Electromechanical Reliability Testing of Three-Axial Silicon Force Sensors

This paper reports on the systematic electromechanical characterization of a new three-axial force sensor used in dimensional metrology of micro components. The siliconbased sensor system consists of piezoresistive mechanicalstress transducers integrated in thin membrane hinges supporting a suspended flexible cross structure. The mechanical behavior of the fragile micromechanical structure isanalyzed for both static and dynamic load cases. This work demonstrates that the silicon microstructure withstands static forces of 1.16N applied orthogonally to the front-side of the structure. A statistical Weibull analysis of the measured data shows that these values are significantly reduced if the normal force is applied to the back of the sensor. Improvements of the sensor system design for future development cycles are derived from the measurement results.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Openness in participation, assessment, and policy making upon issues of environment and environmental health: a review of literature and recent project results

Issues of environment and environmental health involve multiple interests regarding e.g. political, societal, economical, and public concerns represented by different kinds of organizations and individuals. Not surprisingly, stakeholder and public participation has become a major issue in environmental and environmental health policy and assessment. The need for participation has been discussed and reasoned by many, including environmental legislators around the world. In principle, participation is generally considered as desirable and the focus of most scholars and practitioners is on carrying out participation, and making participation more effective. In practice also doubts regarding the effectiveness and importance of participation exist among policy makers, assessors, and public, leading even to undermining participatory practices in policy making and assessment

Anaphylaxis in Elderly Patients-Data From the European Anaphylaxis Registry

Background: Elicitors and symptoms of anaphylaxis are age dependent. However, little is known about typical features of anaphylaxis in patients aged 65 years or more. Methods: The data from the Network for Online Registration of Anaphylaxis (NORA) considering patients aged ≥65 (elderly) in comparison to data from adults (18–64 years) regarding elicitors, symptoms, comorbidities, and treatment measures were analyzed. Results: We identified 1,123 elderly anaphylactic patients. Insect venoms were the most frequent elicitor in this group (p < 0.001), followed by drugs like analgesics and antibiotics. Food allergens elicited less frequently anaphylaxis (p < 0.001). Skin symptoms occurred less frequently in elderly patients (77%, p < 0.001). The clinical symptoms were more severe in the elderly (51% experiencing grade III/IV reactions), in particular when skin symptoms (p < 0.001) were absent. Most strikingly, a loss of consciousness (33%, p < 0.001) and preexisting cardiovascular comorbidity (59%, p < 0.001) were more prevalent in the elderly. Finally, adrenaline was used in 30% of the elderly (vs. 26% in the comparator group, p < 0.001) and hospitalization was more often required (60 vs. 50%, p < 0.001). Discussion and Conclusion: Anaphylaxis in the elderly is often caused by insect venoms and drugs. These patients suffer more often from cardiovascular symptoms, receive more frequently adrenaline and require more often hospitalization. The data indicate that anaphylaxis in the elderly tends to be more frequently life threatening and patients require intensified medical intervention. The data support the need to recognize anaphylaxis in this patient group, which is prone to be at a higher risk for a fatal outcome

Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of Zymomonas mobilis during aerobic and anaerobic fermentations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Zymomonas mobilis </it>ZM4 (ZM4) produces near theoretical yields of ethanol with high specific productivity and recombinant strains are able to ferment both C-5 and C-6 sugars. <it>Z. mobilis </it>performs best under anaerobic conditions, but is an aerotolerant organism. However, the genetic and physiological basis of ZM4's response to various stresses is understood poorly.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles for ZM4 aerobic and anaerobic fermentations were elucidated by microarray analysis and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. In the absence of oxygen, ZM4 consumed glucose more rapidly, had a higher growth rate, and ethanol was the major end-product. Greater amounts of other end-products such as acetate, lactate, and acetoin were detected under aerobic conditions and at 26 h there was only 1.7% of the amount of ethanol present aerobically as there was anaerobically. In the early exponential growth phase, significant differences in gene expression were not observed between aerobic and anaerobic conditions via microarray analysis. HPLC and GC analyses revealed minor differences in extracellular metabolite profiles at the corresponding early exponential phase time point.</p> <p>Differences in extracellular metabolite profiles between conditions became greater as the fermentations progressed. GC-MS analysis of stationary phase intracellular metabolites indicated that ZM4 contained lower levels of amino acids such as alanine, valine and lysine, and other metabolites like lactate, ribitol, and 4-hydroxybutanoate under anaerobic conditions relative to aerobic conditions. Stationary phase microarray analysis revealed that 166 genes were significantly differentially expressed by more than two-fold. Transcripts for Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway genes (<it>glk, zwf, pgl, pgk, and eno</it>) and gene <it>pdc</it>, encoding a key enzyme leading to ethanol production, were at least 30-fold more abundant under anaerobic conditions in the stationary phase based on quantitative-PCR results. We also identified differentially expressed ZM4 genes predicted by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) that were not predicted in the primary annotation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High oxygen concentrations present during <it>Z. mobilis </it>fermentations negatively influence fermentation performance. The maximum specific growth rates were not dramatically different between aerobic and anaerobic conditions, yet oxygen did affect the physiology of the cells leading to the buildup of metabolic byproducts that ultimately led to greater differences in transcriptomic profiles in stationary phase.</p

Scale-up of ethanol production from sugarcane using Zymomonas mobilis

The Zymomonas fermentation for industrial ethanol production has been successfully scaled up. Pilot plant experiments at 100 and 1,000 litre fermentation capacity gave 91-95% conversion efficiencies and up to 10% (v/v) ethanol yields within 17-20 hours using sugar cane syrup, A-, B-, and C-molasses with the addition of sucrose or syrup to a final 15% total sugar concentration

Maximizing the potential of the Paris Agreement: Effective review of action and support in a bottom-up regime

The hybrid model of international climate policy embodied in the Paris Agreement requires countries to regularly deliver their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and to progressively increase collective and individual efforts over time. To be effective, this type of regime requires international review processes that provide robust information about countries’ efforts to address climate change and the support they offer other countries to do so, as well as their future plans and trajectories. The regime must also provide substantial opportunities for state and non-state actor engagement with this information, as well as sharing of best practices. The Paris Agreement creates three different review processes, but leaves critical details regarding each and their relation to each other to future decisions: • a review of implementation of individual NDCs under an “enhanced transparency framework” for action and support, comprising a technical expert review and multilateral consideration (Article 13). • a global stocktake every five years to assess collective progress towards achieving the purpose and long-term goals of the Agreement (Article 14), preceded by a mitigation-focused facilitative dialogue in 2018. • a mechanism to facilitate implementation and promote compliance through a committee that is expert-based, non-adversarial and non-punitive (Article 15). It is essential for Parties to develop effective modalities, procedures and guidelines for each of these processes, ideally before the Paris Agreement enters into force. To this end, this discussion brief highlights essential considerations and, where possible, potential options for each process. The aim is to show what is at stake as the Parties negotiate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and, to clarify the questions that need to be resolved going forward.</p

Maximizing the potential of the Paris Agreement: Effective review of action and support in a bottom-up regime

The hybrid model of international climate policy embodied in the Paris Agreement requires countries to regularly deliver their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and to progressively increase collective and individual efforts over time. To be effective, this type of regime requires international review processes that provide robust information about countries’ efforts to address climate change and the support they offer other countries to do so, as well as their future plans and trajectories. The regime must also provide substantial opportunities for state and non-state actor engagement with this information, as well as sharing of best practices. The Paris Agreement creates three different review processes, but leaves critical details regarding each and their relation to each other to future decisions: • a review of implementation of individual NDCs under an “enhanced transparency framework” for action and support, comprising a technical expert review and multilateral consideration (Article 13). • a global stocktake every five years to assess collective progress towards achieving the purpose and long-term goals of the Agreement (Article 14), preceded by a mitigation-focused facilitative dialogue in 2018. • a mechanism to facilitate implementation and promote compliance through a committee that is expert-based, non-adversarial and non-punitive (Article 15). It is essential for Parties to develop effective modalities, procedures and guidelines for each of these processes, ideally before the Paris Agreement enters into force. To this end, this discussion brief highlights essential considerations and, where possible, potential options for each process. The aim is to show what is at stake as the Parties negotiate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and, to clarify the questions that need to be resolved going forward.</p