Measuring lung mechanics of expiratory tidal breathing with non-invasive breath occlusion

Background and objective: Lung mechanics measurements provide clinically useful information about disease progression and lung health. Currently, there are no commonly practiced methods to non-invasively measure both resistive and elastic lung mechanics during tidal breathing, preventing the important information provided by lung mechanics from being utilised. This study presents a novel method to easily assess lung mechanics of spontaneously breathing subjects using a dynamic elastance, single-compartment lung model. Methods: A spirometer with a built-in shutter was used to occlude expiration during tidal breathing, creating exponentially decaying flow when the shutter re-opened. The lung mechanics measured were respiratory system elastance and resistance, separated from the exponentially decaying flow, and interrupter resistance calculated at shutter closure. Progressively increasing resistance was added to the spirometer mouthpiece to simulate upper airway obstruction. The lung mechanics of 17 healthy subjects were successfully measured through spirometry. Results: N = 17 (8 female, 9 male) healthy subjects were recruited. Measured decay rates ranged from 5 to 42/s, subjects with large variation of decay rates showed higher muscular breathing effort. Lung elastance measurements ranged from 3.9 to 21.2 cmH -2 2 O/L, with no clear trend between change in elastance and added resistance. Resistance calculated from decay rate and elastance ranged from 0.15 to 1.95 cmH -2 2 Os/L. These very small resistance values are due to the airflow measured originating from low-resistance areas in the centre of airways. Occlusion resistance measurements were as expected for healthy subjects, and increased as expected as resistance was added. Conclusions: This test was able to identify reasonable dynamic lung elastance and occlusion resistance values, providing new insight into expiratory breathing effort. Clinically, this lung function test could impact current practice. It does not require high levels of cooperation from the subject, allowing a wider cohort of patients to be assessed more easily. Additionally, this test can be simply implemented in a small standalone device, or with standard lung function testing equipment

Glycerol valorization: dehydration to acrolein over silica-supported niobia catalysts

The catalytic dehydration of glycerol to acrolein is investigated over silica-supported niobia catalysts in a continuous fixed-bed gas-phase reactor. Various supported niobia catalysts are prepared and characterized using surface analysis and spectroscopic methods (XRD, UV–Vis, XPS, N2 adsorption), as well as with ammonia adsorption microcalorimetry. Good results are obtained with initial glycerol conversions of over 70% and with 50–70% selectivity to acrolein. We investigate the influence of changing the catalyst acid strength by varying the niobia content and catalyst calcination temperature. Glycerol conversion and acrolein selectivity depend on the surface acid strength. Catalyst deactivation by coking is also observed, but simple oxidative treatment in air restores the activity of the catalysts completely

Morphology of bile salts micelles and mixed micelles with lipolysis products, from scattering techniques and atomistic simulations

Hypotheses Bile salts (BS) are biosurfactants released into the small intestine, which play key and contrasting roles in lipid digestion: they adsorb at interfaces and promote the adsorption of digestive enzymes onto fat droplets, while they also remove lipolysis products from that interface, solubilising them into mixed micelles. Small architectural variations on their chemical structure, specifically their bile acid moiety, are hypothesised to underlie these conflicting functionalities, which should be reflected in different aggregation and solubilisation behaviour. Experiments The micellisation of two BS, sodium taurocholate (NaTC) and sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC), which differ by one hydroxyl group on the bile acid moiety, was assessed by pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy, and the morphology of aggregates formed in the absence and presence of fatty acids (FA) and monoacylglycerols (MAG) – typical lipolysis products – was resolved by small-angle X-ray/neutron scattering (SAXS, SANS) and molecular dynamics simulations. The solubilisation by BS of triacylglycerol-incorporating liposomes – mimicking ingested lipids – was studied by neutron reflectometry and SANS. Findings Our results demonstrate that BS micelles exhibit an ellipsoidal shape. NaTDC displays a lower critical micellar concentration and forms larger and more spherical aggregates than NaTC. Similar observations were made for BS micelles mixed with FA and MAG. Structural studies with liposomes show that the addition of BS induces their solubilisation into mixed micelles, with NaTDC displaying a higher solubilising capacity

Resistencia al fuego de elementos estructurales prefabricados de hormigón armado

This deals with the behaviour of structures and elements involving prefabricated reinforced concrete, when subjected to fire heat. Requirements are also given on adequate protection cover, materials, systems, and types of joints, as well as the correct use of buildings with these materials, so that the minimum necessary specifications on insulation and strength are met.<br><br>Trata este artículo del comportamiento de estructuras y elementos prefabricados de hormigón armado ante la acción del fuego, con vistas a adoptar los espesores de revestimientos, los materiales, los sistemas, los tipos de juntas e, incluso, las condiciones de explotación de los edificios a construir, que cumplan más adecuadamente con unas determinadas y mínimas propiedades de aislamiento y resistencia