Evaluation of mechanical and physicochemical properties of protection coatings obtained by sol-gel method

Thin coatings, obtained by the sol-gel method, could find potential applications in medical, chemical and food industry. To achieve this, coatings need to have proper physicochemical, mechanical and protective properties. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) coatings have been applied onto the surface of a stainless steel (316L) by the solgel method using two techniques: dip-coating and painting. To determine the physicochemical composition of triple SiO₂ and TiO₂ coatings, samples were examined by Raman spectroscopy. Surface images obtained with the use of a scanning electron microscopy allow us to determine the surface morphology and continuity of the coatings. The surface morphology was examined before and after tensile tests. The static tensile tests and fatigue strength tests were conducted on a hydraulic testing machine MTS 810 with a measuring range of up to 100 kN. A preliminary research has confirmed that the coatings obtained by the sol-gel method have physicochemical, mechanical and protective properties that make it possible to use them as protective coatings.Тонкі покриви на основі SiO₂ та TiO₂, отримані золь-гель методом, застосовують у медицині, хімічній та харчовій промисловості. Для досягнення необхідних їх фізико-хімічних, механічних і захисних властивостей використано оптимальні режими золь-гель методу, щоб одержати покриви на основі диоксидів титану та кремнію на поверхні нержавної сталі типу 316L. Для оцінки властивостей покривів вжито методи раманівської спектроскопії, а поверхню досліджено за допомогою сканівного електронного мікроскопа. Морфологію поверхні вивчали до та після випробувань на розтяг на гідравлічній машині MTS 810 з навантаженнями до 100 kN. Встановлено, що покриви володіють необхідними фізико-хімічними та механічними властивостями, щоб їх застосовувати як захисні.Тонкие покрытия на основе SiO₂ и TiO₂, полученные золь-гель методом, применяют в медицине, химической и пищевой промышленности. Для достижения необходимых их физико-химических, механических и защитных свойств применены оптимальные режимы золь-гель метода для формирования покрытий на основе диоксидов титана и кремния на поверхности нержавеющей стали типа 316L. Для оценки свойств покрытий использованы методы рамановской спектроскопии, а поверхность исследована с помощью сканирующего электронного микроскопа. Морфологию поверхности изучали до и после испытаний на растяжение на гидравлической машине MTS 810 с нагрузками до 100 kN. Выявлено, что покрытия владеют необходимыми физико-химическими и механическими свойствами, чтобы их применять в качестве защитных

Dialectic of Solidarity and the Rule of Law

The article concerns the significance of the idea of solidarity for the rule of law within contemporary constitutional democracies. The author presents, with reference to P. Ricouer’s philosophy, the dialectical nature of solidarity which mediatises ideals of love and justice. He also presents the solidarity’s place within liberal and republican political thought. The author points the limitations imposed on the idea of solidarity by the model of liberal constitutionalism. At the same time he emphasises that legal recognition related to liberal culture of human rights gains its social complement in the idea of solidarity. He argues that the idea of solidarity might determine the concept of legitimization of power in its modern formula. The idea of solidarity and the concept of rule of law both realise – in different ways and on different levels – the common values oriented towards elimination of arbitrariness of power and ensuring conditions for cooperation between members of political community. The constitutional justice may perform a leading role in fulfilment the idea of solidarity as it watches over distribution of political power and secures processes of free communication within political community.The article concerns the significance of the idea of solidarity for the rule of law within contemporary constitutional democracies. The author presents, with reference to P. Ricouer’s philosophy, the dialectical nature of solidarity which mediatises ideals of love and justice. He also presents the solidarity’s place within liberal and republican political thought. The author points the limitations imposed on the idea of solidarity by the model of liberal constitutionalism. At the same time he emphasises that legal recognition related to liberal culture of human rights gains its social complement in the idea of solidarity. He argues that the idea of solidarity might determine the concept of legitimization of power in its modern formula. The idea of solidarity and the concept of rule of law both realise – in different ways and on different levels – the common values oriented towards elimination of arbitrariness of power and ensuring conditions for cooperation between members of political community. The constitutional justice may perform a leading role in fulfilment the idea of solidarity as it watches over distribution of political power and secures processes of free communication within political community

Charakter władzy suwerennej w koncepcjach ładu konstytucyjnego Hansa Kelsena i Carla Schmitta

The purpose of this article is to review the controversy between two, potentially most influential legal theorists in 20th century, Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt. Their philosophical concepts: Schmittian decisionism and Kelsenian normativism, were based on different assumptions, leading their authors to variant practical conclusions. It is reasonable to infer that the differences in their visions of constitutional order were deeply rooted in different intellectual traditions – not only political (Kelsen’s involvement in defense of liberal democracy unlike Carl Schmitt, whose conservative attitude and critique of liberalism led to support totalitarian state and extreme right wing ideology), but also theological (pantheistic idea of God and fideism; conflict between rationality and faith). So from this perspective „Pure theory of law” can be seen as pantheistic political theology, because „pantheism overcomes the opposition of God and World; the Pure Theory of Law accordingly overcomes the opposition of State and Law”. On the other hand legal philosophy of Carl Schmitt is inspired by the Roman Catholic theological concept of the miracle, whereby God is free from the laws of nature – and in consequence – the sovereign is not bound by the law and may decide exceptions to it.The purpose of this article is to review the controversy between two, potentially most influential legal theorists in 20th century, Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt. Their philosophical concepts: Schmittian decisionism and Kelsenian normativism, were based on different assumptions, leading their authors to variant practical conclusions. It is reasonable to infer that the differences in their visions of constitutional order were deeply rooted in different intellectual traditions – not only political (Kelsen’s involvement in defense of liberal democracy unlike Carl Schmitt, whose conservative attitude and critique of liberalism led to support totalitarian state and extreme right wing ideology), but also theological (pantheistic idea of God and fideism; conflict between rationality and faith). So from this perspective „Pure theory of law” can be seen as pantheistic political theology, because „pantheism overcomes the opposition of God and World; the Pure Theory of Law accordingly overcomes the opposition of State and Law”. On the other hand legal philosophy of Carl Schmitt is inspired by the Roman Catholic theological concept of the miracle, whereby God is free from the laws of nature – and in consequence – the sovereign is not bound by the law and may decide exceptions to it

Gearing motion in cogwheel pairs of molecular rotors: weak-coupling limit

Variable-​temp. (VT) crystal structures, VT 1H spin-​lattice relaxation in static crystals, and DFT modeling of the rotational barriers of BCP rotators in cryst. arrays of a rod-​like mol. contg. two 1,​3-​bis(ethynyl)​bicyclo[1.1.1]​pentane (BCP) units demonstrate that a correlated gearing motion occurs in the limit of a weak coupling between two rotors in a pair

Computing the shortest elementary flux modes in genome-scale metabolic networks

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website through the link below. Copyright @ The Author 2009.Motivation: Elementary flux modes (EFMs) represent a key concept to analyze metabolic networks from a pathway-oriented perspective. In spite of considerable work in this field, the computation of the full set of elementary flux modes in large-scale metabolic networks still constitutes a challenging issue due to its underlying combinatorial complexity. Results: In this article, we illustrate that the full set of EFMs can be enumerated in increasing order of number of reactions via integer linear programming. In this light, we present a novel procedure to efficiently determine the K-shortest EFMs in large-scale metabolic networks. Our method was applied to find the K-shortest EFMs that produce lysine in the genome-scale metabolic networks of Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum. A detailed analysis of the biological significance of the K-shortest EFMs was conducted, finding that glucose catabolism, ammonium assimilation, lysine anabolism and cofactor balancing were correctly predicted. The work presented here represents an important step forward in the analysis and computation of EFMs for large-scale metabolic networks, where traditional methods fail for networks of even moderate size. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online (http://bioinformatics.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/btp564/DC1).Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and Siemens SA Portugal

Impact of Chromosomal Architecture on the Function and Evolution of Bacterial Genomes

The bacterial nucleoid is highly condensed and forms compartment-like structures within the cell. Much attention has been devoted to investigating the dynamic topology and organization of the nucleoid. In contrast, the specific nucleoid organization, and the relationship between nucleoid structure and function is often neglected with regard to importance for adaption to changing environments and horizontal gene acquisition. In this review, we focus on the structure-function relationship in the bacterial nucleoid. We provide an overview of the fundamental properties that shape the chromosome as a structured yet dynamic macromolecule. These fundamental properties are then considered in the context of the living cell, with focus on how the informational flow affects the nucleoid structure, which in turn impacts on the genetic output. Subsequently, the dynamic living nucleoid will be discussed in the context of evolution. We will address how the acquisition of foreign DNA impacts nucleoid structure, and conversely, how nucleoid structure constrains the successful and sustainable chromosomal integration of novel DNA. Finally, we will discuss current challenges and directions of research in understanding the role of chromosomal architecture in bacterial survival and adaptation

The Skin as a Mirror of Internal Disease: Comorbidities and Epidemiology of Acne Vulgaris and Adult Female Acne – A Cross-sectional Study and Current State of Knowledge

Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition affecting an increasing number of adults and might be a clue to identifying systemic disease. Objective of this study is assessment of the demographic and clinical characteristic, including comorbidities, of patients with acne with a special focus on adult female acne (AFA). This cross-sectional study analyzed the medical records of 354 patients with acne (323 outpatients and 31 hospitalized). Data concerning patient age, sex, lesions morphology and distribution on body areas, duration of the disease, Body Mass Index, and dermatologic and systemic comorbidities were collected. 61% of all patients were female, 45.37% of women were classified as AFA. The median age of patients with acne was 24 years and 32.5 years for AFA. The face was the most commonly affected area; patients with AFA had lesions on their back than less frequently non-AFA. Predominant eruptions were pustules and papules. 38.7% of patients had concomitant systemic chronic disease, 15.25% had an endocrinologic disorder, and 6.21% had thyroid gland dysfunction. Women with AFA had endocrinologic disorders more frequently (P=0.002), whereas cutaneous signs of hyperandrogenism were observed less frequently than in the non-AFA group (P=0.034). AFA possess distinct clinical features and it should raise suspicion towards possible underlying endocrinologic disturbance

Wurtzite vs rock-salt MnSe epitaxy: electronic and altermagnetic properties

Newly discovered altermagnets are magnetic materials exhibiting both compensated magnetic order, similar to antiferromagnets, and simultaneous non-relativistic spin-splitting of the bands, akin to ferromagnets. This characteristic arises from the specific symmetry operations that connect the spin sublattices. In this report, we show with ab initio calculations that the semiconductive MnSe exhibits altermagnetic spin-splitting in the wurtzite phase as well as a critical temperature well above room temperature. It is the first material from such space group identified to possess altermagnetic properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate experimentally through structural characterization techniques that it is possible to obtain thin films of both the intriguing wurtzite phase of MnSe and the more common rock-salt MnSe using molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrates. The choice of buffer layers plays a crucial role in determining the resulting phase and consequently extends the array of materials available for the physics of altermagnetism

Serological surveillance reveals patterns of exposure to H5 and H7 influenza A viruses in European poultry

Influenza A viruses of H5 and H7 subtype in poultry can circulate subclinically, and subsequently mutate from low to high pathogenicity with potentially devastating economic and welfare consequences. European Union Member States undertake surveillance of commercial and backyard poultry for early detection and control of subclinical H5 and H7 influenza A infection. This surveillance has moved towards a risk‐based sampling approach in recent years; however quantitative measures of relative risk associated with risk factors utilised in this approach are necessary for optimisation. This study describes serosurveillance for H5 and H7 influenza A in domestic and commercial poultry undertaken in the European Union from 2004 to 2010, where a random sampling and thus representative approach to serosurveillance was undertaken. Using these representative data, this study measured relative risk of seropositivity across poultry categories and spatially across the EU. Data were analysed using multivariable logistic regression. Domestic waterfowl, game birds, fattening turkeys, ratites, backyard poultry and the “other” poultry category holdings had relatively increased probability of H5 and/or H7 influenza A seropositivity, compared to laying‐hen holdings. Amongst laying‐hen holdings, free‐range rearing was associated with increased probability of H7 seropositivity. Spatial analyses detected ‘hotspots’ for H5 influenza A seropositivity in western France and England, and H7 influenza A seropositivity in Italy and Belgium, which may be explained by the demographics and distribution of poultry categories. Findings suggest certain poultry category holdings are at increased risk of subclinical H5 and/or H7 influenza A circulation, and free‐range rearing increases the likelihood of exposure to H7 influenza A. These findings may be used in further refining risk‐based surveillance strategies, and prioritising management strategies in influenza A outbreaks

How are "teaching the teachers" courses in evidence based medicine evaluated? A systematic review

Background Teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become widespread in medical education. Teaching the teachers (TTT) courses address the increased teaching demand and the need to improve effectiveness of EBM teaching. We conducted a systematic review of assessment tools for EBM TTT courses. To summarise and appraise existing assessment methods for teaching the teachers courses in EBM by a systematic review. Methods We searched PubMed, BioMed, EmBase, Cochrane and Eric databases without language restrictions and included articles that assessed its participants. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. Results Of 1230 potentially relevant studies, five papers met the selection criteria. There were no specific assessment tools for evaluating effectiveness of EBM TTT courses. Some of the material available might be useful in initiating the development of such an assessment tool. Conclusion There is a need for the development of educationally sound assessment tools for teaching the teachers courses in EBM, without which it would be impossible to ascertain if such courses have the desired effect