Cortical bone quality, which is sexually dimorphic, depends on bone turnover and therefore on the activities of remodeling bone cells. However, sex differences in cortical bone metabolism are not yet defined. Adding to the uncertainty about cortical bone metabolism, the metabolomes of whole bone, isolated cortical bone without marrow, and bone marrow have not been compared. We hypothesized that the metabolome of isolated cortical bone would be distinct from that of bone marrow and would reveal sex differences. Metabolite profiles from liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) of whole bone, isolated cortical bone, and bone marrow were generated from humeri from 20‐week‐old female C57Bl/6J mice. The cortical bone metabolomes were then compared for 20‐week‐old female and male C57Bl/6J mice. Femurs from male and female mice were evaluated for flexural material properties and were then categorized into bone strength groups. The metabolome of isolated cortical bone was distinct from both whole bone and bone marrow. We also found sex differences in the isolated cortical bone metabolome. Based on metabolite pathway analysis, females had higher lipid metabolism, and males had higher amino acid metabolism. High‐strength bones, regardless of sex, had greater tryptophan and purine metabolism. For males, high‐strength bones had upregulated nucleotide metabolism, whereas lower‐strength bones had greater pentose phosphate pathway metabolism. Because the higher‐strength groups (females compared with males, high‐strength males compared with lower‐strength males) had higher serum type I collagen cross‐linked C‐telopeptide (CTX1)/procollagen type 1 N propeptide (P1NP), we estimate that the metabolomic signature of bone strength in our study at least partially reflects differences in bone turnover. These data provide novel insight into bone bioenergetics and the sexual dimorphic nature of bone material properties in C57Bl/6 mice. © 2022 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Epidemiological Characteristics, Clinical Features, and Outcome of COVID-19 Patients in Northern Tehran, Iran; a Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Following the widespread pandemic of the novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19), this study has reported demographic and laboratory findings and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary educational hospital in 99 days in Iran.&nbsp;Objective: We aimed to investigate in-hospital death risk factors including underlying diseases and describe the signs, symptoms, and demographic features of COVID-19 patients.&nbsp;Methods: All confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted from 22 February to 30 May 2020 were extracted from hospital records. A follow-up telephone survey was conducted 30 days after discharge to acquire additional data such as survival status. Distribution of demographic and clinical characteristics was presented based on survival status during hospitalization. All analyses were performed using STATA version 14 with a level of significance below 5%.&nbsp;Results: Among 1083 recorded patients, the rate of survival and death was 89.2% (n=966) and 10.8% (n=117), respectively. 62% of the cases (n=671) were male. The mean recovery time was 1.90 (3.4) days in survived cases, which was significantly lower than that in deceased cases 4.5 (5.2) days, p&lt;0.001). A significantly higher rate of death was observed among patients above the age of 60 years (24.8%, p&lt;0.001), cases with hypertension (25.4%, P&lt;0.001) and cases without cough (17 %, p=0.002) but with shortness of breath (16.5%, p=0.001).&nbsp;Conclusions: Our study emphasized the significant effect of different underlying conditions as mortality factors among COVID-19 patients, namely older age spectrum, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. By acknowledging the epidemiologic pattern and mortality factors, we have more tools to prioritize and make better judgments, and more lives can be saved